No respite for Manipur as ANSAM continues blockade

Naga group to continue blockade in protest of the way elections were conducted in ADCs

PTI | June 16, 2010



Despite the Naga Students' Federation lifting its economic blockade of a key national highway here, trucks were unable to reach Manipur today as the All Naga Manipur Students' Association (ANSAM) remained stuck to its demand in the neighbouring state.

The ANSAM last night announced that it would continue with its ongoing economic blockade on National Highways 39 and 53 till the Manipur government redressed its grievances -- mainly, the conduct of the recently held Autonomous District Council (ADC) polls.

"We have no other option but to continue the on-going blockade much against our interests (sic) until the state government of Manipur comes to understand the issue rationally," the ANSAM's publicity wing said in a statement.

The latest stance would bring no respite for Manipur which is suffering from a severe shortage of essential commodities as its supply line is choked by the two-month-old blockade.

Vehicles were unable to reach Imphal from Nagaland, the police said, adding trucks were also not plying on the National Highway 53 (Silchar-Imphal) from the Assam side.

Four to five stranded goods-laden trucks, which left Dimapur last evening for Manipur following lifting of the blockade, had to park on the highway inside Nagaland, the officials said.

The ANSAM, along with other Naga frontal organisations of Manipur, had started an indefinite economic blockade of NH 39 on April 12 to protest against holding of ADC polls under the present ADC Act and demanded abrogation of the polls by the Manipur government.

Taking strong exception to arrest warrants issued against the presidents of ANSAM and the United Naga Council (UNC), the students body said no positive response was received from the Manipur government till date even as the Nagas had given five days to revoke the "wanted tag" which expired on June 13.

The ANSAM also demanded withdrawal of Section 144 of CrPC and replacement of Manipur armed police personnel with central paramilitary forces from Naga areas of the state to create a congenial atmosphere.

The union home ministry has called for a meeting of chief secretaries of Nagaland and Manipur in New Delhi to chalk out measures for ensuring an uninterrupted supply of essentials to the state.

Additional chief secretaries Alemtemshi Jamir and Toshi Aier would represent Nagaland in the meeting since they are already in Delhi, officials said.

A government release said two consignments of life- saving drugs reached Imphal on May 18 and another weighing 4 MT was airlifted by an IAF aircraft today.

Transportation of essential commodities via NH-53, escorted by state police has also started since May 21, it stated.

Essential commodities are also being transported through NH-150 with the assistance of the Mizoram government, the release added.
 

Comments

 

Other News

Voter turnout: Drop from 2019 reduces further

As the voting percentages dropped drastically in the first couple of phases of the ongoing general elections, observers and analysts spoke of ‘voter apathy’ blamed it on a lack of “wave” this time – apart from the heatwave, that is. The latest figures after the fourth phase, h

GAIL reports annual revenue of Rs.1,30,638 crore

GAIL (INDIA) Limited has reported 75% increase in Profit before Tax (PBT) of Rs.11,555 crore in FY24,  as against Rs 6,584 Cr in FY23. Profit after Tax (PAT) in FY24 stands at Rs. 8,836 Cr as against Rs.5,302 Cr in FY23, a 67 % increase. However, revenue from operations registered a fa

Women move forward, one step at a time

“Women’s rights are not a privilege but a fundamental aspect of human rights.” —Savitribai Phule In India, where almost two-thirds of the population resides in rural areas, women’s empowerment initiatives are extremely critical for intensifying l

Why you should vote

What are the direct tangible benefits that you want from the government coming in power? The manifestos of various parties set a host of agendas which many times falls back in materialising the intended gains. Governance failures, policy lapses, implementation gaps, leadership crisis and cultural blockages

How the role of Ayurveda evolved pre- and post-independence

Ayurveda, Nation and Society: United Provinces, c. 1890–1950 By Saurav Kumar Rai Orient BlackSwan, 292 pages, Rs 1,400  

General Elections: Phase 4 voting on in 96 seats

As many as 17.7 crore electors are eligible to vote in the fourth phase of general elections taking place on Monday in 10 states/UTs. 175 Legislative Assembly seats of Andhra Pradesh and 28 Legislative Assembly seats of Odisha are also going to polls in this phase. Polling time in select as

Visionary Talk: Amitabh Gupta, Pune Police Commissioner with Kailashnath Adhikari, MD, Governance Now


Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter