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Imphal, Feb 1 : Manipur is staring at a food crisis as the Senapati Districts Students Association has imposed a five-day chakka bandh along the Imphal-Dimapur highway and is likely to follow it up with an indefinite economic blockade.
The students’ association imposed the bandh from midnight last night in protest against the government’s failure to improve the condition of this stretch of National Highway 39.
This route is the main supply line for Manipur and a blockade would trigger a food crisis in the state.
The other national highway (Imphal-Jiribam highway) is an alternative supply line.
However, the suppliers do not use this road because of the distance between Imphal and other cities in the Northeast and the bad condition of the highway.
“We decided to impose the chakka bandh after the government failed to improve the condition of the road, though it promised to do so on a number of occasions. An indefinite economic blockade will follow the bandh if the government’s indifference continues,” a leader of the students’ association said.
The bandh enforcers said the condition of the highway, particularly the 40km stretch between Maram and Senapati district headquarters, was very bad.
The state public works department is responsible for the maintenance of this road.
Transporters and the students’ association said the condition of the 25km road between Mao and Maram, which is under the care of the Border Roads Organisation, was far better.
The association is demanding that the Imphal-Dimapur stretch of the highway should also be handed over to the Border Roads Organisation.
This is not the first time that the students’ association has imposed a road blockade with the same demand.
It also called a daylong Senapati district bandh in July last year and observed a 14-day economic blockade in November 2008.
The blockade was suspended after public works minister K. Ranjit Singh assured the association that the road would be repaired.
Sources in the government said they were trying to improve the road but the work was not making much progress because of interference from various quarters.
No vehicles plied along this route in Senapati district today.
Even two-wheelers stayed off the road, a resident of Senapati district said.
The police said the wheel jam was peaceful and there was no report of any unwanted development on the first day.
However, patrolling and security along the Senapati stretch of the highway was stepped up to prevent any unwanted incident.
Reports said some vehicles bound for Manipur were stranded at the Dimapur and Mao gate.
The Senapati students’ organisation is also demanding the setting up of fire sub-stations at Maram and Tadubi and also the opening of an SBI branch at Tadubi.