Manipur Violence Impacts Agriculture, Rail Project

Kolkata: Manipur’s ethnic violence has severely impacted agriculture, disrupted the Northeast Frontier Railway’s (NRF) Jiribam-Imphal project and destroyed several churches.

Paddy cultivation provides livelihood to 55%-60% of the state’s population. “June and July are the crucial months for sowing of certain paddy varieties. The violence disrupted the sowing with frightened families feeling to relief camps,” Manipur University assistant professor N Sulochana Devi, who specialises in agricultural economics, told this reporter.

EXISTENTIAL CRISIS FOR FARMERS

“Most paddy growers consume rice and sell the surplus produce in the market. The disruption will severely impact them. Next year, they will have a negligible quantum of rice for consumption,” she said adding that “they will be heavily dependent on PDS foodgrains and meet the shortfall by purchasing in the open market”.

According to her, paddy cultivators “could face an existential crisis as the price of the common variety of rice in the open market has risen sharply from less than Rs 10 per kg to more than Rs 30. There is little prospect of getting cash from the sale of surplus”.

Shifting cultivation, or jhoom, in the hills has also been a casualty of violence. “The Prime Minister should hold a conference with all stakeholders, including civil society members, to bring about a rapprochement. Otherwise, it will be disastrous for Manipur,” she added.

Manipur also produces sugarcane, oilseeds, maize, potatoes, pulses and chillies. The Kakching district is known as the granary of Manipur. Other important agricultural activities include bamboo and poultry farming. 

RAILWAYS PROJECT HALTED

In 2022-23, paddy was cultivated on 2,19,100 hectares and rice production was estimated at 6,43,300 tonnes with productivity at 2,940 kg/hectare against the national average of 2,700 kg/hectare.

“It is a miserable existence for agricultural land owners, tenant cultivators, farm workers and hired labourers,” S Nilakamal, president of All Indian Kisan Sabha-affiliated Manipur Agriculture Worker’s Union, said.

“The 100-day job scheme is not running smoothly, paddy sowing has stopped and open market prices of essential commodities are beyond their reach,” he added.

The Jiribam-Imphal rail project, which involves several tunnels and bridges, was conceptualised by the UPA I regime and construction began in the penultimate year of the UPA II rule. The project is part of the master plan to connect the entire Northeast to the rest of the country.

The 110.625-km project, which is 93% complete despite time and cost overrun and operational till Khongsang station, came to a halt with about 900 contractual workers fleeing the violence and untraceable for days. Several of the workers were located at relief camps.

“Resumption of construction is proving a big challenge,” NRF chief public relations officer Sabyasachi De said.

“Our topmost priority is to locate and persuade the workers to return. It would need a tremendous effort and much will depend on ending the conflict and restoring confidence in people,” he added.

The project’s latest cost estimate is Rs 14,322.79 crore. The expenditure incurred as on April 30 was Rs 13,592.75 crore.

The pre-violence target for the project’s completion was March 2025. Trade union sources said it is pointless to guess when work will resume and when the project will be completed. 

DESTRUCTION OF CHURCHES

Manipur’s church leaders have appealed to the state government through the governor to bear the entire cost of reconstructing the destroyed churches. “However, the appeal has not elicited a response,” Simon Raomai, president of All Manipur Christian Organisation (AMCO), said. 

According to Raomai, 360 churches have either been destroyed or vandalised. “We have urged governor Anusuiya Uikey to tell the state government to fund the full reconstruction cost,” he added.

AMCO will meet at a Hindu temple soon to promote inter-faith harmony, he said. “Several Christian outfits in different countries have lamented the vandalism and sympathised with us,” he said.

The BJP, which has the most Assembly seats in the N Biren Singh-headed ruling alliance, finds itself in a tight spot. Union home minister Amit Shah, who visited Manipur on the 27th day of the violence, had pleaded for a 15-day peace and asked Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to act as a “political interlocutor”. The mission has been unsuccessful.

The BJP top brass is backing Singh, a defector from the Congress, as his exit will mean a loss of face for the party. The option of President’s Rule could be the last resort. According to sources in the alliance, several BJP legislators are indignant over the manner in which New Delhi has “mishandled the crisis”.               

The writer is a Kolkata-based senior freelance journalist. The views expressed are personal.