After 125 days of economic blockade in Manipur, the Manipur High Court on Monday finally ordered United Naga Council (UNC) to lift the blockade declaring the activity as illegal. Security forces are directed to take adequate and effective measures in the affected areas. They are further directed to arrest any person who seems suspicious of creating hindrance in the movement on National Highway-2 and 37 apparently
Further, the High Court directs the Central Government to immediately provide 72 companies for disposal by the state government, so that they can be deployed in overall areas which have been identified as vulnerable.
United Naga Council had clamped the economic blockade in two highways i.e NH-2 and NH-37 which are the two lifelines of the state since November 1 in protest against the state government’s decision to create seven new districts in the state.
On December 2016, the Chief Minister of Manipur Ibobi Singh bifurcated 7 out of 9 districts of Manipur. Most of these are hill districts where the Nagas are a majority. In protest, Manipur Naga tribes along with UNC blocked essential commodity supply lines of the state.
According to the UNC, the creation of new districts will be bifurcating their ancestral land in Manipur.
Meanwhile, the orders released by Manipur High Court on Monday also direct the state government to take measures to increase the frequency of the vehicles, particularly on NH-37. It also directed the state government to adopt a mechanism, keeping in view the dearth of consumable items or any other item including petroleum products for its transportation by giving priority.
In view of the acute scarcity of the fuel, IOC has also been directed to take measure for transportation by way of temporary measures.
The state meanwhile is preparing for the second phase of polling on March 8. 98 candidates are in the fray for the second phase. The 1,151 poll stations are located in the hills of Manipur which are mostly Naga and Kuki dominated.
