IMPHAL, Jun 13: Peeved with the ongoing 10-day economic blockade imposed by Joint Action Committee Against Anti-Tribal Bills and Outer Manipur Tribals’ Forum on all the National Highways, irate locals of Sawombung, Chingarel Tejpur, Chingarel Mana Ingkhol and Kangla Sangomsang imposed counter economic-blockade on Imphal-Ukhrul road today afternoon.
Large number of womenfolk and locals came on the road at Sawombung and forced the goods laden vehicles to return towards Imphal. They pulled down goods from the vehicles which tried to defy the counter economic blockade. The counter blockade supporters asked the owners to collect their goods after the economic blockade clamped on the National Highways are lifted.
A woman counter blockade supporter said that they would continue their stir as long as the current economic blockade goes on. Soon after receiving information about the stir, a team of Imphal East district police rushed to Sawombung and dispersed the counter economic blockade supporters. Meanwhile a public meeting held today at Yairipok Bazar resolved to form a Joint Action Committee Against Economic Blockade at the State level.
Apart from appointing one convenor and four co-convenors, the meeting agreed that the newly constituted JAC would supervise the ongoing counter economic blockade being imposed by the Youth Development Committee (YDC), Yairipok Khoirom. The public meeting further resolved to prohibit transportation of goods from the valley to hill areas even though there would be no restriction on the movement of passenger vehicles.
The JAC has appealed to all drivers of passenger vehicles not to carry any goods in their vehicles to hill districts from the valley. The JAC further appealed to all counter economic blockade supporters not to resort to any form of violence while imposing the counter economic blockade. Following the imposition of counter economic blockade, goods transported in private and passenger vehicles from Yairipok Bazar to different hill areas were impounded but no restriction was imposed on transportation of medicines, according to a press release issued by the JAC Against Economic Blockade.
