Editorial – Page 64 – Manipur News

Whose responsibility is it?

Roads are too narrow, which cannot accommodate space to the ever increasing numbers of vehicles. Driving vehicles during day time on such roads is easier and manageable. But night time is different. Latest model cars with halogen bulbs shooting the light upward are on the road, which is blinding. Showing least concern to others coming from opposite direction they drive in full speed. Imagine the plight of the drivers on the wheel on the opposite direction. He will not see anything yet the vehicle continues to roll on. There had been instances of pedestrians being hit in the night by vehicles. Then there are foolish pedestrians who inculcate the bad habit of walking in the middle of the road just near median portion. They walk aimlessly as if they cannot be hurt. What they do not know is if the driver loses control for one reason or the other they will be crushed like frogs and rats on the road. Who can advise all these foolish pedestrians not to walk in the middle of the road? Middle portion of the road is for the fastest driving vehicle. If any pedestrian dies in the middle of the road he or she will not get any kind of compensation from anybody. Because rules had been violated when they walk in the middle of the road. Pedestrians’ space is reserved on the extreme left side of the road. A middle aged woman, who as a habit crosses the road without looking back was hit by a fast moving two wheeler at Uripok some time back. Luckily she did not die. She was wise she learnt a lesson. She is seen these days crossing the road straight after looking left and right. She will not be hit by fast moving vehicle in future. One must learn lesson without committing any kind of mistake. If pedestrians avoid the bad habit of walking in the middle of the road a change will be seen. At par the concerned authority should frame rules for the vehicles to paint black patches on the top portion of the bulb holders. That will make driving in the night safe. The number of vehicles is alarmingly increasing and there are mad drivers among them. Something needs to be done to control road accidents.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/whose-responsibility-is-it/

Lok Sabha elections

Will Lok Sabha election be preponed? This question is being
asked. May be or may not be will be the right answer. If the monsoon session of Parliament ensures smooth passage of the Food security bill yes the time for holding Lok Sabha elections may be advanced. If not, the answer will be “may not be”. If the elections are to be held as per scheduled the time for holding such elections is around eight months away. Why should not elections be held as per scheduled? This question is also being asked. Election is a very costly affair. India now is passing through a critical phase. Down valuation of Indian currency against dollar and other currencies of developed nations is alarming. A system needs to be found to see to it that Indian currency regains the value it lost. How can it be made possible? This question is being put to those at the helms of affairs. Someone quipped India is ruined. She lamented there is no room for recovery. If Congress led UPA Government cannot find the remedies will the Government being formed by other parties be able to tide over the financial crisis. That will be hoping against hope. The past had taught a lesson. That’s really fearsome. India survived by mortgaging gold. That situation does not arise now. A stable Government can ensure financial stability. That’s known to all. It is time political parties declare measures to be adopted to tide over financial crisis in their election manifestoes. That will enable simple voters to decide to which party he or she should go. We must not allow one billion plus people of the country to land in African continent like situation, where famine and gun culture go together. Therefore nothing should be done to confuse the minds of the simple voters by making false claims of being able to bring heavens on the earth. Political party having disciplined leaders will do better when the people are in need of effective and clean administration. The better side of Congress party is that it can punish corrupt Ministers without a fuss. BJP faced trouble time when it attempted to take action against Yedyurappa on corruption charges in Karnataka. The manner with which Narendra Modi shot himself to top leadership of the party in defiance of the dictate of L. K. Advani also indicates party discipline was set aside to benefit an individual. Janata Dal would have remained in NDA had Modi agreed lent ears to Advani’s suggestion. That became a thing of the past. Let voters decide which party should rule the country?

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/lok-sabha-elections/

Messages in the media

The post Messages in the media appeared first on KanglaOnline.com.

The media as we know, has the role and duty of keeping people informed and shaping opinions. In Manipur, even as the agreed upon consensus is that the media sector is placed under serious strain given the nature of the society and the various push and pulls that exist, the media is relevant for various players and stakeholders of assorted shades and hues. If the Government and its various agencies scan the news hoping that only their ‘achievements’ are highlighted and never their failings; the various organizations, civil society groups and associations, NGOs and others try to keep the media informed on the urgency and importance of their stands and viewpoints so that they are then relayed to the reading masses. Sometimes, there is just so much significance given to the media unnecessarily that functions, organized either by Government agencies or those by the non Government related bodies do not start if the media turn up at such events gets delayed or trickles down to a few. And while it is true that the media is often caught in the middle of various armed state and non state actors who all want their way of thinking and their statements carried in toto, the same applies for non armed state and non state actors. The only difference obviously is that the non state armed forces can very well send gifts of wrapped up lethod launchers as one media house did or make very polite phone calls requesting for certain news to be carried and ‘prominently’ at that. Which then begs the question whether the media in Manipur just a space to be filled up by the statements made by various actors. The other relevant area in the importance of what appears in the media is whether anything is achieved at all when certain things that are dictated gets carried in the media, whether their inclusion in the media by the push factor guarantees that the general population believes in what is spouted.

But for various stakeholders across the board, the media is important to show that they are working for the greater good of the common man. Which is why NGOs and various do gooders will make a beeline for media presence and bombard media houses with their press releases. All of which they think are important and of a very urgent nature. Put the social vigilante groups in the picture and what does the media have on its hands but requests for reporters to be dispatched to places where couples or young people have been caught in varying degrees of intimacy. Such groups will demand that the media listen to their lecture to those unfortunate enough to be caught in their social drives and insist that names and photos are published. If the reporters are not dispatched, they helpfully send in detailed reports with the photos. There is also an interesting category of groups that may or not exist in reality but will send in signed press releases without any official letterhead or a call back contact number. Many years ago, there was an instance of a bandh call given by a group that no one had heard of. It did come with a letterhead and verification at the area brought to light that the group was non existent. Such is the fare that the media in Manipur has to live with amidst the push and pull of various powerful groups that does exist.

