Blinding people with the dazzles January 22 to February 2
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A bit off track this is, particularly so in the season of news, opinions and speculations over the return of a popular Government, but this is something which hurts and which Manipur should not look over. Even as the BJP leadership appointed Tarun Chugh, an old BJP hand and a National general secretary to boot, as the man to look over the task of choosing who should be named leader of the BJP Legislative Party, The Sangai Express uncovered the news of how the much publicised reco-mmissioning of the ISBT has turned out to be another poor joke played on the sensibilities of the people. Back on January 22, the ISBT was recommissioned, with the Governor himself gracing the occasion but just after ten days of it being thrown open to the public, the refurbished ISBT is there for all to see, courtesy the report carried in this paper. And even before the ISBT was officially recommissioned, The Sangai Express had been keeping track of the works being taken following the announcement by Additional Chief Secretary Anurag Bajpai that the ISBT would be refurbished and recommissioned. Now as things have unfolded, the repair works taken up inside the ISBT was nothing but some cosmetic exercise to please the eyes. An eye wash one may add and this is something which would not go down well with the people. This is not the first time that Manipur has come under PR, but this is perhaps the first time that the State has witnessed such shoddy, half baked work as now and this is something to be noted. In the earlier times, when Manipur came under any PR spell, the common refrain was, ‘At least developmental works can be carried out without the hassles of political interference and the weights thrown around by the hanger ons,’ but a look at some of the works taken up under the current PR regime has run counter to this widely held perception. The ISBT stands out as the prime example. A look at the dusty road inside the bus terminus as well as the toilets, remind one of the manner in which the ISBT was first inaugurated in 2011 and thrown open for public use only in 2016. In between, The Sangai Express had carried a news story which showed the terminus turned into a sort of a big public lavatory with human excretra strewn all over. Fast forward to 2026, the present, when the ISBT is supposedly given to have undergone a renovation exercise and the picture of the toilet carried in the February 3 edition of this newspaper gives one a sense of deja vu, that distinct loathsome feeling that one has seen it all before. This is not what is expected from the Government, whether it is a popularly elected one or is directly under Delhi via Lok Bhavan. The men running the affairs of the PR administration should take due note of it. Window dressing exercise will not convince the people of Manipur and The Sangai Express will continue to bring to the notice of the public such exercise, meant to only dazzle without delivering anything substantial.
Now that a popular Government appears imminent with the BJP having already named Singjamei AC MLA Yumnam Khem-chand as the leader of the BJP Legislative Party, a precursor of things to come as the next Chief Minister, one wonders whether one can expect something better from the next Government. One can only wait and watch, but as things stand right now, the ISBT has been left to rot and wither for far too long. This is certainly not how an ISBT should be allowed to rot and fade. In a way the ISBT may also be seen as a reflection of the rot in Manipur, a place where the powers that be have been pulling wool over the eyes of the public to score a brownie point or two. This was what was sought to be done when the supposedly refurbished ISBT was recommissioned on January 22 and thrown open for public use, or was the dazzle and glitz on this day also a reminder to the people that the same thing was staged in full public view in the presence of the then Prime Minister in 2011 ? Whichever one looks at it, the joke played on Manipur has gone on for far too long and it is a shame that a recommissioned structure like the ISBT should turn out to be something of a joke on the people. Recommi- ssioned on Jan 22 and it is a joke on all.
Now that a popular Government appears imminent with the BJP having already named Singjamei AC MLA Yumnam Khem-chand as the leader of the BJP Legislative Party, a precursor of things to come as the next Chief Minister, one wonders whether one can expect something better from the next Government. One can only wait and watch, but as things stand right now, the ISBT has been left to rot and wither for far too long. This is certainly not how an ISBT should be allowed to rot and fade. In a way the ISBT may also be seen as a reflection of the rot in Manipur, a place where the powers that be have been pulling wool over the eyes of the public to score a brownie point or two. This was what was sought to be done when the supposedly refurbished ISBT was recommissioned on January 22 and thrown open for public use, or was the dazzle and glitz on this day also a reminder to the people that the same thing was staged in full public view in the presence of the then Prime Minister in 2011 ? Whichever one looks at it, the joke played on Manipur has gone on for far too long and it is a shame that a recommissioned structure like the ISBT should turn out to be something of a joke on the people. Recommi- ssioned on Jan 22 and it is a joke on all.