Economic blockade enters 86th day in Manipur

Imphal: The crippling economic blockade on two national highways in Manipur entered the 86th day today with the organisers adamant on not lifting it even as prices of essential commodities continued to soar. The Sadar Hills District Demand Committee (SHDDC) had started its indefinite economic blockades on the National Highway 39 (Imphal-Dimapur-Guwahati) and National Highway 53(Imphal-Jiribam-Silchar) on 1 August. [caption id=“attachment_110584” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“LPG cylinders priced at Rs 400 were being sold at Rs 1650. Screengrab/ibnlive”]  [/caption] The SHDDC has demanded conversion of the Sadar Hills area in Senapati district into a full fledged district. Opposing this, the United Naga Council (UNC) began its economic blockades on the two highways on 21 August. Both the SHDDC and the UNC have turned a deaf ear to appeals by civil society organisations to call off the blockades and take up a democratic form of agitation. A spokesman of the SHDDC said the blockade would not be withdrawn till its demand was met by the state government. On the other hand, the UNC said that it would not allow Sadar Hills to be made a district unless its contention was heard by the government. Official sources said the state government has formed a district re-organisation committee to look into boundaries of all districts. Manipur Sports minister N Biren, who is a government spokesman, said prices of potato and onion have come down. However, LPG cylinders priced at Rs 400 were being sold at Rs 1650, petrol at Rs 100 and diesel at around Rs 80 in the black market, reports said. It said the government was trying its best to bring in these items from outside the state with security escort. Chief Minister Ibobi Singh, who is in Delhi, has met senior AICC president Sonia Gandhi and Home Minister P Chidambaram and apprised them of the situation, official sources said. The sources said the state cabinet met more than four times to discuss the Sadar Hills issue, but could not take a decision since many ethnic communities were settled in the area. They said the Sadar Hills area in Senapati district had been witness to clashes between Kukis and Nagas in the early 1990s. PTI