IFP has made its case for the insensitive manner in which various groups including JACs highlight the name of women who have undergone rape and other forms of sexual assault and the media falls under the pressure of exposing what happens. Often, various stakeholders in the state fall upon themselves to be seen as doing well for the other people but do not realize that what they are doing is spreading insensitivity. We see this in the manner in which VIPs, MLAs, Ministers and representatives of various groups go calling upon those who have undergone vulnerable situations and call in the media as recorders. And when the media here fall for such cons or play a part of the great public relations machinery, we are accepting that sometimes it is not just the threats that shuts us up but the inability to know what is relevant and what is not.

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Flash flood man made

A few hours rain caused havoc at many
areas of the state capital. Realisation
is yet to dawn in the minds of the city dwellers. Nullah and drains are up for grabbing. Land grabbing spree by roadside dwellers showing least concern what it will bring has left all in a mess. Shamelessly houses are constructed encroaching upon nullah without leaving space even for parking their own vehicles. These shameless dwellers have made the lanes and by-lanes too narrow. No truck can be driven in such lane. In the event of occurrence of fire no fire service vehicle will be able to ply on such road. The houses will have to be left to reduce to cinders. We talk of town planning without thinking what we can contribute when such plan is launched. A proper town planning will require proper drainage system. Will we readily agree to hand over the land that we had encroached upon? Funny things are happening at many places of the state capital. As the trucks cannot be driven on such tiny lanes construction materials are taken to the destination by rickshaw or auto rickshaw. Flash flood that occurred in many parts of the state capital as the fall out of a few hours rainfall was caused by absence of proper drainage system. Flood water remained stagnant like water in the ponds. A survey needs to be carried out to identify the areas, which are prone to a few hours rain. Such type of flood was not seen one or two decades back. But all these things will be forgotten once the rainy season is over. The other factors that attribute to raising the level of nullah is dropping of unwanted sands discarded by builders into the channel. Has anybody seen anyone picking up the sands accumulated in the nullah? Deepening or widening of nullah can be done; the cooperation of all is required. If the flash flood reached the level of porch this year in future after 10 years it will reach the level of eaves. This is one problem, which the concerned authority will find handicapped in tackling. Therefore city dwellers when they construct a house they should keep in mind the need for keeping the nullah wide and also not to drop sands and pebbles into it. Until realisation dawns in the minds of all we will continue to see the flash flood of this nature in the years to come.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/flash-flood-man-made/

Addressing adolescent pregnancies

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The spotlight on adolescent pregnancy, the theme for this years’ World Population day on July 11 is a validation of the importance and well being of young people the world over. With teenage pregnancies being a reality for numerous young people and the resulting impacts having far reaching consequences on their reproductive health, mental and emotional well being, the theme and its resulting buzz would atleast lead to creating awareness on how young people are at risk due to the nature of silence and social taboos. According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), cases of teenage pregnancy are increasing in an alarming rate with approximately 16 million girls aged 15-19 giving birth each year, which leads to serious complications during pregnancy as well as after child birth and many resulting in death, especially in the developing countries. The risks of teen pregnancy are manifold as an adolescent body is not suitable for pregnancy and involves in the majority of cases, young people resorting to unsafe techniques to abort to stop further pregnancies. But even as Governments on their part make laws that aim to ensure that adolescents are protected from early marriages by making 18 years as the eligible point for legal marriages, the reality is that many under-age marriages do take place while pre marital sex among teenagers is very much in practice in Manipur too. The spectacle of various moral vigilante groups going on their ‘social drives’ of rounding up young people from restaurants and other public places in the state is one indicator of the nature of knee jerk reactions towards young people and their sexual behaviour. What is not considered at length is what drives young people to find solace in dark interiors and isolated areas where there are risks in terms of the safety of girls as proved many times over by cases of sexual assault and rape that have taken place.

When young couples get pregnant, the fear of parental action and social scrutiny often leads them to access unsafe practices to terminate their pregnancies. With abortions still being illegal in the country and hence, a means to be used outside the public domain, many young girls end up going to quacks or unqualified medical practitioners. Once their pregnancies are terminated, teenage girls who to begin with have had no access to correct information with regard to their pregnancies often end up hiding not only their pregnancies but cover up the fact that they have had abortions done. In doing so, they forego post abortion care to let their bodies heal. The lack of adequate information and awareness to young people on one hand and the profusion of advertisements on ways to prevent pregnancies in various mediums means that young people today are more prone to throwing caution to the wind by using medications to prevent pregnancies like the i-pill, pegged as an effective contraceptive measure that needs to be taken within a certain time span of unprotected sex. What is not realized or being seen are the after effects and harms of popping i-pills and what it might entail for young women who use it over an extended period of time, over and above the fact that i-pills do not ensure protection from the risk of HIV infection or transmission.

The vulnerability of young girls to sexual abuse and unwanted pregnancies is prevalent in societies that are plagued by poor development and various forms of conflict including armed conflict. The lack of facilities for proper education and safety mechanisms make young girls vulnerable to be trafficked or to be coerced by existing conditions to take up sex work. The recent media stories citing the medical examination reports of the 15 girls rescued from a ‘children home’ in Jaipur is proof that children caught in the trafficking net are subjected to sexual torture and abuse to coerce them into silence. What is not talked abut or discussed about at length is that girls and teens who are inducted as child soldiers run the equal risk of being sexually exploited in armed environments where males outnumber women, where sex would be required and which naturally, exist out of the bounds of public scrutiny. The fact is that reproductive health is not talked about or encouraged at all in our society. At the most, adolescent health is a topic that is confined to a short chapter in biology textbooks in high school, which in itself is skimmed through in the class-rooms. Mindsets would have to change if positive steps are to be taken to address the reality of adolescent pregnancies to ensure the well being of young people.

