Manipur Hills Journalists Union

Survey Report

Period of Survey 14 - 19 November, 2007

The MHJU team L Chinkhanlian, President

Editor Manipur Express
Th Thangzalian, Vice-President
Editor, The Lamka Post
Zohmingliana, Secretary
Editor, Chhantu
Kh Benlian Vaiphei
Editor, Nisin Thuhiltu
S Singlianmang Guite
Correspondent, The Sangai Express
G Muanthang
Correspondent, ISTV
NT Sanga
Cameraman, Angels Vision

Prelude
FIFTY years after a sever
famine (Mautaam in local
parlance) has claimed morethan 15,000 lives in this part
of the country, the same
ugly facet as predicted
reasonably has re-appeared
in its entirety, threatening
the very existence of every
living soul dwelling in the
hostile and neglected interior terrains of Manipurs
Churachandpur district.
The Manipur Hills Journalist
Union a conglomerate of
working journalist based in
the hills of Manipur, after a
prolong survey and deliberate discussion has felt the
need to highlight the reality. This booklet (In English)
is, solely, a venture to educate the authority concern,
of the reality, embark upon
by the interior community
following their devastating
harvest as the MHJU papers
were not universal.

uided by Village elders, the

MHJU team during an actual
visit to a Jhuming site that was
destroyed by rodents at Sumtuh
Village in Thanlon sub-division.
(Nisin Thuhiltu)

The route taken by MHJU survey team

Findings
Throughout its survey, MHJU
is of the impression that famine - Scarcity of food-grains, has
indeed wrecked the economy
of jhum dependent tribal communities. In all the forty villages
surveyed, a whooping 99% has
claimed that they were already
on the threshold of Mautaam.
100 % of the farmers interviewed
said their normal harvest has
been affected by rodents, storm
or wild animals.
While describing their experiences with governmental programmes and its relief measures
the general sentiment expressed
was that the poor rarely benefit.
This contention is compounded
by the fact that PDS rice were
sold only in bags atleast in three
villages.

In fact many village chiefs

have claimed that the existing
BPL cards were issued not on
actual survey of their living condition but from the comfort of
SDO offices based solely on assumption. It has been revealed
that the entire interior villages
have in average an identical 40%
BPL family. The concern officials
have merely ridiculed the entire concept and their BPL cards
were scorn-off by MLA nominees
or FCS agents as it fails to rope in
the disfavoured.
Hardly 10% of the population in each village could be accounted on the APL category. As
such PDS supply meant for BPL
Card holders - 40% of the population have to be shared with the
remaining 50-60%.

A couple of Rats give an interesting photo-op to the visiting media

team as they venture along the road in between Pherjzaw and
Bukpi under the rain and in the death of dearkness.
This photo is taken from inside a motor vehicle. (The Lamka Post)

Abode of Goats & Cows! The SDO office in Thanlon lies desolated
as officals shun the interior community. The SDO had visited twice
since Feb 2007; once during the election and the other during the
Independence Day celebration. (The Lamka Post)
Inset: Animal excreta cassing all along the floors of the otherwise
dazzling office building.

Therefore, PDS needs to be

expanded and made workable
and accessible to the poor. There
is also a need to review the issue
of food stocks and their uses. Corruption and peoples lack of buying power in creating a piquant
situation of low offtake needs to
be addressed immediately.
The magnitude of desperation is such that the people have
already submitted themselves
of paltry celebration during the
Christmas.
It is also revealing that a
good majority of the populace
lacks the purchasing power in
order to benefit from PDS supplies even if it were to genuinely
reach them. Entirely dedicating
their year long energy on their
Jhum, they have no other re-

source to depend on, when that

fails.
Cutting woods, burning
charcoal, hand sawing timber
and collecting naturally grown
forest vegetables were the only
other source that could generate alternative income. With the
treacherous road connectivity
and the meagre amount of resources these sources were occasional.
And, it is not just the foodgrains that have been perverted.
Even ginger, turmeric, chillies
and other harvest some of the
people could depend on were
shattered by the ever increasing
rodents, storm and other wild
insects and animals including
parrots, squirrels, wild boars, bats,
etc.

A Jhum devastated by Rodents/Rats in Thanlon sub-division (Manipur Express)

Village way data pool

Name of Villages

Average Harvest

Causes

Alternative source
Nil
of income

NRGES awareness

BPL Card holders

PDS received in 2007 Job Card status

Maukot

27 of 10

Boars, Rats, Rain

Charcoal

Yes

40%

July & October

awaited

Tuiveljang

250 of 11

Boars, Rats, Rain

Charcoal

Yes

40%

do

awaited

Mongken

1/3 of normal

do

Charcoal

Yes

do

awaited

Suangdoh

1/3 of normal

Rats, Boars

Yes

awaited

Tuima

35%

Rats, Boars

Business

Yes

twice

30 % rejected

Thuangtam

25%

Rats, Boars

Ginger (F), Labour -

Yes

awaited

Mualnuam

21 of 6

Rats, Storm

Yes

3 (2 in bags)

awaited

Songtal

50 of 18

Rats, Storm

Ginger (F)

