By Alex Guite
Because hope suddenly had a meaning for the people of Lamka, because they dream of this as a potent cause of happiness to them, because it won the heart of the CCpur people, because it’s too bad that we don’t have an LPG mine, because it’s the ultimate in the kitchen cabinet, because it can fire up the kitchen and top up the family who had to eat: an LPG connection can make it happen, because LPG is a national treasure and one is at the mercy of LPG dealers or at the whim of people whose purpose is to make a victim of the dependency on LPG cylinders.
These are some of the reasons that will sum up the reason why LPG news do not need an introduction.
At last the people of Ccpur in particular and the rest of Manipur in general will (may) be happily breathing the foul smell of LPG with the Govt drastically cutting the allotment of LPG to a household to six cylinders per family!!(which later on was increased to 9 cylinders per family). The reality is that while in the past, the opposition in the Parliament sittings had demanded that the Govt had to go as it failed the people by providing only 6 cylinders per family not only that they go to the extent of storming the well of the House not to mention the housewives in Delhi who are feeling like being cursed because of it. But it’s a different story all together to the people of Churachandpur (Manipur) where getting 6 cylinder in a year is a dream from time immemorial. Till last year, the majority of the common people got no more them 3 to 4 cylinders per year which perhaps, I believe lies in the true assent of unity in diversity in India, when a section of the country feel hurt and discontent the other sees a silver lining out of it and feel blessed.
When a political party in our neighbouring state of Meghalaya tempted the voters by offering them two more LPG cylinders per house hold in addition to the stated above, the people of Ccpur needed no further promise to come out and vote since they will be thrilled to get even 6 cylinders in this current year. This is a time when pessimism turns into optimism with a girl of 5 years being too young to compete with the last time 6 cylinder of LPG being issued to a house hold in Ccpur (some might be privileged to get more). It’s a good thing that the Govt at last woke up to the wishes of the people of Lamka. To the lay people of Lamka this may be an ‘’ideal Govt policy’’ or policy of the year or decade’’ which is next only to the so called job card(MGNREGS) which is indispensable as it almost deliver money to their doorstep.
So to the people of Lamka, the news on the LPG cylinder smells divine and they long for the implementation of this Govt decision which till now is only in the papers: the idea of a mighty 9 cylinder in one calender year is divine! With elections round the corner, they may never see the light of the day. But the people are all ears and they hope that the LPG load shedding will at least be a part of their earlier history if 9 cylinders are actually to be delivered to them in a year.
With scarcity being a reality, LPG had time and again ended up in the black market, the source of which seems to be a national secret with conflicting answers but one such source is Mizoram and on inquiry Mizoram itself is not a mine of LPG where many people have had not enough Gas to fire their kitchen. The question then is how and why they have ended up in Lamka. There has to be a coordinated drive for administrations of the two states if we want to take on the root cause of LPG black marketing when consumers are at the receiving end.
As we do not live in an age when lord Agni lights our fire, we will have to help ourselves. The Govt. must act because the substitute of gas is firewood whose cutting can lead one to jail and with the pressing issue of global warming and deforestation dangerously staring at us. The time is ripe to have a gas sufficient environment.
Electricity which is one alternative is not a rational option because we live in a state where the electricity bill is more regular then the power. And what better way for us to use our close friendship with Russia who are the largest producer of gas in the world, when we are a member who advocate a peaceful world what had made us so close to the Russia who had missile of many varieties where we had spent billion to keep it till it is obsolete. In fact its going to be a new beginning to the people of Lamka as a look at the consumer card indicate that with a good selection and precision booking, one can get a maximum of 3 cylinders per year only.
With food security bill which is termed as the world biggest welfare scheme, the Govt can have a cooking gas welfare scheme because the food come to life only after it is cooked.