The post Addressing adolescent pregnancies appeared first on KanglaOnline.com.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2013/07/addressing-adolescent-pregnancies/

Addressing adolescent pregnancies

The post Addressing adolescent pregnancies appeared first on KanglaOnline.com.

It’s called shamelessness

Something has blinded our senses. We are not scared of the consequences that may entail for doing wrong practices. Engineers openly demand cut money and scoff at those, who cannot meet their demand. Teachers neglect their duty and indulge in other activities all for earning extra money. How much one needs? It is really shameful a doctor refused to perform operation on a patient for not bringing medicines from the pharmacy of his choice. Pharmacy and doctor collusion should be shattered. In future if any doctor is found recommending a pharmacy of his choice for buying medicines by patients he or she should lose the licence cancelled. And if they are Government employees their services should be ended. The right of an individual cannot be curtailed. Now a patient had exposed all that transpired between the patient parties and the doctor. For a few hundreds of rupees a doctor could stoop too low. Now all his prestige and image have been dragged down. This is eye opener for all those, who matter. Always remember some of the patient parties are as smart as those engaged by intelligence agencies. They can easily weigh the pros and cons of every single word uttered by a doctor. The system of a doctor recommending pharmacy must be abandoned. In the event of a patient or a party asking out of curiosity where medicines are available a doctor can recommend the pharmacy of his choice. That situation may not arise. Because patients are really scary of talking to doctor. The report has revealed that there is a huge gulf of difference in the prices of the medicines quoted by the pharmacy in question and the others scattered here and there. Hard earned money cannot be wasted without any reason. Instead of recommending the pharmacy the doctor could openly say he wants a few hundreds of rupees. That sounds more reasonable than making prolonged procedures of recommending a pharmacy and sharing the profit. The patient had no alternative other than moving out of the hospital as the Doctors have refused to carry out operation. He was taken to another hospital for the operation. A question will arise how the patient was discharged. There is a system for discharging a patient. Or was the patient expelled. The authority owes an explanation. The matter requires thorough investigation by the authority. Why Doctors engaged by the Government should neglect their duties. Then there is also large number of Government doctors who despite getting hefty pay perk and perquisites remain confined to private clinics for earning extra money. Investigation if any should cover all.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/its-called-shamelessness/

Education free zone

The rally, which was taken out today for making education free zone, under the sponsorship of DESAM, will go a long way in making all concerned realise the hindrances that stand in the speedy promotion of education in Manipur. Some see education as money minting ground, others for exploiting the hapless groups of people, who take up teaching profession. Primary level, junior level education has become very costly affair in Manipur. The absence of Government schools has compelled poor parents to send their children to private schools. A young widow, when she is asked to react about the killing of her husband, say loudly I will not be able to care up my three children without my husband, who is no more. She knows she will not be able to send her children to private schools, which charge escalated fee. Primary level education cannot be left at the mercy of private schools. There should be healthy competition between Government and private schools. Government teachers, who shirk duty must be punished. There are large numbers of teachers, who draw pay without doing anything. If all these shirking Government teachers are fed to private schools while giving pay by Government will the private schools agree to cut down the admission and monthly fees? Private school owners will check the performance of the Government and they in turn will render the service for which they are appointed. Well clad Government school teachers enter dilapidated school buildings, which are kept neglected by the authority. Matching with the condition of the school buildings very few students all poorly clad come to the school. Surely the teachers might be finding awkward to lecture on them. A system needs to be found to ensure that primary level education does not reach the scale of unaffordable. Food security bill and various other schemes introduced by the government are for extending help to the needy people. Then there is RTE. How will poor parents get the benefit of RTE, when there are no properly functioning Government schools in the state capital? In the remote areas the Government schools might be seeing the good turnout of students. Unless policies are introduced to make education vibrant and kicking Manipur will land in a precarious condition in future. It is a serious matter, which should be looked into by the highest authority of the land.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/education-free-zone/

King Vs King

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Leader Writer: Paojel Chaoba It may be said that Manipur does not lack issues, be it decade old ones like electricity, AFSPA, insurgency etc., but new ones still crop up to occupy the mind and sentiments of the public. One … Continue reading →

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Leader Writer: Paojel Chaoba
It may be said that Manipur does not lack issues, be it decade old ones like electricity, AFSPA, insurgency etc., but new ones still crop up to occupy the mind and sentiments of the public. One among the latest is the seeming impasse regarding the royal palace.

Since the cabinet announcement to renovate the building to make it a historical site, several organizations have cried foul and demonstrations are still underway. It is interesting to speculate on what the outcome may turn out to be and in whose favour the cards will fall. We have on one hand, the titular King Leisemba Sanajaoba and his council backed up by civil bodies whereas we have on the other, the SPF government and his cabinet. During the second tenure of the SPF led by Ibobi Singh, myriad eviction drives have taken place and to name a few , for expansion of the roads, arable land for augmenting the airport and even to the extent of driving out fisher folks from their makeshift huts at Loktak lake. During the announcements for the land acquisitions and further follow up evictions, there was utmost hue and cry raised from the affected sections and concerned organizations. But, despite the uproars and post wasting the rubber bullets and tear gas of the state home department, things always turn up roses for the SPF and the loud voices mostly are no longer heard from again. The State has always had its way. It is rumored in many sections that some agitations are just an exercise to build up the pitch for arranging a sumptuous compensation amount with the government, whether be it true or not is another matter.

