Imphal, Mar 24 (UNI): The Manipur government has urged the Nagaland administration to ensure the immediate withdrawal of an indefinite blockade of all Manipur-bound vehicles on the National Highway, official sources said here on Thursday.
The blockade, called by the Southern Angami Public Organization (SAPO), has left stranded on the highway a large number of people including women and children coming to Manipur over the past three days. Manipur depends on National Highway 2 from Dimapur in Nagaland to Manipur’s Mao for transportation of passengers and goods.
The SAPO had imposed a blockade in Nagaland demanding the withdrawal of armed personnel and all permanent structures from the Kezoltsa area.
To mitigate the plight of the stranded people, the Manipur government has written to its Nagaland counterpart to take up the matter with the representatives of SAPO for immediate withdrawal of the indefinite bandh for maintenance of peace and tranquillity in the area.
A Manipur Government statement said: “NH-2 is the main lifeline of the State of Manipur. The State Government has appealed for the coexistence of the people of both the states and the issue relating to territories and boundaries of the states are to be settled and resolved amicably through negotiations between the concerned state governments.”
In a letter to the Nagaland Chief Secretary, the Manipur government’s Special Secretary (Home) H. Gyan Prakash iterated that the permanent structures and armed personnel of the State forces were deployed within the territorial jurisdiction of the Manipur State as opposed to SAPO’s claim.
The letter further stated that the police structure has been constructed within the territorial boundary of Manipur and can be seen from the satellite map. The Manipur government also issued a detailed map of the area to buttress its point about the ongoing construction in Manipur.
The SAPO in a statement has announced that the ongoing total bandh would be stretched to an indefinite bandh. “The decision was taken after the Manipur Government failed to withdraw its armed personnel and permanent structures within 72 hours from the Kezoltsa area,” the statement said.
