Imphal, Nov 4 : Even as Home
Minister P Chidambaram who arrived here appealed to the Nagas to come
for a dialogue, United Naga Council (UNC) and other Naga Bodies reacted
strongly to the agreement between the Sadar Hills District Demand
Committee (SHDDC) and the Government of Manipur, denouncing it and
accusing the state government of trying to incite communal conflict
between the communities. Consequently, besides continuing with the
counter economic blockade, the Naga body has also announced total bandh
from midnight of November 3 for three days.
The SHDDC is pressing for a creation of a
full-fledged Sadar Hills District and it withdrew the blockade right on
the eve of the Home Minister’s visit to the state, suspended its three
months’ long economic blockade following an agreement reached with the
Government of Manipur. The agenda of the Home Minister’s visit, besides
the inauguration of much-needed infrastructural requirements of the
interior districts, also has a review meeting of the law and order
situation and scarcity of essential commodities.
Manipur has long been demanding a Highway
Protection Force since at a drop of hat some organization or the other,
blocks the highways on some pretext pushing up the prices of essential
commodities. Another issue which has exercised and agonized the people
of state is the Armed Forces Special Powers Act 1958. The sentiment of
the people of Manipur against this draconian act most aptly represented
by Irom Sharmila’s fast which completed 11 years yesterday demanding its
repeal.
Constant harassment and extortion demand by
cadres of the Isak-Muivah faction of the National Socialist Council of
Nagaland (NSCN) has forced Assam truckers to suspend services to
Nagaland’s Mon district since last evening. About 50 trucks carry
boulders to the Bogibeel project from Mon daily. The trucks ply on the
Sonari-Namtola Road in Sivasagar district bordering Nagaland.
The president of the Sonari Truck Owners
Association, Basanta Konwar, said the NSCN (I-M) militants demand Rs 400
per truck ferrying boulders from Mon district failing which the
militant outfit has threatened to torch the vehicles.
The development is likely to hamper
construction at the ongoing Bogibeel project in Dibrugarh because bulk
of the boulders for the project comes from Mon district of the
neighbouring state.