With efforts to move in supplies through National Highway 53 not yielding any result, the Manipur government on Monday sought the help of the Church in the state to reach out to its counterparts in Nagaland to find ways to lift the NH-39 blockade that has choked the state.
A nine-member delegation of the All Manipur Church Association left for Kohima on Monday at the instance of the state government with the specific agenda of seeking help of the Church bodies in Nagaland to reopen NH-39 that has remained blocked since May 6. “We hope that the civil society and the Church in Nagaland will convince the Naga Students’ Federation to lift the blockade on humanitarian grounds so that the common man does not have to starve in Manipur,” N Biren Singh, Sports Minister and spokesperson of the Congress-led SPF government, said.
While movement of all kinds of vehicles to Manipur along the NH-39 through Nagaland has remained shut from May 6, following a blockade announced by the NSF in protest against the Manipur government’s refusal of entry to NSCN(IM) leader Thuingaleng Muivah, another blockade called by the All Manipur Naga Students’ Association (ANSAM) has blocked both NH-39 and NH-53 since April 11. The ANSAM has been opposing holding of election to the autonomous district councils in the hill districts of Manipur.
Biren Singh said medicine and essential commodities were being transported to Imphal from Guwahati by air. The rice, he said, will be sold in the open market in Imphal from Tuesday.
The Manipur government has continued its efforts to move supplies through NH-53 via Shillong (Meghalaya) and Silchar (Assam), apart from exploring possibilities of using NH-150 through Mizoram. “The government is trying to convince the groups blocking the NH-53 to at least allow movement of essential commodities,” Singh said.