Centre to send forces to break Manipur blockade

m.today

New Delhi, June 14 : Taking a tough stand, the Centre on Monday decided to send security forces to remove the 65-day-old blockade by Naga groups of the two national highways, which has created a severe shortage of essential commodities in Manipur.

 

"We have decided to send Central forces to remove the blockade," Home Secretary G K Pillai said. National Highways 39 (Imphal-Dimapur) and 53 (Imphal-Silchar), passing through Nagaland and connecting Manipur, have been blocked by different Naga groups since April 11 to protest Manipur government’s refusal to allow NSCN leaders T Muivah’s entry into Manipur to visit his ancestral home.

Pillai said that the chief secretaries of Nagaland and Manipur will meet on Wednesday to review the situation there.

The economic blockade has pushed Manipur on the verge of a breakdown with stocks of all essentials commodities, including baby food and life saving drugs, almost drying up.

The All Naga Students’ Association (ANSAM) had launched the blockade to protest holding of elections to six autonomous district councils in the Hills which, it alleged, were given not enough power to carry out development works.

The blockade was intensified after the state refused entry to the NSCN (IM) general secretary on May 3, hitting regular supply of essential commodities.

Before the blockade, between 300 to 400 trucks carrying essential commodities were plying daily on the two national highways.


Crippled, Manipur in state of emergency

Manipur’s highway blockade has entered the 59th day today. The state has slipped into a virtual emergency with the largest group of private hospitals planning to shut down due to unavailability of fuel, oxygen and medicines.

Naga student groups of Manipur, who have imposed this blockade to press for greater autonomy, have so far refused to come and talk to the government. Instead they have been declared ’wanted’ after the Guwahati High Court asked the government to produce the student leaders.

Meanwhile, the state is crippled for want of essential supplies and medicines.

Pradeep needs medicines for his ailing mother, which is in short supply. "My mother is terminally ill, but I can’t manage medicines even after paying up," said Pradeep.

Many hospitals have stopped admitting patients who require intensive care because of lack of oxygen cylinders and fuel required to run the unit. There is an urgent demand for intravenous (IV) fluids.

The city’s biggest private hospital Shija Group of Hospitals is on the verge of shutting down.

"We have to close down the hospital, the latest situation is that we have warned all patients in the ICU on ventilator and support system line to find alternatives and shift to other hospitals," said Dr Palin, CMD, Shija Hospitals and Research Institute.

Subol is a blacksmith who earns around Rs 120 a day, but with the highway shut down he has run out of work.

Teachers’ attendance in schools and attendances in offices have dropped because of fuel shortage. Prices of every commodity have shot up. Government regulated fuel supply is just not enough. The food grain stock is worrying as well.

The government has so far failed to find any solution. Three convoys of supplies were moved in with police escort, but that is inadequate to meet the demands.

If the Manipur government could hold district council elections in the Hills against the wishes of the same groups who have imposed the economic blockade then there is no reason why they can’t break the deadlock and resume normal law and order in the state.