Dual Bandh Chokes Imphal

Blockade dries pumps, staff shut offices

Employees of the adult education department sit outside their office in Imphal after locking it on Friday.

Imphal, Feb 6 : A government employees’ cease work and an economic blockade gave Manipur one of its worst strike days today, serving a deadly cocktail of dysfunctional administration and choked fuel supply.

The economic blockade imposed by the Senapati District Students’ Association on Imphal-Dimapur highway demanding repair of the highway’s Senapati sector halted the inflow of essential commodities into Manipur from January 30 midnight.

Today, petrol pumps ran dry, with no immediate chances of a fresh supply.

At least three petrol pumps in the city were closed, citing lack of stocks.

Officials at the Indian Oil Company’s oil depot warned that if the supply did not resume by Monday, Manipur might face a fuel scarcity.

If the blockade worried the government, agitating employees added fuel to it.

A day after thousands of government staff marched through Imphal seeking implementation of the recommendations of sixth Pay Commission, the employees today shut their offices.

Protesting under the banner of Joint Administrative Council, an apex body of employees’ organizations of more than 40 government departments, the staff stopped work on January 16.

They arrived at their offices today on time. But instead of heading for their desks, the staff locked up all the rooms and remained outside throughout the working hours.

Most were seen standing or sitting together in front of their offices, discussing the future course of agitation.

“We locked up all the rooms and no one was allowed to enter the office today. We will continue this form of agitation tomorrow as well,” an employee of the social welfare department said.

The publicity secretary of the administrative council, L. Priyobratta, said employees locked up offices in more than 15 government departments located in and around Imphal city.

Police later broke the locks in some of the offices, but employees remained outside.

A source said staff of the essential services would also join the agitation to force the government to consider their demands in the next few days.

The employees have been demanding that the increased pay should be paid with effect from January 1, 2006. Chief minister Ibobi Singh, who is also holds the finance portfolio, maintained that the government did not have enough money to pay arrears from January 2006.