Manipur Sends For Fuel

1,900 vehicles to bring fuel, foodgrains

The Manipur government on Monday sent around 1,900 vehicles with police escort to Silchar in Assam to bring foodgrains and petrol, with the state facing shortage of essential commodities due to the economic blockade, called by the United Naga Council (UNC), since August 21, officials said.

All the vehicles which left Imphal for Silchar would arrive with essential items and petroleum products in the next two days, they said.

Manipur has been facing acute shortage of foodgrains, petrol and life-saving drugs due to the economic blockade imposed by UNC on Imphal-Jiribam-Silchar and Imphal-Dimapur-Guwahati national highways to protest the demand of Sadar Hills District Demand Committee (SHDDC) to upgrade Kuki-majority Sadar Hills area in Naga-majority Senapati district into a full-fledged revenue district.

Manipur Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh has also appealed to the UNC to withdraw the blockade. "We are having patience but the government may take stern action if the situation does not improve," Singh said on Sunday.

The SHDDC had ended its 93-day-old economic blockade on the Manipur stretches of the two national highways on October 31 after an agreement with the state government which agreed to convert the area into a revenue district.

There was a four-km-long queue on Sunday at a petrol pump. Reports said only one pump was giving petrol but solely to school vans and buses on Monday with other pumps having gone dry. Petrol is being sold in the black market for Rs 200 per litre. Cooking gas is being sold in black market at Rs 1,650 per cylinder.

The reports said now the two commodities are not available even in the black market.

However, the government sources said some respite is on the way as an alternative route has been worked out for the supplies to come in.

During his recent visit to the state, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram had appealed to the people to settle all disputes through dialogue.