The rest of India rarely bothers about the northeast. Otherwise, it would have brought people to street when people of Manipur were forced to shell out Rs 2,000 for a gas cylinder during the 110-day economic blockade of the state that ended early this month. Now, a former top police official has petitioned before the supreme court, which has issued a notice to the central government, asking what steps are taken to deal with a series of blockades that has made life difficult for Manipuris.

On a petition filed by Uttar Pradesh's former DGP Prakash Singh, a bench of justices GS Singhvi and SJ Mukhopadhya asked the centre what steps it had taken to deal with such blockades and how it intended to deal with such a situation in future.

Appearing for the centre, Solicitor General Rohinton Nariman presented before the court certain guidelines to deal with such situations.

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In his petition, Prakash Singh argued that "the state government of Manipur is not enforcing the law of the land and the central government is acting as a mute spectator to intransigent groups taking law into their own hands."

According to the petition, the blockade resorted to by the Kuki and Naga tribes had subjected the general public in the state to severe hardships citing reports that petrol is being sold at Rs 200 per litre and gas cylinders at Rs 2,000.

The petition went on to say that there is a "...shortage of essential commodities whose prices have sky-rocketed. The blockade is violative of Article 21 of the constitution of India which guarantees to all its citizens the protection of life and personal liberty...''

The matter shall come up for hearing after the centre files its reply on the issue.

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