IMPHAL, February 28: Inner Manipur MP, Dr Thokchom Meinya has raised the need to set up a dedicated national highway protection force to ensure smooth movement of goods and essential commodities on the National Highways in Manipur.
On the 2nd day of the ongoing Budget Session of Parliament on February 24, Inner Manipur MP, Dr. Thokchom Meinya in an intervention in the Lok Sabha stated: `The National Highways in Manipur are once again under blockade since 18th February.
The Joint Action Committee (JAC) on Kadangband killing has gone ahead with its proposed 5 days economic blockade on all National Highways from that midnight.
Consequently, the trucks carrying essential commodities, passenger buses, oil tankers etc. have stopped plying on these National Highways.
As a result, essential commodities including food items and life saving drugs, gas, petrol etc are allegedly made un-available. Taking advantage of this, the hoarders and shopkeepers hike the prices of goods and commodities.
This causes tremendous hardships to the people of the State forcing them to buy them at sky-rocketed prices.
Bandhs and blockades are very frequent on the National Highways of Manipur. Even though the present blockade was over on the midnight of February 23, such a blockade needed to be dealt with at once.
So I request the Union Government and the Home Ministry in particular to immediately intervene and help the state government to mitigate the same at the earliest.
In order to deal with blockades of the National Highways, in a long term perspective, once again I urge upon the Union Government to set-up a dedicated National Highway Protection Force so that the National Highways, the life-lines of the State of Manipur, are fully secured and insulated from these bandhs and blockades and thus to ensure smooth movement of goods and essential communities particularly in Manipur.`