Month: January 2015

By Shyam Waikhom
IMPHAL, January 28: Villagers of a small village Bakuwa which lies some 17 km north of Noney in Tamenglong district continue to wait for a seasonal black topped road since some two decades back.

Bakuwa Village is today considered as the origin of the Inpui tribe, according to the villagers.

The village, they said has remained neglected by the government for long.

People have today got accustomed to the dust and mud found year long on their main lifeline which connects the village to Noney.

During a recent visit in December 2014, this IFP reporter found that the road starting from Noney is in a bad condition with not a single sign or patch of black-topping along the entire road stretch.

The road was filled with dust and is hard to believe that passenger vehicles are plying along the road which was expanded from a small footpath in 1995 by the Tamenglong MLA of the time Samuel Zendai.

However, unfortunately, the road has never been blacktopped, lamented Kh Arei Khulapka of Bakuwa village.

During the rainy season it is the worse, he said adding that the road get slippery and people had to walk for 17 km till Noney as vehicles are unable to stay on the road during the rains.

For any medical emergencies, patients have to be taken on stretchers till the Noney Health Centtre, he said.

However, the sufferings of the village and its people do not end here, he pointed out.

The bridge along the road is in a pitiable condition and many have been injured due to its condition, he reported.

The area had once been abandoned during an epidemic in 1918, however, many villages have once again been re-established in the past one or two decades, according to the locals.

They said Bakuwa Village was re-established in 1994 by the founder of Inpui Baptist Church Ipu Nameizendang.

Another villager, R Meiriba Khunbu had told this reporter that a team of the State government had recently conducted a road survey for the development of the 35 km long Imphal-Haflong road also known as KT road under Asian Development Bank funding.

The road passes through the village and once it is completed, the dream of the villagers to have a blacktopped road in their village would be fulfilled, he said adding sarcastically that there is however, no surety as to when the project will be completed.

It is not only the road condition which is hurting and hampering the development of the area, he said and added that the villagers are facing all kinds of problems.

PDS items are also not properly distributed in the area, he complained.

The villager also lamented that even though the village has very fertile lands and witness good vegetable production every year, due to the transportation constraints the farmers are unable to take their produces to Imphal.

They could only take their produce to Noney, he said.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2015/01/bakuwa-villagers-wish-for-blacktopped-road-still-a-far-dream/

IMPHAL, January 28: The final hearing of the case regarding land encroachment inside Regional Institute of Medical Sciences campus for construction of churches, which was due today was further deferred by a division bench of the High Court of Manipur comprising of Chief Justice LK Mohapatra and Justice Khwairakpam Nobin Singh.

However, the bench did not fix the exact date of the next hearing.

The deferment decision followed a plea submitted by advocate general, Th Ibohal, counsel of the respondents the counsel representing the respondents.

The respondent`™s counsel informed the court that taking serious note of the matter, the government of Manipur has constituted a committee which has been meticulously discussing the matter.

Subsequently, he pleaded the court to give more time to submit a final affidavit regarding to the case after the committee submits its report.

Even as the bench was apparently left displeased with the latest development, it nevertheless granted the plea.

It may be recalled that Dr Khomdon Singh Lisam, a resident of Southern Palace Compound, Palace Road Imphal filed a PIL before the court (no. 19 of 2013) in connection with the case referring to Supreme Court`™s ruling against erection of religious structure inside educational institute owned by the government. He was represented by advocate Th Manihar.

The respondents of the case are state of Manipur represented by Chief Secretary Government of Manipur, Union of India represented Union Health Secretary Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the regional institute of medical sciences (RIMS) represented by Director of RIMS, deputy director RIMS. commissioner (Revenue) Government of Manipur, Deputy Commissioner Imphal West, deputy settlement officer (Admn), survey and settlement officer, Directorate of settlement and land revenue, popular pisciculture association of Manipur, Lamphel Rongmei Baptist Church and Lamphel Baptist Church.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2015/01/final-hearing-of-case-regarding-construction-of-religious-buildings-inside-rims-further-deferred/

IMPHAL, January 28: The 11th conference of Imphal West district Communist party of India (CPI) was held today at the conference hall of Oriental college, Takyel.

The conference was attended by Dr M Nara, state secretary CPI Manipur State Council; Langol Iboyaima, former state secretary CPI; L Sotin, state secretary All India Trade Union Congress, L Thoiren, Assistant state secretary Manipur State Council CPI.

Moreover, delegates from eight assembly constituencies including Langthabal, Naoria Pakhanglakpa, Wangoi, Mayang Imphal, Patsoi, Konthoujam, Lamsang, Sekmai, also took part in the conference.

The discussion was held on `Political and organisational matter`™ including the abolishment of planning department since BJP came into power, decreased in fund allocation of NREGS, outstanding due of job card holders in Imphal West district, National S ports University, rehabilitation and compensation package of affected people by Government schemes/project, talks with militant organisation without any condition, repeal AFSPA from the state, appropriate legal action with regards to the discovery of skull in Tombisana high school, transparency while implementing development schemes related with women and children etc.

