A joke of power supply, water supply Farcical governance
|
A vision for the next six months. Correction make that a vision for the next four, three, two or even one month and that is what Manipur is asking of the Raj Bhavan. And to work out that vision, prioritising things is the first step. What is it that Manipur needs right now ? Apart from normalcy, a term that has drawn the attention of everyone and for which Raj Bhavan must have been tasked with, what Imphal and the other district headquarters need at the moment is motorable roads. No one is asking that the roads be repaired, but the least that is expected is for the Government to focus its attention on filling up the potholes which have come to decorate all the major roads in Imphal. This is apart from the roads in the leiraks and leikais. How about the road inside DM University, against which students of the varsity had raised a hue and cry and locked the Administrative Block just some days back ? Shouldn’t the focus of the Government be on how to make the roads at least motorable ? Only the Government can answer this, but at the moment, it is more than clear that its attention is on the demolition drive that has been launched at many important locations across Imphal. It stands that all encroachers should be packed off, but there is a thing called prioritising matters or things and one just wished that the Government had used its resources to fill up the potholes which today fill all the roads in Imphal. As stated many times in this column, the only stretch of road where one can have a non-bumpy ride is the stretch from PWD office till the Airport. Here again the road running on the northern side of the two lane highway has started developing cracks and if not tended to, it will break up in no time. And it is amid this reality that Congress MLA from Khun-drakpam Assembly Constituency, Th Lokeshwar inspected the Sawombung to Sagolmang road, a road which has started falling apart within six months of its construction. A reflection of all the roads which have now come to define Imphal and the other district headquarters. The energy, the resources and the time spent on the demolition drive should ideally be diverted to the task of filling up the potholes and this is where the call for a vision for the next six, four, three, two or one month becomes relevant. Surviving Manipur, this is the state of existence of the people and even as people have to cope with the potholes, bumpy and uneven roads once they step outside, Imphal and the other district headquarters have to cope with the frequent power cuts. Manipur State Power Distribution Company Limited (MSPDCL), as a name, has certainly become a regular feature in all the Imphal based newspapers, not for anything but for the frequent notice issued that power supply to certain areas will be affected due to some reasons, ‘jungle cutting’ being one that comes to mind instantly !
Or take water supply. This is where one is reminded of the tall election promise from the BJP in the run up to the 2017 Assembly election. Piped drinking water supply to every household was the promise back then and fast forward to 2025 and one is left wondering how much of the promise or assurance has been fulfilled. Even in some areas of Imphal, where water comes once or twice a week, paying the due water bill, which has been worked out at a convenient Rs 250 per month, one is not sure how well the online payment works for the consumers. And what is the purpose of installing the metre reading box if the charge is going to be worked out on a lump sum basis ? This means that once the water connection is taken, each consumer or each family will have to pay a sum of Rs 250 per month, defeating the very purpose of getting the water metre box installed ! In short nothing is working. Why is this so ? For one it is a sure sign that the Government, whether a popularly elected one or otherwise, has been taking the people for a ride for too long. So a place where potholes have come to define all the roads, a place where power supply is a sort of a joke and a place where water is supplied at the fancy and whim of the department concerned and the script is more than ready to reduce the understanding of Manipur to a joke. Smart City ? Spare the people the cruel joke.
Or take water supply. This is where one is reminded of the tall election promise from the BJP in the run up to the 2017 Assembly election. Piped drinking water supply to every household was the promise back then and fast forward to 2025 and one is left wondering how much of the promise or assurance has been fulfilled. Even in some areas of Imphal, where water comes once or twice a week, paying the due water bill, which has been worked out at a convenient Rs 250 per month, one is not sure how well the online payment works for the consumers. And what is the purpose of installing the metre reading box if the charge is going to be worked out on a lump sum basis ? This means that once the water connection is taken, each consumer or each family will have to pay a sum of Rs 250 per month, defeating the very purpose of getting the water metre box installed ! In short nothing is working. Why is this so ? For one it is a sure sign that the Government, whether a popularly elected one or otherwise, has been taking the people for a ride for too long. So a place where potholes have come to define all the roads, a place where power supply is a sort of a joke and a place where water is supplied at the fancy and whim of the department concerned and the script is more than ready to reduce the understanding of Manipur to a joke. Smart City ? Spare the people the cruel joke.