In Manipur, the 20-day economic blockade called by the United Naga Council(UNC), an apex body of Naga tribes, on the National Highway-39 and National Highway-53 is continuing without any untoward incident.On the third day of the economic blockade, government has successfully managed to ply more than 400 loaded and empty trucks along the two National Highways. Our Imphal correspondent quoting police sources reports that these tankers were provided adequate security cover so that the drivers face no trouble on their way.Meanwhile, the agitating UNC has rejected an offer of the Manipur Government to talk with the Naga body tomorrow at the Senapati District Headquarters to discuss its demands. Earlier, State Cabinet has recommended sending a ministerial team to Senapati District Headquarters to hold talks with the representatives of the UNC.It may be recalled that the representatives of the UNC did not turn up at the round table meeting convened by the state government at the CM Secretariat in Imphal to discuss their demands.AIR correspondent Aribam Ibomcha Sharma reports from Imphal that on the third day of the economic blockade of UNC, more than 162 Imphal bound loaded trucks have passed through Mao Gate of Manipur along the Imphal-Dimapur Road of National Highway-39. The loaded vehicles include 130 trucks, 24 oil tankers and 8 LPG bullet tankers.Altogether 92 empty trucks, including 48 oil tankers and 44 trucks, have also left Imphal for Assam to fetch up petroleum products and food grains along the National Highway which passes through Naga areas. On the Imphal-Jiribam Road of National Highway-53, more than 150Imphal bound loaded trucks have reached Jiribam in Manipur from Silchar in Assam. The vehicles include more than 100 loaded trucks, 50 oil tankers and 6 LPG bullet tankers. Because of the terribly bad road condition, vehicular traffic along the National Highway has become very inconvenient. Even though the length of Imphal to Jiribam is only about 222 kilometres, transport vehicles are taking, sometimes, more than 15 days to cover the distance because of the abysmal road condition.
News On AIR | August 6, 2010 6:36 PM
20-day economic blockade of Manipur enters third day without any untoward incident