Community participation and voluntary services in combating the COVID-19 pandemic in Kangpokpi district of Manipur continues to provide a ray of hope and comfort for the people suffering and struggling to cope with the situation not only in the district but in other parts of the state as well.
Setting an example and inspiration to many, the Chawangkining COVID-19 Relief Committee set up by the Chawangkining Village Authority is one such voluntary organization working with the motto ‘Service to mankind is service to God’. The members have been tirelessly involved in community service in the fight against the pandemic in the district.
Chawangkining is a village located along Twilang Lampi, commonly known as Imphal-Tamenglong Road, the oldest highway in the state. Comprising different communities, the village is situated 12 km away from Kangpokpi district headquarters. The road was hit by incessant rain and massive landslide recently.
Continuing with its service to the people hit hard by the lockdown in the wake of COVID-19 spread, the Chawangkining COVID-19 Relief Committee donated huge quantity of fresh wild vegetables for inmates under surveillance at various quarantine centres in the district on Friday. Currently, there are around 30 inmates in seven institutional quarantine centres. Hundreds of returnees from other parts of the country have now gone home after completion of quarantine period.
A truck load of fresh wild vegetables which were collected from the forest and fields by the villagers, including men and women, boys and girls under the aegis of the village authority and the relief committee, were handed over to the TBA Church Kangpokpi.
The church runs a centralized kitchen for all inmates of quarantine centres in Kangpokpi HQ. The vegetables were donated in the presence of local sub divisional officer (SDO) Chunglenmang Kipgen.
The variety of fresh wild vegetables donated on Friday included local food items such as laphu, laphu tharo, usingsa, chom maton, asinba mana, yenbum, siing and yenthem. Vegetables donations serve as a big help in feeding the hundreds of returnees as most markets are closed and people stay away from moving out of the house to sell vegetables and other food items.
The donation team was lead by Ch Wishubui, chairman, Chawangkining Village Authority, Adam Gonmei, convenor, Chawangkining Village COVID-19 Relief Committee and Wichamdinbou Charenamei, Co-Convenor of the relief committee, including Ch John and Thd Benjamin from the village authority board and Thd Lovejoy and W Philip the youth president and secretary respectively of the village.
Earlier, the committee went beyond the district and donated to quarantine centres at Senapati district and in Imphal where returnees are lodged.
Appreciating the untiring community service, Thanglensei, one of the church leaders of TBA Kangpokpi, said that every words seems incomplete in appreciating the Good Samaritan act of Chawangkining villagers. He said that among many others partaking in community participation during the pandemic health crisis, Chawangkining people have been exceptionally doing a great job not only inspiring many others but also showing them a good lesson towards humanity.
The Chawangkining Village Authority chairman expressed the team happiness towards the hospitality of the TBA Kangpokpi and for their warm welcome by offering love and prayers for the team and the village while appreciating SDO Chunglenmang Kipgen for his concern for the returnees.
Kipgen maintained that the returnees after enduring various hardships are mandatorily put under surveillance at various institutional quarantine centres as precautionary measures for their safety and that of the society. The district administration is also making maximum efforts to provide food and shelter for the returnees.
