Manipur Assembly elections | Olympics medallist Mirabai Chanu's village still waits for drinking water supply
The Hindu
For the locals, the upcoming assembly polls are the last opportunity before another cycle of "neglect" sets off, to remind all those who made tall promises while felicitating Chanu
The silver dust after the euphoria of the Tokyo Olympics success of Saikhom Mirabai Chanu has long settled in this tiny village made famous by the weightlifter.
Now, as election fever hits in Manipur, the roadside camps of candidates belonging to parties such as Congress, BJP and JD(U) gather dust every time a vehicle passes through the pothole-riddled single lane inter-village road.
For the locals, the upcoming assembly polls are the last opportunity before another cycle of "neglect" sets off, to remind all those who made tall promises while felicitating Chanu to deliver, with drinking water supply and poor road condition topping the litany of woes.
"In our village, we don't have drinking water supply, not even pipelines. So, for our family, we buy drinking water for around ₹1,000 every month from water tanker operators," Chanu's mother Saikhom Tombi told PTI.
The village, which is about 25 km from Manipur's capital Imphal, was given hope when ministers and government officials, who came to felicitate the weightlifter after she won a silver medal at the Olympics last year, promised the completion of a ₹1.2-crore water supply project which started in December 2020.
"That has remained a promise only. Work on the project has stopped after just about 15% construction. It is supposed to be completed on March 8, 2022 and there is no chance of it meeting the deadline. Forget 'Har Ghar Jal', the entire village doesn't even have a single pipeline," lamented Mayanglambam Kennedy, president of Bright Star Union (BSU), a local youth club.
Amol Palekar advocates against pre-censorship in films and theatre, urging the government to protect artists' freedom of expression.
BJP legislators demand release of Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das in Bangladesh, threatening protests and border blockade if demands not met.
Odisha loses 790 elephants in a decade, with electrocution as the leading cause of unnatural deaths.
ASI issues notice to halt construction at Arya Akshobhya Teertha Mutt near Rameshwara temple in Shivamogga.
Madurai High Court orders removal of encroachments along Madurai-Dindigul highway, Corporation and Highways Department officials conduct joint operation.
Maharashtra Congress chief initiates signature campaign for return of ballot papers, sparking nationwide debate on EVMs.
Udupi Deputy Commissioner K. Vidyakumari on Wednesday directed the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to undertake periodical maintenance of NH66 without giving room for complaints.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw updates Lok Sabha on Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd. shareholding, Goa willing to relinquish.
One dies, eight hospitalised after inhaling HCL fumes at pharma company in Andhra Pradesh’s Anakapalli district. About 400 litres of HCL leaked from the reactor-cum-receiver tank at Unit-III of the company, which affected nine workers, says Collector. While the condition of six of them is stable, two are on ventilator support. Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu directs authorities to provide advanced treatment to the victims. Home Minister Anitha expresses anger over repeated such incidents.
Parents and social workers in Thoothukudi request new Anganwadi buildings due to unsafe conditions in current rental buildings.
Delta districts face heavy rainfall, prompting coordinated efforts to mitigate damages, with NDRF teams deployed for rescue operations.