Mary Kom Leads Road Repair

Imphal, Jul 26 : Magnificent Mary, when not fighting in the ring, is fighting for a cause at Langol Games Village. Led by Olympic bronze medallist Mary Kom, the residents of the Games Village embarked on a project to repair the 3km Langol Games Village road, named after the boxer but which is wallowing in neglect by the government.

The local residents of zone II and III of the Games Village contributed money to fill the potholes with stones and pebbles, with the residents working for free.

Mary Kom and her husband Onkholer Kom (popularly called Onler) have become permanent residents of the Games Village constructed in the foothills of Langol Hills, nearly 5km from here, for the 1999 National Games hosted by Manipur.

After she became boxing world champion, the Okram Ibobi Singh government provided her with quarters there.

“The condition of the road is horrible. There are large potholes where waterlogging makes either walking or riding a two-wheeler or driving a vehicle very difficult,” Onler Kom, the boxer’s husband, told The Telegraph.

The government has not repaired the road for more than two years and it is dotted with huge potholes.

Besides the Kom family, many senior government officials and sportspersons, including Asian boxing gold medallist Dingko Singh, reside along this road.

The local residents had made repeated appeals to the government to repair the road.

Mary Kom also reminded chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh about the road whenever she met him.

The latest reminder was given on July 21 when she met Ibobi Singh at his office.

“I had requested the chief minister to get the road repaired. I will ask him again. The Games Village has many sportspersons and is frequented by people from outside the state. The bad road does not show the state in a good light,” said Mary Kom.

Onler added that the road posed a problem for children going to school.

After her Olympic bronze medal and delivering her third son on May 14 this year, Mary Kom is taking time off from sporting activities.

She is now playing the role of a homemaker, mother to her three sons, teacher to her boxing students and leader of the local residents.

The local meira paibis (women activists), led by Mary Kom, collected contributions from each house in zone II and III of the Games Village — at least Rs 500 each. The contributions ranged from Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000.

“We have started the filling up the craters yesterday. Men and women are participating in the task. We will fill all the potholes. We hope the government will do something very soon,” Onler said.