Leader writer: Wangkheimayum Bhupendra Singh
Demolition and dissembling work of the old Sanjengthong has already started for the construction of a newer version – a four lane bridge at the present site. The decision to construct the newer version of the 50 year old Sanjengthong was necessitated by the ever growing vehicle population of the state. The bridge acted as the main connect point between the twin districts of the state. Traffic along such a vital connect point had become a nightmare during the morning and evening rush hours. Although, there are other bridges crossing the Imphal River connecting the two districts, most commuters between the two districts take the Sanjenthong route due to its central and strategic location. Taking up such an essential and vital project requires proper beforehand planning. The planning should not only be about the designs of the structure or setting a deadline for its completion, but should include certain aspects, including how the project could affect the public. And in the present case it should be finding alternative routes for the commuters. Any developmental work or project aimed at the welfare of the public should be preceded by proper monitoring and evaluation of the available options and alternatives. However, this seems to be totally absent from the scheme of things. The present attempt reeks of a government’s lack of imagination and understanding of the plight of the people. An inevitable consequence of such lack of vision can only result in the defeat of the very main purpose of the project which is the welfare of the public.
The government’s complete lack of vision and imagination in undertaking the project is quite obvious from various consequences. Other than the unprecedented traffic congestion witnessed, the closure of Sanjengthong has also tagged along several other issues. The period from March to July is considered as the season of wildfires, as the state experiences a dry spell accompanied by strong winds during this period. In such a situation, any eventuality of a fire, anywhere on the eastern side of the Imphal River could end disastrously. First, the state Fire Service is headquartered in Imphal West; second, Imphal East has no fire service station of its own; third the closing down of the all-important bridge has only brought a more unmanageable traffic chaos on the city roads- in such a circumstance, it is anybody’s guess that any incident of fire in Imphal East could only end on a disastrous note. In the absence of a proper alternative, it would be next to impossible for the fire tenders to reach in time at any spot in Imphal East during any eventuality. The government and its concerned authorities are appealed to install a few fire tenders and firemen at the office complex of the Imphal East SP, so that any eventuality in the district could be attended to without much delay, before the main team from their headquarter arrives at the spot. Now another argument is whether Minuthong can accommodate the increase in vehicular traffic until the new Sanjenthong is inaugurated. As the new bridge is constructed, the government has identified Minuthong and another newly constructed Thumbuthong to bear the major brunt of the vehicular traffic. However, the question is can Minuthong bear the added load until the new Sanjenthong is completed? Although the government has already announced that work would be taken up on a war footing to complete the construction of the bridge within a year’s time, considering the previous records of the state government, there is every possibility of the bridge’s completion period getting extended.
While the project was undertaken with utmost consideration of the welfare of the public, a little lacklustre planning has invited much wrath from the public. The public’s main contention being that the government has failed to consider an alternative before taking up the project.