Imphal, July 03, 2010: All Manipur Inter-State Bus Association wants a comprehensive transport policy with a long lasting vision so that the grievances facing by the transporters and highway travelers could be solved forever, said the president of the association, Budha Luwang today.

Talking to Hueiyen Lanpao, the president related inconveniences and difficulties experiencing by the on the national highways by the vehicles servicing on the national highways and said it is unfortunate when authorities concerns could not dealt with the anti-social elements on both the NH-39 and NH-53. Despite banning imposition of bandh and economic blockade on the highways by an order of the court, the same is not obeying by any authority or civil organisation and continue imposition of the same unabated.

It is wordless to express the difficulties and atrocities receiving by the highway travelers on the NH-39 apart from uncountable numbers of illegal taxes imposed on the highway by different underground groups.

Few to mention are road tax, good tax, godown tax, vehicle tax, entry fees, etc., Budha said.

The taxes are paying to them not willingly but compel to pay as they would attack or torched the vehicle for not paying the �taxes�, he revealed.

Even though the ban on Manipur vehicles in Nagaland by NSF and economic blockade on the highways by ANSAM lifted around two week back, so far no intimation received from the DGP of Nagaland giving assurance for allowing state vehicles passing through Nagaland, he said.

Before the economic blockade in Manipur section of the highway and ban on Manipur vehicles in Nagaland was imposed, around 30 inter-state buses were in service but now only two to three inter-state buses are in service on the NH-53, he revealed.

He further urged the authority concerns to deploy adequate state security forces on the stretch of the NH-53 so that vehicles and travelers on the highway avoid the same faith that befell to them.

State government need to give top priority in controlling and checking extortion menaces on the highway first.