Imphal, June 18 2010: Despite the All Naga Students' Association and the United Naga Council deciding to lift the over 60 days total blockade on the National Highways leading to Manipur, the Transporters' and Drivers' Council, Manipur has decided not to budge from its earlier stand of never plying their vehicles on NH-39 again.

Mincing no words, the Council, in a statement issued to the press today, said that it is ridiculous and surprising to hear that the Centre has despatched Central Paramilitary Force personnel to sanitise the Imphal-Dimapur route after the people of Manipur have been let to their own fate without any essential items for over 60 days.

The steps taken up by the Government of India is too late, said the Council sardonically.

Making its stand clear, the Council said that after braving all the elements, and spending anxious moments and risking their lives on the treacherous terrain of NH-53, connecting Imphal to Jiribam, the steps taken up by the Centre to deploy Central forces on NH-39 now cannot be accepted under any circumstances.

The Transporters also appealed to all the civil society organisations as well as all the cross sections of society not to urge them (Transporters) to take the NH-39 route again.

Letting let go of all the bottled up frustration and anger, the transporters also asked ANSAM, UNC and the Naga Students' Federation not to lift the economic blockade.

Pitching in for the development of NH-53, the Council urged all concerned to put in their best efforts to make it fit for transporting goods as well as to deploy the additional Paramilitary Force personnel along this route and not NH-39 .

The statement added that at this juncture, supporters of the stand taken by the Council damaged a Tata 407 truck, belonging to a Marwari businessman, for violating their stand and traversing through NH-39 yesterday night.

Sounding a stern warning, the transporters said that if anyone violates the decision, then the repurcussions would be serious.

The economic blockade was imposed from April 12 to protest the decision of the State Government to hold the election to the ADCs, under the 3rd Amendment of 2008 .