Now we have to see what happens to the stand-off between the titular King and the ‘King’ so appointed by the people and carrying the torch for the Congress Party. Will Ibobi respect his own cabinet decision or will there be an exception in the case of the Sana Konung. But, if so, then this will be the first reprieve regarding the issue of land acquisition which was not given to the public by his government and the titular King in his triumph could be carried in a palanquin throughout Imphal city and showered with flowers. Better yet, if the matter so turns out, then his highness could even enter the political arena and carry the real mandate of his subjects to higher levels. ‘Give or take’, the situation may be compared to two boxers in the ring in a “King Vs King” fight and the Manipuri public has the best seat in the house and best yet, with nothing to lose.

Manipur has a recorded history since 33 AD, but it is a globalised world today and feudalism is more or less; history . Speaking of Manipur and as per records of Chitharol Kumbaba, the chronicles of the Kings of Manipur, the history seems vexed with incessant ‘feud’s amongst the royal lineage. The last may be mentioned to be the precursor of the Anglo-Manipuri War of 1891 and the British arrival at Kangla. Later, the now debated Sana Konung and along with Govinda temple was built for Churachand Maharaj by the British then.

One year before statehood, the Prime Minister Indira Gandhi scrapped the payment of more than 600 princely states through the nation, Manipur included. Bereft of privileges enjoyed earlier, the recent royal lineage more or less lost the land encompassing Sana Konung to private hands and remains still, it may have been done to retain the last essence of kingship or to maintain the ‘household’. The then nearly 13 acres is now down to a mere 2.5 acres. The Pakhangba temple, Yumjao Lairenbi temple, Royal Durbar Hall is in a state of decay. It would be false to say that the Sana Konung fares better.

Instead of complicating the issue and putting pressure on either side, it would be logical to settle matters in a fashion befitting rulers instead of resembling paper tigers. Diplomacy is the need of the hour and the concerned parties’ needs to take a step backward to bring about an amicable solution. Leisemba Sanajaoba and his advisors need to table the matter with the ministry. It would not shame the SPF to renovate the palace and maintaining it ,meanwhile letting the King and his family reside during his time while imposing certain restrictions for others, thus making it a ‘living museum’ . There can be other solutions and a viable one can be agreed upon without resorting to assumed SPF despotism. The King’s advisory also need to think forward and not resort to feudalistic fundamentalism, a kingdom without a king may be problematic but more so for a King without one.

Manipur needs to forge ahead, hypothetically said. Watching the rear mirror all the time while driving would deter the vehicle from moving forward or more seriously even lead to an accident, injuring self or others. With the advent of globalization and the myriad issues in its tow, we need to pull up our socks and get ready for the more serious and pressing matters. But, to continue in disunity could be akin to fighting over the remote control for viewing favorite channels while the house is burning down on top of us.

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Lessons from Uttarkhand

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The Uttarkhand disaster ought to sound the warning bell for the states across the country, which are undertaking various major developmental projects without a proper evaluation of environmental and ecological impacts. For the north eastern region of the country which shares a similar topography with Uttarkhand and more, in terms of river based development projects and infrastructures including dams, barrages, highways etc. and where there have been other disasters as a fall out of ecological imbalances; it is time to sit up and learn from what has happened there. This is not to say that the region has not been touched by the fall out of nature being overtaken by the development track. In fact, the region has seen recurrent flash floods and landslides every monsoon while the threat of major earthquakes looms large owing to the region’s location in a high seismic zone. Over and above the region’s topography, there is no doubt about the impact of large scale dam constructions in terms of ecological disturbances that can accelerate for the worst in the future. The earthquake in Sikkim; the landslide-induced dam outburst flood in Arunachal Pradesh`s Siang district triggered by a breach in a dam on the Yigongzangbu river, a tributary of the Yarlung Zhangbo, the upper stream of the Brahmaputra and repeated flash floods in Assam are proof that climate change and development induced disaster is a reality in the region. Assam interestingly, is the focal point of climate disasters with floods augmented by drought or near drought like situations with river islands disappearing into the mighty Brahmaputra river. In Arunachal Pradesh, which is increasingly becoming the dam destination of development projects, no amount of public protests have been able to stop the ruthless pace which may wreak havoc in the years to come. Even in the debate following the Uttarkhand disaster, it is unlikely that national attention will be drawn to the amount of dams that are being planned in Arunachal Pradesh or even in the North east region, and whether any environmental studies and impact assessments have been taken or likely to be taken up. The lack of attention and focus is of course centered around the fact that the North east region is a source of power, oil and coal for the rest of the country while the people, their needs and issues faced are far removed from the great national consciousness. And because not much attention is paid to the voices on the ground, every indicator is that over 100 dams commissioned in the region may take off which in the long run can herald in unimagined impacts for people.

Over and above the twin factors of climate change and development induced factors impacting the environment and the safety of people, the rapid urbanization of cities and small townships that have led to concrete jungles, depletion of forests and green cover, rise in pollution levels and carbon emissions because of a rapid growing traffic on the roads and highways in the region and the lack of unpolluted river and drain water flow aids in the changes in climate that is unfolding before us today. Over and above these factors, the growth of buildings, colonies and other infrastructures including waste dumps along river banks and river siltation are also contributing to man made disasters like flash floods and acute water logging. The response to flash floods and water logging by the common man and authorities of course is to turn a blind eye and at the most, grin and bear with the slush and the mud. Not many linger on, to think about the long term impact of the water from flash floods and water logging over infrastructures like buildings, roads and drainage systems.

