Manipur’s plight

''The govt is unmoved by the plight of the people.''

The people of Manipur are being squeezed from all sides. National Highways 39 and 53 – the state’s vital lifelines – have been blockaded for the past two months by rival Kuki and Naga organisations. The blockade has resulted in acute shortage of food, fuel and medicines in Manipur causing immense hardship to the people. Yet the central and state governments seem unmoved by the plight of the people. Beyond appealing for the lifting of the blockade, providing security for truck convoys and airlifting some supplies to Imphal, the Centre has not done enough to break the blockade. Consequently, those enforcing the blockade have been able to dig in and consolidate themselves. Many Manipuris believe that the Centre is averse to deploying the army or the paramilitary forces to break the blockade as it fears that a crackdown on the blockading groups will anger the Naga groups. It is keen to keep the ceasefire with the NSCN-IM alive and is therefore appeasing the Nagas. Hence it is handling the blockading groups with kids’ gloves. But this is deepening Manipuri anger. Delhi’s reluctance to deal sternly with the blockading groups will convince Manipuris yet again that their suffering is of little importance to policy makers in distant Delhi.

Underlying the blockade is the clash over territory between Kukis and Nagas in Manipur. While the Kuki organisation, the Sadar Hills District Demand Committee is demanding conversion of the Kuki-majority Sadar hills area in Naga-majority Senapati district into a full-fledged district, the apex Naga body in Manipur, the United Naga Council is opposed to giving up land from the Naga villages for the new district. The two organisations have imposed blockades and counter-blockades of the same roads. This has spelt disaster for the Manipuri people. Battered by decades of armed violence, they are now struggling against economic hardship. Yet to recover from the crushing impact of last year’s 69-day-long economic blockade, Manipur’s economy has been dealt a body blow by the current blockades.

Poor road connectivity in the northeast has encouraged militant and civil society organisations to opt for economic blockades to press their demands. With the region boasting of just a few roads links with the rest of India, a blockade can quickly paralyse the economy, bringing state governments to their knees. Increasing road links in the northeast will reduce the vulnerability of Manipuris to blockades.