Yes

48%

awaited

Khuanggin

60 of 19

Rats, Boars

Yes

40%

nil

awaited

10

Sinzawl

57 of 16

Rats, Boars

Yes

do

awaited

11

Phaitong

15 of 1

Rats, Storm

Yes

do

awaited

12

Khazang

25 of 2

Rats

Yes

do

awaited

13

Sumtuh

30 of 2

Rats, Storm

12

Yes

do

awaited

14

Mualpheng

35 of 3

Rats, Birds

Yes

do

awaited

15

Dialkhai

46 of 5

Rats, Boars, Birds

Yes

do

awaited

16

Pherzawl

5%

Rats, Storm

Ginger, Labour

Yes

do

awaited

17

Lawibual

3 of 10

Rats, Storm

Yes

do

awaited

18

Bukpi

20 of 1

Rats, Boars, Bui, Storm

*Mithun

12

Yes

10%

awaited

19

Zoutung

1 of 2

Rats, Baors, Bui, Storm

Yes

40%

awaited

20

Thanlon

9 of 2

Rats, Storm

Business

31

Yes

do

awaited

21

Suangpeh

15 of 2

Rats

Yes

do

awaited

22

Tallian

7 of 1

Rats

Yes

do

none

awaited

23

Leijangphai

69 of 17

Rats

12

Yes

do

awaited

24

Sainoujang

47 of 14

Rats. Insects, Storm

Yes

do

awaited

25

Chongchiin

120 of 48

Rats, Storm, Insect

Ginger

40

Yes

do

awaited

26

Saihum

5 of 3

Rats, Birds, Storm

Yes

Nil

awaited

27

Santing

140 of 10

Rats, Storm

Labour

13

Yes

Nil

awaited

28

Aina

15 of 1

Rats, Storm

Yes

Nil

awaited

29

Lungchuong

16 of 1

Rats, Birds, Boars

Yes

awaited

30

V Munlai

10 of 1

Rats, Monkey

Yes

awaited

31

Chiangpi

5 of 2

Rats, Storm

Yes

awaited

32

Thingkeu

200 of 3

Rats

Yes

awaited

33

Munpi

45 of 3

Rats, Boars

Yes

awaited

34

Dojang

15 of 2

Rats, Boars

Yes

awaited

35

D Munlui

25 of 2

Rats, Boars

Yes

awaited

36

Kamkeilon

27 of 2

Rats, Storm

Yes

awaited

37

Tuilumjang

60 of 2

Rats, Storm

Yes

awaited

38

New Pangsang

50 of 3

Rats, Storm

Yes

awaited

Figures on Average Harvest indicates the number of Tins harvested against the number of Tins sowed
BPL Card holders given from the account of villagers and does not represent the the official data
The data on this pool are collected from samples collected from villages through interviews with Village chiefs, Church leaders, Laymen and Women
Renpondents varies on question to question as this data is a pool data collected by the visiting teams individually

Manipur Express

Local residents while enroute to their Jhum field lend their helping hands to the visiting media team

Other key findings

None of the roads, except for the 30 plus
kms stretch already black-top by BRTF,
were courteous. They were mostly treacherous and in some cases life threatening.
The pace of work undertaken by the
BRTF in Tipaimukh Road/NH 150, and PWD
in Tedim Road & Guite Road was abysmal.
Specifications were flawed even before
black-topping, in many a stretch along the
road undertaken by PWD. The expansion
undertaken along the stretch in close proximity to Singngat sub-divisional hqtrs was
commendable, yet a great deal of the Tedim Road-Guite Road stretch lacks similar
repute.
At Bukpi village, a twenty-five years old

innovative youth has grown morethan 200

vines of Beetlenut leaves (Mithapatta) and
plug 5000 leaves every week with a handsome proceed of Rs. 1500/ Government officials including the
SDOs have shunned the interior sub-division and merely visit their place of actual
posting once in a while. Most of the office
works are executed from the district hqtr
only to reckon the suffering of the interior
community. In a great deal of the educational institutions unqualified villagers were
engage on lease by the bonafied teachers,
and what is more interesting is the fact that
some of the village chief were part of the
deal with a stake.

Sitting beside a tin and a bamboo

casket that contains all his harvest,
a resident attends to his fire at
Sinzawl in Thanlon sub-division
(The Lamka Post)

The Sangai Express

NREGS as immediate relief

Lunch-time for a family at Tiuma: with just two half filled bags (arrow) it is
clear this family of five wont celebrate Christmas with their harvest.

Manipur Express

The pitiable road connectivity has ensnared the

media team in morethan
a 50 points during their
five day survey

Though most of the villagers have to

pay from their own pocket the expenses incurred in obtaining their photos;
Rs 20/- in most cases, 75% of the individuals interviewed (including women)
and 85% in the case of men were fully
aware that JOB CARDS were meant for
realising a hundred days Job from the
government.
Therefore, the NREG Scheme, if implemented immediately and used for
improving the road connectivity of the
villages, would go a long way in relieving the adversity interior communities
have bumped upon.
That way, families under the clutches of famine would be able to earn their
living and the treacherous road connectivity would fare better-of to enhance
regulation of PDS items and other essential commodities.
But with the present pace of implementation it is doubtful that the
scheme would reach them before they
really starve. And the financial year
closing on March 2008 it would be a
challenging task to practically endow
a hundred days job in four months in
which Christmas and New Year festivity should also reckon.