Addressing the gathering, Dr M Nara, alleged that the UPA`™s mis-governance and corruption had favoured the BJP to come to power at the centre Government.

Dr Nara further said that Manipur Government has failed considerably in delivering the benefits to the people while citing the failure Public Distribution System and failure to implement the national food security in the State Government and added that it rather started privatisation of Government institute.

Informing that the left with like-minded parties has prepared to push forwards a massive national, he revealed that similar movement will be launched in the state for which all the CPI is sorting out ground works.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2015/01/cpi-imphal-west-observes-conference/

IMPHAL, January 28: The State government has decided to procure NALAXONE, a lifesaving drug to treat drug-overdose cases in one go for a year so as to provide free treatment to the needy in a month`™s time, considering the serious problem of death cases due to drug-overdose.

This was stated by PK Jha, project director of Manipur State AIDS Control Society, at a one-day State Level Consultation on `Improving Access to Nalaxone at Health Care Settings in Manipur` held at the MACS Conference Hall, RD Wing under the aegis of National Health Mission (NHM), Manipur State AIDS Control Society (MSACS) and Community Network for Empowerment (CoNE).

Jha said though drug overdose is a common phenomenon among the people who inject drugs in the state, as per reports available from NGOs and communities, drug overdose is one of the main factors for deaths among people who use drugs.

The unavailability of drug overdose data makes it difficult to accurately describe the overdose burden in Manipur. Hence, in the absence of official overdose data of Manipur, the government has been unable to come up with responses which can have any serious impact in containing the seriousness of the issue, he said.

But people overdosed on drugs can be saved by NALAXONE, a drug which is cheap and at the same time safe to use. NALAXONE has been included in the list of essential medicines by World Health Organisation (WHO) since 1983. However, this medicine is still unavailable in health care settings in the state, Jha said.

He further said that considering the gravity of this issue, and to save lives, NALAXONE will be made available to the needy.

CoNE has been taking up initiatives to address the issue of drug-overdose in the state for quite a long time. As a part of the initiative, CoNE has approached the Health department to make NALAXONE accessible to the needy free of cost, he said.

Jha stated `considering the problems being faced by people who used drugs in case of drug-overdose and the feedbacks being given by various NGOs in this field, the State government has decided to provide NALAXONE in one go for a year,` and added that `the medicine to treat drug-overdose would be made available in health care centres of the state. As of now, the approval from the Finance department is being awaited so that the problem of drug-overdose is met at the earliest in the interest of the drug users`™ community. Hopefully, NALAXONE would be available free of cost to the public in a months`™ time`.

He also informed that the most important thing was to make the general population aware that NALAXONE is available in the health care centres. The information should be provided to all the NGOs working in drug-abuse. `MSACS will make sure that NALAXONE will be available in proper quantity as soon as the Finance department approves of procuring the medicine`.

Delivering his speech, Mission director, State Health Society, Dr O Ibomcha Singh pointed out the need to procure Nikethamide along with NALAXONE. There are also cases of drug-overdose when other drugs apart from opioid are used. As such, when we procure NALAXONE, there is also the need to procure Nikethamide which can be used in all kinds of drug-overdose cases. He also informed that NALAXONE should be made available in all health centres and also sub-health centres, adding, `Trainings should also be imparted at different levels including ANMs and ASHAs.`

A former drug user and a survivor from drug-overdose shared that he experienced instances of drug overdose a couple of times and each time he was saved by volunteers of NGOs working in this field.

Finally, he said, he decided to give up drugs and joined the OST programme under SASO. Considering the problems, he had faced with drug-overdose and the need to bring drug-users to the mainstream, he started volunteering to help people like him.

During the course of his volunteer work, he said, he had been able to save about 50 people who use drugs, from overdose related deaths in the last one year.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2015/01/govt-to-provide-free-lifesaving-drugs-to-prevent-overdose-deaths/

IMPHAL, Jan 28: At least two cadres of the Kuki National Front were killed on the spot and three others injured in a gun-fight with a team of the 8 Assam Rifles, Kangchup post this late evening at Kadangban Thongkhong under Lamsang Police Station, Imphal West.

The AR team later shifted the three injured militant cadres to the RIMS.

Although the details of the dead cadres could not be ascertained, the injured have been identified as Helen Kuki,30, son of Chongsat of Saparmeina; Satmamang Kuki 25 son of Thanglun of Keithelmanbi BM Road and Thangkholien Kuki 25 son of Thangjama.

Reports also said that the encounter took place around 7.40pm.

Meanwhile, no one has been allowed to enter the encounter site till the filing of this report.

Further details are awaited.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2015/01/kna-cadres-killed-in-reported-gunfight-with-ar/