The writing on the wall is not clear when it comes to an either or call between choosing development over environment for this country since the tendency is to make a point of one over the other unlike what is happening in various countries of the world today where development is being carried out, but not at the expense of the environment and the fall outs of tampering with it. For Manipur which is fast getting under a concrete cover while the greenery is depleting, where oil rigging is being carried out, where barrages are being constructed to hand out tenders for contract work without benefitting the lives of people, where a major dam is already being commissioned, the writing on the wall is clear: we may be running towards a massive environmental disaster waiting to happen. What happened at Uttarkhand must serve as a warning for the state Government to learn lessons and to learn them well.

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The crime that is on the rise

Crime against fair sex is on the rise. That is shameful. The perpetrators of the crime happen to be the relatives of the victims or someone known to the victims. Their thoughtless actions have butchered the trust the fair sex had on men. How can this menace unleashed by male folk be controlled? This has become an added problem. Ours is male dominated society. At hotel at public places the focus of talk is on the ever increasing crime against women. Such type of incident, like elders raping minors or relatives molesting minors did not occur quite often in the past. Now it has become a regular feature. The perpetrators of the crime happen to be fully grown and married man. They cannot grasp the fall out of the crime committed. Animals cannot understand social stigma attached to commission of the crime of such nature. But men are different from animals. If the law is made more stringent will the crime of such be controlled? Nirbhaiya rape cum murder case, which happened in Delhi sent shock wave across the globe. Since then crime against women had reduced drastically in other parts of the country. As if Manipuris have different hearts and minds the incident did not touch our hearts and minds. Manipur continues to hear the news of rape every day. Something needs to be done immediately to understand why such type of incidents happens daily. In the open society such type of incidents do not occur. Ours is a very conservative society where sister in laws cover head with clothes when they move in front of elder brothers-in-law. In the west their people follow different custom and tradition. In this conservative land like ours we had heard the reports of sister-in-law killing brother-in-law for making sexual advances. It shows something is wrong somewhere. It is time the youths and elderly men are taught regularly the need for respecting the emotion of women. Too many of these Manipuri male falk are really foolish. They even play with the emotion of the infants. It is taught in book not to play with the emotion of a child. Yet these grown up male and female ridicule even the small child saying she or he was picked from river or roadside. They continue to play with the emotion of the child until baby cries. Such grown up male will commit heinous crime if they find the occasion. Because they have not learnt anything from what had been told them. Crime against women will be controlled when we all realise the need for respecting feminine gender.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/the-crime-that-is-on-the-rise/

Where lies the importance of financial section?

If you are a frequenter to an office, you will know who attends office and who else shirk the duty. Having visited too many offices for one reason or the other a finding was made; those in charge of accounting section indulge in abstenism. There is reason behind that. They want too much money without doing anything. If they demand money it is for multiplying 4 by 5. They do not do anything. But in every section of the Government departments there is one accounting section. What do they do? Nothing. They exist to snatch money from those the government wants to support. Such kind of persons who have been assigned to look after accounting section of the Government departments also do not attend offices regularly. If the Government is wise the post of accounting can be abolished. It is not doing anything. Visit the Manipur Police Housing Corporation to understand what is ailing the Government department. You will find the responsible officer not attending the office continuously for four days. Manipur is now ruined, caused by the employees, all getting hefty pay, perks and perquisites from the Government of Manipur. Take the initiative the performance of all these employees will be checked. A change will be found. We have visited too many offices. What we see and find can be taken as gospel truth. They are not doing anything. They continue to wait for money only. Have the gut abolish the post that is not required. The employees in this section of accounting find time for leisure. They attend office only when they are on demand. If they would be required everyday why should not they attend office every day? A correspondent of a news paper found that a responsible officer in charge of financial section not attending office for four days. Perhaps he perused all those files for which money was paid to him while neglecting those for which money was not paid to hm. Do something abolish the post that is not required?

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/where-lies-the-importance-of-financial-section/

Social unrest

Something that should not have happened has happened. More unfortunate is that security personnel were involved in creating social unrest. Men, who should have played the role of saviour have reduced themselves to playing the role of tormentors. Application of mind is now called for. Commandants, SPs, who are in charge of these lower ranked security personnel need to do a lot of hard work to make these lower ranked officials realised on how to treat common men at public place. The man and the woman, who were forced to enact sexual relation scene after being caught by security personnel will have the right to demand huge compensation from the Government for the perpetrators of the crime happen to be the law enforcing agencies. The victims will become a laughing stock in their own society for the video clipping of the scene had been circulated. It remains to be seen what type of punishment is meted out to the security personnel involved in the heinous crime. The nature of the crime is more severe than raping a woman. A rapist gets life term imprisonment in jail for the crime committed. The crime needs to be investigated thoroughly by a competent authority to understand what is ailing our uniformed men. Orientation course is required for all these security men. They need to be told again and again what they should do when someone who needs their help approach them. Unless they are reminded repeatedly why they are in this profession the crime of such nature involving security personnel will continue to occur. They had done something even a villain would not think of doing. But a security man is not a villain. They are paid to protect those who are in need of their help. Something is wrong somewhere, which is reflected by the crime committed. They acted wildly as if they have been given permission to carry out any job of their choice. They could play with the law. Had they caught the duo for desecrating an office by carrying out sexual acts inside the office and handed them over to police station, the personnel involved in the crime would have been hailed for their alertness. But on the contrary they had done a crime, which one could say is the most uncivilised way of giving punishment to the perpetrator of a crime. Will they be able to restore the lost prestige of the two? The answer will be a prestige that had been lost will not return. Therefore the security personnel involved in the crime must suffer.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/social-unrest/

