It would be wrong to blame the merger of this erstwhile Asiatic nation to the Indian Union in October 1949, for all the wrong that is experiencing in the state even as history stands true that the erstwhile Asiatic nation called Manipur has been merged illegally. There are arguments to support the reason for calling the merger of the Manipur to the Indian Union as ‘unconstitutional’ and ‘unacceptable’, but in this column it is about the multiple problems that have been haunting this erstwhile nation from time to time hampering all sort of developmental works.
This erstwhile nation had struggled at the cost of their life protecting their identity, land and culture before the region merged to the Indian Union and after merger with the Indian there is no dearth for problems and obstacles to hamper the progress of this erstwhile nation. From the series of problems witnessed in the region from time to time, it is no wrong to say that there are always external forces which always wanted to swipe away the Manipuri people from the globe either by spewing venom among the people to create enmity or to colonize the region. However, the courage of the Manipuri people and their love for their motherland always defeated any external intrusion to sabotage us.
Leaving aside others, two such problems that are endangering the people and its existence is the unseen drug war against the people and the political instability.
Well, every Manipuri know how drugs invaded the Manipuri society during the last two decade. In early 80s and 90s youths of those days were all affected endangering the future of the state.
It is the political will of those running the state that had fought the invasion of drug during 80s and 90s. The spread of HIV among the youth s of Manipur was somehow rescue.
But the drug war continues to haunt the state.
Thanks to the N. Biren Singh led government who had launched the war against drug. It was following the initiative and the kind of support to the law enforcers that multi crore worth drugs including heroine factory were destroyed and seized at many places of the state. Poppy plantations have been destroyed at many places and thus people are hopeful that the future of the state is at least at safe hand.
However, a deeper look to the state of drug use among the youth will surely revealed that drug use and that too Injecting drug users are on the rise. People don’t see them as this community (drug users) has now become very very hard to reach people. Due to fear of the society and the mob justice the users’ community has goon underground. But the fact is that the users’ community today is on the rise. A visit to some site like Public toilet or empty building will make one know that users in the state are on the rise.
The clandestine trade in these addictive drugs is booming in spite of “strict warnings’ that such drugs should be sold only against the prescription of registered medical ‘ ‘practitioners.In fact, pharmaceutical shops never had it so good. These pills which normally cost not more’ than forty paise each are now sold at more than 150 percent mark-up. Still the demand is outstripping supply. When business is so hot, principles and terms of sales naturally become casualties. This has been proved recently with the seizure of huge quantity of drugs.
Apart from the urgency of checking this iniquitous practice, the whole sordid affair becomes all the more regrettable as the owner of the erring firm is a doctor himself.
Well , the question in front of us is why the problem of drugs among others, which is haunting the state is going out of hand. Well the political chaos and the shaky chair of the Chief Minister due to rebellion by dissident MLAs from the ruling party seem to tight the hand of the government from taking up any measures to prevent the drug use among the younger communities.
We call on the representative of the people to stop fighting for power and concentrate to the issues of the society.
