Sahamphung still in the dark Many villages in Kamjong without school, healthcare centres

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Jul 10: Despite the numerous schemes launched, many villages in Kamjong district still remain without proper road connectivity, electricity, health care institutions and schools.
Sahamphung in Kamjong is still without electricity.
Sahamphung and the neighbouring village of Zinsui have no healthcare centres.
Their neighbour Mapum Khul has a Primary Health Centre (PHC) building but there are no doctors and nurses.
Mapum Khul again has a lone Government High School, but there are no teachers.
These conditions were revealed when a joint team of the Peoples United Youth Front (PUYA) and Foothills Naga Coordinating Committee (FNCC) visited the villages.
PUYA general secretary Longjam Abothe and FNCC convenor Akhui were part of the team.
Mapum Khul is situated 45 Km from Kamjong district headquarters and 40 Km from Ukhrul district headquarters, and has a population of more than 1,700.
The nearest district hospital is in Ukhrul, but the merely 40 Km journey takes around 3 hours due to bad road conditions. The fare per person is Rs 200.
Mapum Khul headman Yureingam said the village is lacking in all spheres.
The bifurcation of Ukhrul district into two in 2016 placed Mapum Khul under Kamjong district.
"The district has changed but not the village. There has been no significant development in the village in decades," the headman said.
Road connectivity, educational institute and health care institute are a must infrastructure for development. However, Mapum has none, he said.
The road is pathetic, the PHC has no doctors and nurses and the only Government school has no teachers, he added.
The village had a Sub-Primary Health Centre. To the delight of the village, it was upgraded to a Primary Health Centre with the construction of a new building. However, even after one year of completion of the building, it has not been inaugurated, he said.
"The construction of the PHC was completed more than a year ago. The lock which was put  on the door by the contractor immediately after completion is still there untouched," Yureingam said.
For routine health checkup and medical emergencies, the villagers are being forced to travel hours to Ukhrul District Hospital, he said.
While the road to Ukhrul is in a deplorable condition, the connectivity is sometimes disrupted by landslides during monsoon causing great inconveniences to the villagers, especially ailing persons, he added.
Further, the only Government High School in the village has no teachers, Yureingam said.
With no teachers available in the school, parents have been forced to send their wards to schools in Ukhrul, he added.
While Mapum Khul is lacking in all spheres, Yureingam said the mobile network in the village is also unreliable, hindering communication.
PUYA general secretary Longjam Abothe and  FNCC convenor Akhui said the conditions they found in the villages call for immediate actions from the Government and the departments concerned.
Finding a village without electricity in 2026 is appalling and unfortunate, Akhui said.
The Government must take up immediate actions to provide basic amenities and improve the lives of the people in the villages, Akhui added.
The Electricity Department must dispatch teams to electricity Sahamphung village and the Health Department must send doctors and nurses to Mapum Khul PHC. The Education Department must revive the Mapum Khul school by sending teachers immediately, Akhui added.