A few months ago, the manipur government announced with a big bang that it will begin eviction and ordered removal of all illegal, unauthorised structures constructed on Government Khas lands and state lands adjoining the National Highways, state highways, inter village Roads (IVRs), river banks and drains latest by last second week of July.
It was after the devastating floods back-to-back in the Imphal valley. The announcement was received well in some quarters, although we took it with a pinch of salt. That such unauthorised structures create a variety of inconveniences to the general public is known to all.
Even government officials tasked with monitoring such activities knows it. The only thing lacking was a political will on the part of the government to act and deal with it. Maybe, the recent spate of floodings in Imphal area had awakened the state government and it had ordered widespread eviction of unauthorised structures and illegal encroachment on public land.
Imphal and surrounding areas had seen floodings twice in recent times and monsoon season is just starting. Here, we find it pertinent to talk about the drainage system of Imphal in the past. Fifty years back, the drains on both sides of the major roads were about 3-5 metres, and in the lanes 1-2 metres and flash floods were virtually unknown in those days.
Come what may, the drains were never clogged and excess water was drained out through the Nambul River and the Naga River which passes through the heart of Imphal. Lamphelpat and Takyelpat were low lying areas where the excess water of Nambul is stored for some time to prevent floods which again drain out after the river level comes down. Other rivers also have such temporary depositories.
In recent times, the government had been reclaimed the Pats for building housing colonies and other structures and the basic purpose of such low lying areas has been defeated. And the width and depth of the drains on main roads and lanes has been greatly reduced.
For main roads, the width of the roadside drains have been reduced to one metre with a depth of one metre while that of the drains in lanes to one and half feet. One may say that, in the olden days the main roads and lanes were narrow, and that most parts of the drains had to be filled up for creating wider roads and lanes.
The narrow and shallow drains with covers coupled with the change in the character of garbage have clogged the drains.
Considering the increase in population and changing nature of waste material, it is necessary to widen the drains. Besides that, the administration needs to go all out against people who encroach upon public drains either by extension of their building structures or by piling construction materials.
As a short-term measure, the administration needs to clear the encroachment. In the long-term, a drainage system covering the whole of Imphal where the drains beside main roads and in the leikai roads are widened, is needed. For that it is required of the government to ask people to part with portions of their land or by invoking the Land Acquisition Act.
Most landowners do not want part with even an inch of their land while on the other hand they would always think of any means to encroach upon public land or drain to gain even an inch. Such is the way of the world. That is exactly where political will comes in to streamline the drainage system of Imphal.
Now, the month of September is approaching and the dateline for removal of unauthorised structures seems to have been shelved. We have no alternative but to wish for the state government to come alive once again in the wake of another flood. Nobody could predict in these times of extreme weather events, unannounced rainfall and cloudbursts.
