Displaced persons yearn for native homes, but nod to makeshift houses
POLITICS
Imphal: As the saying goes “Home is where the heart is” people don’t want to leave their homes be it lavish ones in the din of city or simple huts in village. Shattering this adage from their minds, over 50,000 people of the tiny northeastern state of Manipur are rendered homeless, and are forced to take shelter at around 350 relief camps after their houses were set ablaze by miscreants since ethnic violence broke out on May 3.
Besides missing entirely their sweet homes, they also missed the vista of their neighborhood, local grounds and friends.
A group of small boys, who are currently putting up at a relief camp in Imphal East district, quipped “Our houses at the border town of Moreh were torched. We badly missed our homes. We also missed our local ground where we played football with our tribal friends.”
Their miseries don’t end here as construction of 3000 prefabricated temporary houses are currently being taken place in a fast pace by the state government which sets the construction’s completion target by next week, giving a breather to the victims.
Manipur Police Housing Corporation Ltd Superintending Engineer, P Brojendro Singh, who oversees the construction, said that the first phase of the project is to accommodate 3000 families and houses are to be constructed at Sajiwa in Imphal East district, Yaithibi Loukon Thoubal and another at Kwakta Bishnupur.
Each camp will accommodate 200 families or 800-1000 heads. Washroom and Kitchen would have running water via overhead tanks besides proper power supply, he said, adding that each shed of two rooms with attached washrooms for a family costs around Rs. 5 Lakhs. Over and above, it will give each family a sense of privacy”, continued the engineer.
He said the construction began in June and and is expected to be completed before 15th August.
In all practicalities, the displaced people, who are now taking shelter at different schools, colleges and community halls, cannot stay for a longer period, he said.
Deputy Commissioner (Imphal East) Khumanthem Diana, who looks after the construction in the district, said considering the plights of the displaced families, the government has come up with the scheme to provide them with temporary shelter.
“Under the scheme, pre-fabricated houses have been constructed. The plan is to allocate two rooms along with a common toilet and bath each to each displaced family. Hence it is a better organised and more hygienic Relief Camp with privacy than the camps where they are being lodged where 100/200 people sleep in a big hall with hardly any washroom facilities,” she added.
Notwithstanding the brighter side of the story, some inmates deeply yearned for moving back to their original homes instead of the temporary ones, while majority of them expressed gratitude to the government for making alternative rehabilitation arrangements.
“We are happy that the state government of Manipur has come up with the idea of making makeshift houses for the displaced people like us. No doubt, it can’t replace our homes, where we long to go back. But the temporary houses will at least give us a better space to stay”, said l. Inakhunbi, 47.
She is one among 800 internally displaced persons who are taking shelter at the Ideal Girls College, Akhampat, Imphal East. Most of them are from the border town Moreh and Churachandpur district. They have been staying at the college since violence erupted in Churachandpur on May 3.
Another inmate Yendrambam Piyainu Devi, also from Moreh said “It has been over 3 months now at this Relief Camp and we long to return to our homes in Moreh. We don’t want to stay in the temporary shelters that the Govt is constructing for us.”
“Instead, the Govt should arrange for us to return to our homes in Moreh and provide enough security to safeguard us there”, she added.