IMPHAL, January 4: The chief and chairman of Kwatha village, Moreh Block, in a statement to the press complained that their village of 75 households and 350 people, located just 18 km from Moreh town and 104 km from Imphal on the Imphal-Moreh road, continues to languish in total neglect by the state administration.
The statement said Kwatha is one of the oldest Meitei villages in the district.
It said, the winds of development under several ministries in the State have by passed the village and today it suffers from an abject lack of vital infrastructure, including medical.
The statement said there is one Primary Health Sub-Centre in the village, but qualified health professionals are seldom present, though on paper they are supposed to. At the moment only two nurses are the only staff of the centre, and all they can do is give first aid to patients.
The village is prone to outbreak of deadly tropical diseases, and each time such an outbreak happens, the villages are left at the mercy of providence. They have to travel on foot to better health facilities elsewhere, as the approach road is always in a deplorable condition, it said.
This situation gets worse in the monsoons season, as the same approach road becomes muddy and slipper, making it even more unworthy for motor vehicles, the release said.
It said, the area is also a conflict zone, and often gunfight break out between State and non-State fighters, trapping the villagers in the crossfire. The September 28, 2012 bomb blast in the vicinity of the village killing two civilians is a cruel reminder of this fate, the release further said.
In a meeting of various civil organisations of the village on January 4, the villagers have decided to demand all doctors posted at the village to be in station always. It also called for legal action against doctors and nurses who fail to turn up for duties at their posts. It also wants investigation into human rights violation committed in the village and penalties awarded to culprits under the law of the land.
Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2015/01/kwatha-village-demands-govt-attention-to-their-grievances/