A TRAGEDY IN THE PROCESS OF STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT & GREAT CONTRIBUTION of TERRIERS !* x _UNSUNG😢 HEROES & d NATION COULDN'T B CONCERNED
hear (read ) this gripping narrative.... mentions 2 of our khels in Manipur.
Indeed sad . *Our respects to the Brave soldiers - Terriers and other citizens* .
🤝The stories of *Terriers must be known* . I will make a brief effort .
*Noney* once became famous for Miss Noney pageant held around 2000. It is *located on NH 37* as you start claiming the hills towards Silchar .
_*Rail link between Silchar and Imphal along with widening of NH 37*_ is a strategic affair of great significance . It is an *extension of Lumding - Silchar broad gauging* which started in late nineties . Last year (2021) the first Train reached Manipur going *further ahead of Jiribam* which saw the first train in 2016.
*Role of Territorial Army , specially *107 Inf BN TA (11 GR) and 119 Inf Bn TA (ASSAM)* has been significant in ensuring these developments by *providing security and confidence* . That has _allowed Railway to move forward from once a defunct speed_ .
What is their story ?
Lumding Silchar broad gauging was _held up from mid nineties . Barely one work session a day and long breaks due to extortion militancy . The year was *2008 . That is the time Railways sought help of TA* . Somehow MO Dte was against it . _Having served in 57 Div , I was aware of the significance of this development which would finally reach Imphal_ .
✊🏾🤞So we in TA Dte under Gen Lalotra prevailed and ensured that TA was embodied for this national task of great importance* .
*NH 37 ( SILCHAR- Imphal )* was hardly under use due to *politics of NSCN* . A few odd _vehicles travelling would invariably be subjected to extortion_ . *Barak R and these hills were controlled by militants and were drug🥴 highways* . _*Politics of NH via Kohima was at peak .
*Each truck would pay to NSCN .*_
👊Opening of NH 37 would be an end game for them .
*Five phase Operations were launched in 2003-4 to clear Manipur of militant control and open NH 37* . 30% of the state was under militant control .
*First to be cleared by a Bde sized force was Sajik Tampak* .
Then there would be *Churachandpur , Khopum , NH 37 , Jiribam , Tipaimukh , hills*HILLS*- in that order for next 4-5 years . *South Assam* was taken up simultaneously .
In 2008-09 , ( _whilst with TA Gp HQ ,EC_ ) we *interacted with Railways and got all desired resources released for TA coys- Bn plus 8 coys*. _Accn, veh, comn, contingency funds etc ._ Railways responded with panache and while *119 got trained at CIJW , every thing was ready by 2009 end* .👊 Soon extortion etc was a thing of past . _*Three shifts a day now meant that broadgauging was completed by 2013/14 or so*_. 109 TA and 107 TA HQ were controlling ops, alternately .
Then the *focus shifted to Silchar - Imphal stretch - Railways And NH 37 widening* .
But there are a few unfortunate things -
*1*. 🚩TA and these two bns have NOT really got the recognition👍✌🏼🤝 that they deserve . _Credit would be claimed by AR or Inf Bde_ or TA work overlooked . *TA (HH) (ASSAM) : d MANIPUR TERRIERs*👊 has also contributed.
*2.* _Some places where , Railways have done a shoddy work & the Saftey of the track was compromised_ . This year(2022) there were *52 landslides in Lumding - Silchar belt in May* itself which impacted rail traffic . This is when the old narrow gauge track ( _a British era rail engg marvel_ ) was called
*" the most dangerous railway route"* . I have travelled on that and I agree . It was a life time train journey .
*3. Noney* saw landslides last year , also . Few railway contractors workers had died .
*4*. All living and infrastructure sites have to be subjected to landslide vulnerability survey every year . We learnt this during our MBA in Disaster Management . *Land Slides are the biggest killer ever year world wide as far as natural disasters go* . But many of these are man- made .
👍👊🤝Brighter side is the _*pride✊🏾 which runs in these THREE TA Bns*_ for having contributed to success of these national projects by providing security and confidence in worst of areas .
🥊 *The 5- Phase clean-up militancy op launched in mid 2003* , also helped tremendously .
⚠️ *Barak belt in hills of Manipur has great stories* . 🚩While most hills were controlled by Naga militants , the southern side was controlled by UNLF and d PLA. *Villages are fascinating* . The river is uncharted, but enchanting. _*You get the best Trouts 🐠 - they travel from Bangladesh against the current of Barak to breed in the hills*_ . That makes them special . _Pythons, giant frogs , other snakes are a treat to encounter_ . Bamboo is in abundance . *People are FRIENDLY & beautiful* .
This year , the Barak has played merry hell in Silchar and Cachar . *Masimpur* anyway is famous for maximum rainfall globally having surpassed famous *Cherrapunji* once . I saw the wrath in 2003-04 .
_*About Miss Noney*_ , _Basketball Court in Noney , the missing Sniper rifle , fake killings , extortion , a rape gone scot-free_, _smuggling , heptr borne Courrier's of No 4 , int coys , rides on Chindwin , Moreh , so called informers_ , *politics of extortion👺 and amassing , vote rigging & much more* - Stories later .
Most fascinating are the *#Heroin No 4 stories . The drug which changed the notion of insurgency in Manipur* .
🚩⚠️The impact would reach upto the red belt as far as weapons are concerned and Europe as far as No 4 is concerned . Alongside come the extortion and smuggling stories . *Ruby being one of them* . Mogok rubies have their own stories . *"PIGEON BLOOD* " takes your heart away . Try it out presenting or gifting to your heart-throb . Shergil would know better . Fake rubies also come from Burma .
I will wind up, *hoping that role of the TA Bns in these projects will get due recognition*👍 . This may be the right time .
*A salute to the Terriers who 🙋♂️have lost life in Noney and earlier in the related operations for last 13 years.
Our condolences to the unit and families of the departed . _*May the other missing be found soon .
🥊 *#Savdhani Va Shoorta is their motto. _*Terriers continue to contribute to the development of the nation .