For the Game

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Manipur’s love for a game of football was on show during two exhibition matches played yesterday at the Khuman Lampak Main Stadium. The exhibition matches organized by the Manipur Development Society and Youth Affairs and Sports Department along with a few private sponsors saw a packed house at the stadium where people trooped in to be met by police personnel who had no clue where to direct vehicles according to the entrance numbers and a few, who were selling tickets on a road stretch leading to the stadium. Everyone overlooked the electronic scoreboard and time clock that had long past given up and gave in to the love of the game that was evident in the contagious ‘Mexican wave’ that kept spectators on their feet. People with tickets stood in patient lines and waited to be let in through the limited gallery entrances that were open. The first of the exhibition match was a baptism of sorts for the young team that had earlier undergone a tow month residential football training camp with foreign coaches. That they were defeated by the more experienced All Manipur Football Association (AMFA XI) that had taken the Champion’s trophy earlier of the Dr T. Ao Memorial NE football is just the result of the match but essentially, it would be these young boys who will be taking on the mantle of the game in the state, region and for the country. Not to forget of course, that many of them will eventually land up playing for professional teams across the country. Which is why, more attention needs to be given in the detailing of nurturing talent and in organizing viewer friendly tournaments. That the state has been a fertile breeding ground for a lot of sporting talent cannot be denied but to live content with only the description would be contributing towards our own downfall. If it is football today where locals of the state are shining on various levels of competition, the same was true for hockey at one time. Unfortunately, hockey is no longer being mentioned or encouraged while even with football, the women’s team at the national level has not seen any local names in quite a while.

Then again, compare and contrast the football situation in the state with that of neighbouring Meghalaya and Mizoram where private agencies as sponsors have stepped in to establish private professional clubs in a bid to replicate the European football club level championships and what is happening in the cricket scene in terms of the premier league (IPL). Yes, Manipur does have clubs but that is more on the lines of Leikai level interest and apart from the Government organized championships, there is no Championships being held where sponsors step in with huge investment stakes. Which is why, there should no complaints really when football talents from the state venture out and play for other clubs spread across the country. In Meghalaya and Mizoram which has been a late entrant on the football scene, the strides that are being taken to nurture and encourage their players is huge with state Premier leagues being organized, with contracts being signed and insurance given for treatment of injuries etc. In Manipur, even the entry of ambulances on the field is relatively new. This, when teams are bringing in the expertise of sports physiotherapists and sports counsellors. Over and above the lack of support systems to build up football talent in the state, there is also the habit of decay and irresponsibility to existing systems. The Khuman Lampak stadium which was once the pride of the state now lies a sorry figure with many seats in the supposedly VIP gallery in conditions not fit for seating people while the lack of waste disposal measures inside the stadium leads to littering, a sight that is not too pleasant. There is no reason why the state cannot be a destination for the game of football. But this can only be done if steps are taken to address the existing condition where the state is a starting point for football. For this to happen, the Government and its various agencies have to step in to take care of players and to ensure a good audience set up by brining in quality services. In terms of sponsorships, cricket will always be the main priority till the time the Board of Cricket Control of India (BCCI) is reined in but right after cricket and tennis, it is football that is still drawing in some sponsorship interest. But though the turn around is indeed possible for the talent as the spirit of the game is very much evident in the state, the other fear is that the lack of a strategic approach can sound the death knell, much like it happened for hockey and women’s football.

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Violent attack must be condemned

Violent attack on non locals will send a negative message, which may backfire. Tiny state Manipur, which is surrounded by hills on all sides must remain purely for Manipuris. There is nothing wrong with the demand to check entry of outsiders to Manipur. However if violent attack is carried out on the premise of protecting our land and people this will derail the fight for protection of Manipuri community. Any kind of killing carried out, be it, by the security personnel or underground elements should be condemned by all sections of the society. State Government will find uphill task in making attempt to protect non locals living in the alleys of Imphal and its outskirt areas. This is going to be an added problem to the already complex situation facing Manipur. Will all these non locals residing here and there be called out and herded at dharmashala or makeshift camp. But they need work and if they do not move out for doing work they will face starvation. Can our Government feed them forever? Manipur continues to face mindboggling problem every now and then. The bomb attack was launched meticulously when all the non locals have arrived in the room. It means a survey had been carried out prior to making the bomb attack perhaps to understand when they get cloistered in the room. It is likely similar attacks may be carried out at the rented house, where non locals are put up. This is revealed by the nature with which the attack was carried out. For fear of being attacked non local milk men did not carry out their duty at some areas of the state capital today. If the calendars also stop their duty who will press “our clothes” a man asked after hearing the news of bomb attack. It is time the state Government does something to solve the problem. We do not see the kind of incidents happening in Manipur in other parts of NE region like Meghalaya, Nagaland and Mizoram. Will the effective implementation of inner line permit system in Manipur check such kind of incidents? When a non local, who does the job of pressing clothes, was asked why they want to work here in spite of stiff of opposition to their prolonged stay by local people of the state, he said weather is good, payment is good so I want to stay here. In their own state they are treated as outcast. But here in Manipur there is no barrier between haves and have-nots. When we return home we are treated like heroes, they say. This is their side of story. There is clash of opinion between locals and non locals. Hence the call for immediate intervention by the Government of Manipur.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/violent-attack-must-be-condemned/

