Manipur confronts Myanmar narco trade, rampant poppy cultivation

Imphal, Dec. 30 (IANS): After Assam, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) returned to power in Manipur for the second consecutive term in 2022 manifesting the saffron party’s mantra of “Congress Mukt” (Congress-free) northeastern region.

The year saw a catastrophic landslide in Noney district of western Manipur on June 29-30 killing over 65 people, mostly Territorial Army soldiers. While several sustained injuries, few others remain missing.

The security personnel and the railway engineers and workers were posted in the disastrous landslide-prone mountainous areas in connection with the 110 km Jiribam-Imphal railway project.

In the political front, the BJP, which won 21 seats in 2017 Assembly polls and formed the government with the support of the National People’s Party, Naga People’s Front and others, secured absolute majority of its own bagging 32 seats in the 60-member state Assembly in the February-March (2022) elections.

The NPP and the NPF, which contested the Assembly elections separately without any pre-poll alliance with the BJP, had secured five and seven seats respectively, supporting the BJP government while NPF has two ministers.

Five of the six Janata Dal (United) MLAs on September 1 joined the BJP further consolidating the ruling party’s strength.

The main opposition Congress filed a disqualification petition in Manipur Assembly Speaker’s tribunal in October against five JD(U) MLAs.

Manipur witnessed a series of agitations in 2022 on numerous issues, including against the state government’s decision to partially lift the liquor prohibition, which has been enforced since 1991.

In view of the state-wide agitations, the BJP government has sought public opinion and views of the people, Civil Society organisations, NGOs and individuals on the state government’s decision to publish a white paper for partially lifting the prohibition from the state.

The state government has decided to partially lift the three-decade-old prohibition on liquor consumption expecting to earn a revenue of Rs 600 crore annually triggering strong opposition from various groups, including Coalition Against Drugs and Alcohol (CADA), who has been demanding modification of the cabinet decision.

As per the state cabinet decision, the sale of liquor will be confined to some specific locations, including district headquarters, tourist spots, security camps and hotels, having at least 20 bedded lodging facilities.

One of the prime reasons for partially lifting the prohibition is to refrain people from consuming adulterated liquor, considering the health hazards posed by consumption of impure drinks, an official said, adding that the police would soon launch a drive against illicit liquor.

Besides various other social evils, the women in Manipur have been fighting against alcoholism since the 1970s, forcing the then Manipur People’s Party-led government to pass the Manipur Liquor Prohibition Act in 1991.

However, despite the prohibition, liquor consumption could not be successfully controlled and alcohol remained widely available, leading to agitations in different parts of the state against liquor related menaces.

After Mizoram, Manipur is also a corridor of illegal drug smuggling from neighbouring Myanmar.

Eastern Manipur’s five districts shares around 400 km border with Myanmar with less than 10 per cent of its international border with Myanmar is fenced facilitating a safe transit route for illegal drugs trading to northeast India from ‘Golden Triangle’, the tri-junction of Myanmar, Laos and Thailand borders — a hub of a thriving drugs peddling economy.

The state’s geographical proximity to the ‘Golden Triangle’ and socio-economic-political situations are coming in the way of the ‘War against Drugs’- a campaign launched by the BJP-led government headed by Chief Minister N. Biren Singh in 2018.

Besides the illegal drugs trade, in at least five hill districts of Manipur — Ukhrul, Senapati, Kangpokpi, Kamjong, Churachandpur, and Tengnoupal – poppy cultivation is another big issue in the northeastern state.

Poppy cultivation is an easy source of income for a large number of people as it is used in producing many drugs including Morphine.

Officials said that around 18,000 acres of illicit poppy, cultivated mostly in the mountainous areas were destroyed by the various law enforcing agencies including Manipur police in between 2017-2022.

Mooted by the Chief Minister, the Manipur government has announced various schemes and financial assistance to encourage poppy cultivators to cultivate other alternative crops to avoid the danger of drug menace.

While efforts are continuing to destroy illegal poppy plantations in the state, the Chief Minister recently indicated that the issue is likely to be handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) or Narcotic Control Bureau (NCB) if the case is hard to deal with.

After the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International (LGBI) Airport in Guwahati, the Imphal airport in Manipur was developed as an international airport to make easy connectivity with the neighbouring countries.

Manipur capital Imphal would come in the Indian Railways network by December 2023, making it the fourth capital city in the northeastern region to have a rail link after Guwahati (adjoining capital Dispur), Tripura’s capital Agartala and Naharlagun in Arunachal Pradesh (adjacent to capital city Itanagar).

According to Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) Chief Public Relations Officer Sabyasachi De over 90 per cent work of the 110 km Jiribam (near Assam)-Imphal railway line have been completed and INR  14,322 crore project is targeted to be completed by December 2023.

De said that the tallest pier railway bridge of the world with a height of 141 meters is also being constructed in this project and nearing completion.

A four-member delegation of Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee led by state President K. Meghachandra last week submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister demanding a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the misappropriation of INR 1,700 crore meant for the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana roads and removal of concerned ministers and officials.

Former Union Minister and AICC in-charge Bhakta Charan Das, who was also in the four-member Congress team, said that with INR 1,700 crore, at least 3,000 km of road can be constructed but the entire money “gayab ho gaya” (disappeared).