The Public Works Department (PWD) Ukhrul Division, tasked with maintaining the district’s critical infrastructure, appears to exist more in name than in practice. A visit to the division’s office reveals a troubling picture of neglect, with the facility resembling an abandoned establishment rather than a functioning government office.
This came to light when local journalists visited the division’s office on Monday to inquire about the rapidly deteriorating road conditions during monsoon rains. They found the building with no signboard at its entrance, missing nameplates for key officials, and locked chambers throughout—even during regular office hours.
Some chambers that were open were found empty. No staff were present. It was like the office had simply ceased to exist.
Officers Absent, Staff Skeleton
Highly-placed sources reveal that the executive engineer purportedly in charge of the division took charge on 29 April this year but is not stationed at the workplace, visiting the office occasionally. The section officer similarly maintains an irregular presence.
Currently, the division’s strength stands at 19 staff members, yet only five—including multitasking staff (MTS)—are actually based in Ukhrul town. Of the remaining fourteen, sources say most are either stationed in Imphal or assigned to the sub-stations at Talui and Chingai, while several positions remain vacant due to long delays in recruitment and postings.
Most office operations, including files, correspondence and billing, are reportedly being managed remotely from the PWD head office in Imphal. This has left the local division at bare minimum capacity, without day-to-day administrative work in real time.
A chronic shortage of permanent postings, coupled with inadequate manpower, has plagued the office for years, sources confirmed, without identifying key posts, which have been lying vacant for extended periods, aggravating the core staffing gap.
Compounding the crisis is the severe lack of official accommodation: only two residential quarters are available for the division’s staff. These are currently occupied by one MTS staff member and a caretaker, leaving no housing for other staff who are supposed to be stationed here. As a result, some officers rely on hotels for accommodation when visiting the office occasionally.
Monsoon Exposes Decay
For residents of Ukhrul, the consequences of institutional neglect have become impossible to ignore. Heavy monsoon rains have transformed the town’s roads—main roads, circular roads, BRTF roads, and other key connectors—into treacherous pathways riddled with potholes and broken surfaces.
Residents expressed concern over the lack of response from the authorities despite the deteriorating condition of the roads during the monsoon. They said road users and motorists face daily risks with the onset of rainy season.
Urgent Calls for Intervention
Residents have demanded immediate action from higher authorities, warning that continued neglect could lead to tragedy.
“The situation cannot continue. We need someone to fix these roads before bad things happen,” stated a concerned citizen. “Our children walk to school on these damaged paths. Elderly people risk injury every time they step outside.”
The PWD Ukhrul Division is responsible for maintaining government buildings, national and state highways, major district roads, bridges, culverts, and other public properties across the district. However, with key personnel absent and minimal local staffing, the division seems to have failed to fulfill its mandate so far.