Rape and its prevention

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The announcement of life imprisonment as the quantum of punishment for the four accused in the gang rape of a woman trading in chillies has been met with much appreciation and hope from various quarters in the state. The appreciation factor stems from manner in which the case was taken up and handled with while the hope expressed is that the case would set a precedent in the state in terms of the manner in which investigations were carried out and the legal processes that followed. More hope hinges on the belief that such sentences would deter more rapes from happening. The truth is more complex here as is evident from other states where rape cases have been taken up and rigorous sentences meted out, including death too but still more cases of rapes happen with more regularity and more brutality. This is not to say that cases of rape should be taken lightly but to point out that along with mechanisms for punishment, there needs to be ways and means to prevent rapes from happening in the first place. The most integral aspect in the context of rape cases and others cases of sexual violence against women is to change mindsets for the majority of society including people in the law enforcement agencies and police and other community stakeholders take on the ‘blame the victim’ stand. There have been many instances where the reasons for rape has been given as arising out of what clothes women wear, where they are going, who they were/are with and ‘their behaviour’. One political leader went so far as to say that eating chowmein encouraged men to rape women while another likeminded enlightened one held the belief that women should not go out of their homes after sunset. In Manipur, a political leader who is described as an astute statesman and someone who is aware of the finer details of legal systems went on record to say that women should carry sharp scissors to ward off men who would try to violate their modesty. He went so far as to distribute the scissors to some women and in so doing like many others like him, putting the sole responsibility upon women to take care that they are not sexually attacked or violated. It is this attitude of women being foisted upon the sole responsibility of taking care of their own safety and being the recipient of the blame game on the behavior and morality of women that indirectly contributes in a very major way towards men getting the leeway in the circumstances. Reading between the lines of what decision makers have to say on the matter of rape, the inference is that men will be men and that women will have to stay ‘within their limits’ to ensure that they stay safe.

Historically too, rape has been used in the aftermath of war in almost all parts of the world. In recognition of this serious after effect, the United Nations has gone on record that rape is war crime. Rape as a tool to demean a particular society or community or nation defeated in war is a reality since women are still seen as the custodian of a society’s honour and self esteem. The stigma that is attached to rape and sexual violence is such that there have been many instances where families of affected women have looked at the option of rapists marrying the victims. One other common complaint is that police are not pro-active when it comes to taking action on cases of rape and sexual violence, starting from delay in taking down complaints. Validating this is the findings that emerged from an investigation by a National news magazine, which found that prejudice against rape victims is alarmingly common among policemen in Delhi. The report linked this unhelpful attitude of the police to the low rate of conviction in rape cases in the city (34.6%) . The alleged highhandedness of the police personnel of Mayang Imphal police station who were approached by two women to lodge a case of gang rape is proof that many still lack the sensitivity and pro-activeness that is needed to take up cases of sexual violence. Meanwhile, a not so touched upon aspect of sexual violence is that though it is rare, men also face rape and other forms of sexual violence. Another reality is that transgenders are vulnerable to be raped but fear to call attention to what happens with them since their very existence in society is filled with stigma.

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Elusive peace makes one and all restless

Number one problem confronting Manipur is lawlessness. Since the emergence of insurgency movement in the state three or four decades back the administration in the remote areas had collapsed. Nothing can be done at the remote areas. Even the MLAs who went to their respective constituencies were attacked by armed elements. Therefore it is not surprising that though the Autonomous Hill District council members were elected through democratic process they are working here sitting at the state capital. If they go and decide to work at their respective areas they will be nowhere. But they must go, for they have been elected to serve the men and women in their localities. Elusive peace does not permit even our elected leaders to function peacefully without any fear. The change if any the people of the state want to bring should be to usher in peace and tranquillity in the remote hills and village areas. The fear for abduction and kidnapping had discouraged the Government officials to visit the remote areas and inspect the development works taken up. This is not a good development. When a few scribes stood at the roadside nullah constructed by contractors at remote areas it caved in. Reason being there were improper mixture of sand and cement. Luckily these buildings constructed at the remote areas are not crumbling. Those contractors, who have taken up mini stadium or office building constructions at the remote areas might be very sincere and honest. Quality was maintained. On the contrary some bridges constructed in the state capital by the local contractors depressed some time back. Had they been allotted the work of building construction in the remote areas only the debris would have remained? At the end the losers happen to be the people of the state, when lawlessness permeates everywhere. The big shots can move freely, protected by heavy security men around them. Therefore the thrust should be given to restoring peace and tranquillity in the state. It is time the Government summons all these armed elements for holding peace talk. Agents can be sent out to gauge the mood of the armed elements. When they are convinced that the men in power are willing to do something for them surely they will hear the voice of the Government. Manipur has suffered a lot. Everyone has a role to play to give peace a chance. Let the people feel the delightment of moving unhindered to any part of the state. When will it happen? Our reckoning is not in our lifetime.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/elusive-peace-makes-one-and-all-restless/

Manipur Police and its pending cases

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That police cases take a road towards vagueness and then to public amnesia in the state is no secret. But it’s now official with the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) 2012 report putting Manipur on the top spot with regard to pending criminal cases. Interestingly, the 2012 NCRB report lists 3 states from the north-eastern region in the top three position: Manipur with 86.7 per cent pending cases in the top slot, followed by Meghalaya with 78.4 per cent and Assam with 61.2 per cent. The total number of cases registered for investigation 17, 168; also included pending cases from previous years out of which Manipur Police dealt with 2274 cases. This is a dismal figure with over 14,893 cases remaining untouched but the poor show does not stop here for the report goes on to say that for 2012, Manipur Police submitted their final reports in only 2179 cases and only chargesheets for 95 cases. The figures emerging through the report is not a total surprise but is still disheartening. But what is more relevant is whether there is to be no accountability for the dismal show with regard to the functioning of the state police as evident from the report. In a sense, the public amnesia is also to be blamed for the ineffective police system prevalent in our society today for, apart from Joint Action Committees (JACs) showing their rage on the street, not many JAC members stay around to egg on the police process. In fact, some JACs also face the charge of acting as middlepersons for out of court settlements with money exchanging hands and sometimes, not even reaching the families or affected individuals. What must be noted here is that a lot more cases would have added to the statistics in the state record in the NCRB report if only more people are aware of their legal rights, have the backing, knowledge and confidence to file police complaints.

