Saipung C&RD Block: A Block in Name Only

Dr. HH MohrmenMay 21, 2024

The Saipung Community and Rural Development (C&RD) Block is supposed to be a hub of administrative activity, serving the people of Saipung. However, a visit to its designated location reveals a different reality. Have you ever encountered a situation where an entire office is nowhere to be found where it should be? If you search for the Saipung C&RD Block at its supposed location, you’ll be in for a shock. The old buildings, now in ruins, stand empty. No staff occupies the offices, and no furniture is present, except for labourers engaged in constructing a new building.

This is the story of the Saipung C&RD Block, inaugurated on April 4, 2001. The buildings are empty and appear ready to collapse. Where have all the staff gone? We will soon reveal the story.

The block was inaugurated by the late E.K. Mawlong, the then Chief Minister, in the presence of H.B. Dann and O.N. Chyrmang, both government ministers at the time. Although the block is officially located in Saipung, the entire office operates from Latyrke, a village near Sutnga. Consequently, the people of Saipung must travel to Latyrke to access services supposedly provided by the Saipung Block.

The abandoned buildings of various departments in Saipung are a testament to the wastage of government resources. The two main buildings, intended to house the Block Development Officer (BDO) office, are in ruins, with large cracks suggesting they could collapse at any moment. This situation highlights the substandard quality of construction.

The approach road to the BDO office becomes impassable during summer, and in many sections, the road has disappeared altogether. Ironically, the block will celebrate its silver jubilee next year, but it still does not function from its designated location, depriving the people of Saipung of their right to access government services.

The residents of the Saipung area, predominantly Biates, continue to suffer from a lack of development and basic necessities. The only Primary Health Center (PHC) in the area is managed by Karuna Trust on a public-private partnership (PPP) model, yet it lacks a proper water supply. The region has three high schools serving students from 29 Biate villages, but no higher secondary school exists. Only one poorly maintained road connects all the Biate villages to the rest of the state. It took this scribe three hours to travel 30 kilometers to Saipung. In summer, only vehicles with four-wheel drive can navigate the region.

Lal Niam Nampui, the Waheh Chnong (village head) of Saipung, reported that electricity supply is erratic, forcing residents to rely on solar power. Dr. Dilip Kumar, a physician at the PHC, confirmed that they use solar power to keep vaccines refrigerated. There is no government water supply, and the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) projects in various villages are yet to become operational.

The question remains: how can the government start a new C&RD Block when it cannot make the existing one serve its purpose? Who will be held accountable for this lapse? Will the government provide any answers?