Manipur taps Nagaland on highway ‘blockade’

Imphal, July 11 : The Manipur government got in touch with the Nagaland administration in order to lift the indefinite blockade imposed by Southern Angami Youth Organisation (SAYO) along the Imphal-Dimapur highway to protest the theft of a Nagaland-registered truck.

On June 21, four persons from Manipur hired a mini-truck from Kohima on the pretext of transporting vegetables from Tadubi. They drugged the driver, Keniunguto Mejura, and the handyman at Tadubi in Senapati district and made off with the vehicle after they were unconscious, sources here said.

The incident allegedly prompted SAYO to impose the blockade along the Imphal-Dimapur highway in the Angami-dominated areas of Nagaland from July 6.

But SAYO said it had not imposed any blockade. It had just served an ultimatum to the Manipur government to fast track the case. The organisation said this was not an isolated incident and several such episodes had taken place in the past.

Kohima deputy commissioner Beiu Angami said after SAYO’s ultimatum on July 2, he had asked his Senapati counterpart to take certain precautionary measures. These precautions might have caused apprehensions and vehicles with Manipuri licence plates stopped plying along the highway.

Beiu said he had recommended that the precautionary measures be taken in areas within the jurisdiction of SAYO so that there were no flare-ups.

According to transporters here, many loaded Manipuri trucks and buses were stranded at various places in Nagaland while some took a detour through the jungles to reach Imphal. Some trucks were stranded at Khuzama (Nagaland) police checkgate near the Manipur border, but vehicles of other states, including ones with Nagaland licence plates were plying to and fro between Nagaland and Senapati district in Manipur.

Sources said police personnel at Khuzuma and Phesama in Nagaland stopped all Manipur-bound vehicles for “safety and security-reasons” at checkgates.

The issue came up for discussion in the Manipur Assembly today. Opposition member L. Ibomcha Singh of the Manipur State Congress Party asked the government to send a rescue team to bring back the stranded vehicles.

Home minister Gaikhan-gam said the two main accused in the case had been arrested and the stolen vehicle recovered.

“Senior police and civil authorities are keeping in touch with their Nagaland counterparts to talk to the Angami organisation to resolve the problem and bring back the stranded trucks,” Gaikhangam said.

He said though the government was seriously concerned, it could not act independently as the issue involved another state.

However, Opposition members demanded that the government send an official team to Nagaland to talk to the Nagaland authorities and SAYO.

The supply of essential commodities along the Imphal-Dimapur highway has been disrupted.

The home minister said some Manipuri trucks were allowed to pass this morning. However, the blockade was re-imposed later in the day.

Responding to a question in the Assembly, transport minister Kh. Ratankumar Singh said 39 vehicles were damaged during last year’s economic blockade along the Imphal-Dimapur and Imphal-Jiribam highways.

The government has already paid Rs.1.7 crore as compensation to 29 of those vehicles while the process to pay 10 other vehicles was on.