For the cases that do end up getting registered, the poor show with regard to police investigations have always been dismissed off with the take that counter insurgency operations take away the most time, resources and attention. But this argument cannot hold for long, considering emerging situations in the state conflict theatre: firstly, the Supreme Court appointed three member Inquiry Commission led by former Justice Hedge into six fake encounters have in their report to the Apex Court have said that all six cases were indeed fake encounters. The Commission came in following a PIL filed at the Apex Court alleging that there had been over 1500 cases of fake encounters in the state. Secondly, the slew of surrender programs of various armed groups to security forces on one hand and signing of agreements over peace talks with various groups on the other means that the police can now spare their attention to taking up criminal cases. Thirdly, the increasing number of police personnel in the state must surely result in proactive action on the ground.

That police procedures are not being given much importance in the state was clearly evident from the proceedings of the witness depositions of the Supreme Court instituted Inquiry Commission during its sittings in Imphal and New Delhi in March this year. There were glaring loop holes starting from the stage of evidence gathering, noting down evidences or even handing over forensic samples and their handling. It emerged that procedures of official supervision with regard to police investigations were also being taken lightly. For criminal cases that do not have anything to do with armed groups, and especially in matters relating to deaths and murders or with cases of violence resulting/not resulting in death, the lack of progress have been explained away with a ‘reports of tests awaited’. Yes, the lack of a state of art forensic laboratory with proper staffing has for too long been used as an excuse with none the wiser why funds allocated for police development are not being used to institute such a laboratory. The statistics highlighted in the NCRB 2012 report cannot be taken lightly for given the demographic profile of the state and its size, the sheer gap in action taken and compliant lodged is too huge to be ignored. The Civil society groups and the various NGOs also need some explanation to do here for they have not shown much pro-activeness in highlighting this aspect with regard to the police system in the state except for their sloganeering with calls for justice. They would need to do far more in terms of building awareness and also turn their attention on calling attention to how cases are merely being filed away and left to be forgotten.

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Street vendors

Why should street vendors continue to create pestering problems? There is enough space for them and they can do brisk business by going to Sanakeithel. The number of buyers at Sanakeithel is also on the rise and vegetables sold by these vegetable vendors are also cheap. These vendors doing business at Sankeithel are really enterprising they know unless the price is made cheaper none will come for buying at the area. There is no room for price negotiation. Vendors boldly say, fixed price. The old tradition of a simple buyer negotiating the price of coriander leaves is gone. Those who compete shine in life. These street vendors at Khwairamband bazaar areas swimming in the false dream that the gullible buyers, who happen to pass by will buy up all their belonging assuming the items sold by them are cheaper. No buyer wants to buy vegetables from such sellers. Moreover responsibility cannot be fixed in the event of the bought items decaying. Those, who sell items under the shed at their allotted plot behave in a responsible manner for they will lose customers when they sell rotten items to the buyers. All these streets and foot paths are for vehicles and pedestrians. They might not be hearing but they are being cursed for making the road narrower. Vehicles want to move smoothly without facing any hindrance. These vendors are not only making the roads narrow but also spoiling the city, which is the face of the state. The concerned authority should make all out efforts to rehabilitate all these street vendors at the outskirt bazaar areas. There are market sheds at Tera, Kwakeithel, Singjamei, Lamlong etc. All these street vendors can be accommodated at these markets also. We as simple buyers can do a lot to bring the change. We must think of buying vegetables from these out skirt markets. Why should one go to Kwairamband bazaar for buying cucumber and brinjal when all these items are available next door? But the Government cannot treat these street vendor like mad cow. It is pitiable scene and one feels crying when these vendors are chased by men in uniform. They flee when men in uniform approach near them but after they have gone away the vendors come again to occupy the little space available near the stinky nullah. Whatever the case may be they have to be evicted. Roads, which are widened after spending huge amount of money cannot be kept as is being kept. Street vendors must not create problems at the crowded areas.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/street-vendors/

Poor power supply

Unless we inculcate the good habit of paying tax in time and regularly we will continue to face frequent power break down and imposition of load shedding. Someone, who came just recently from Mizoram talked of power supply in that state. But he did not attempt to ask the Mizo people whether they paid tax regularly. When we went to Shillong some time back to attend a conference one word uttered by a pan dukan owner made us a good laughing. We were collecting items for the night. We were told by him no candle is sold. Power is regular so no one comes for buying candles. What has happened in Meghalaya now is different from what happened some time back. Chief Minister Mukul Sangma had declared of impending imposition of load shedding. Surely the people of that state might not have inculcated the good habit of paying tax. If tax is paid power is available. It is sold. After some time Mizoram too will land in the same precarious condition of not getting power supply regularly. Whatever Manipuris are facing is our own creation. Despite warning against taking up heavy fuel power project in Manipur, the men at the helms of affairs went ahead with the foolish task of taking up the useless project. Now fuel is not available. It has to be brought from Bongaigaon. Fuel is costly. Will we pay tax after we have used the electricity generated by the project? Rs 100 core project will be buried any time. It is really amazing that the power department, despite knowing the fact that it does not have electricity for illuminating the main road passing through the state capital, indulges in electric posts erection spree. These are wastage of money. The electric posts standing at Uripok can be uprooted and used in construction of Government officees or schools. Revenue needs to be earned to ensure regular power supply. Amazingly Power Department has not sent meter readers to the houses of the consumers. If meter readers refuse to do the job of meter reading who will come for clearing taxes. Those, who have inculcated the good habit of paying tax, are groaning with anger unable to complain. The Government talks of outsourcing the task of doing meter reading and money collection to the voluntary organisations. That is a good idea. But there is always the difference between words uttered and works done. The state Government will have lots of money if all these Government departments clear tax in time. Nevertheless the state Government is cautioned against involvement of private partners in the generation and subsequent distribution of power supply.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/poor-power-supply/