14 hours out of 24 hours: Think of the future !

14 hours out of 24 hours. A little over 50 pc of the time that one gets in a day. In normal equation this may not work out to much as it is just a little over half the day that one gets. This what Manipur experienced on the first day of August of 2019. Not the first and not the last it will be, as long as the Government of the day fails to deliver but yet at the same time, it has become incumbent for all to seriously study how much such a bandh call affects the people. Not picking out the 14 hours bandh called by the All Manipur Excavator, Local Truck, Tipper Owners and Workers Association (AMELTTOWA) from the early morning of August 1, but a comment on the all pervading mindset of anyone calling a bandh or a general strike or shutdown. Daily wage earners are obviously the first ones to be hit the hardest. Yes the association behind the bandh may justify their stand with the reasoning that their livelihoods too have been hit hard, but telling others to suffer the same fate is not reasonable. As stated earlier, this commentary is much more than the 14 hours bandh called on August 1, but about the general attitude of the people. This is not the first time and this will not be the last either, but in protesting it would do good for all not to hurt the interests of others. This is the reason why The Sangai Express has written so many times on why parents and elders of the family seem it indispensable to send their children and wards outside Manipur once they finish their Class XII stage.
14 hours general strike. It could well have been 24 hours or even 48 hours for remember all schools in Imphal wore a deserted look during the bandh hours, meaning there were no classes. This means that apart from the daily wage earners, it is the future generations which lost one working day. A day which should have been spent learning and adding to their knowledge had to go because of a bandh. On the other hand, the Government too should have woken up to the harsh reality and identified specified locations where quarrying and sand mining works could be carried out. Why was the Government sleeping then ? Many depend on this work to feed, clothe and educate their family. The Government should have woken up to the reality and identified the places. The Government should have woken up and done its duty. Now one day has been wasted and here is hoping that the Government wakes up and do the needful so that families which rely on quarrying and sand mining works to feed themselves are not starved. Save the environment and the Government has been asked to do the needful so that those who depend on quarrying and mining do not have to feel wronged due to the inefficacy of the Government. The people have suffered long enough due to the inefficacy of the Government and this is not acceptable at all, when the mantra is about governance.