We all know that Bandhs and Blockades affect our daily lives and our economy to a great extent. We lose crores of rupees every year due to such frequent bandhs and blockades which are more than 100 days in total in a year in our state of Manipur.

Bandhs and blockades with such high frequency which are happening for every grievance or social, political, cultural or identity issues in the so called "public interest" might not be happening in any developed or under developed countries of the world.

We can boast of longest bandhs and economic blockades on national highways which are our only economic life lines and it deserves to be recorded in the Guinness book of world record.

Manipur deserves to be called "Bandhpur" or "Blockadpur" now. For every grievance or issue however justifiable or genuine it may be, if we are to draw the attention of authorities concerned and public attention through bandhs and blockades, these 365 days in a year will not be sufficient.

If we firmly believe in the success of bandhs and blockades we may even call a bandh for extending the number of days in a year just because it is in sufficient to express all our grievances.

Many hill based and valley based organisations working for the so called public interest, social welfare etc. seem to believe that bandhs and blockades and arson are the only and the most effective means of drawing attention of both and public and government. For them economic issues seem to be least important and socio political cultural issues seem to be most important.

Regarding economic issues we often read in the newspaper that bandhs and blockades and the armed outfits claiming to be working for the public interest and sovereignty interfere in the construction of economic infrastructures by making huge monetary demands and also by abducting officials and the employees of the concerned authorities.

Economic infrastructures like roadways, railways, waterways, airways, telecommunication, banking facilities, market facilities, dams and hydro electric projects for power and water supply etc. are the most important basic needs of any region in the world without which we cannot even think of or talk about industries or economic development.

It is like the foundation of a house without which we cannot think of building a house.

How much of these infrastructures do we have now and how safe are these?

Here in Manipur we often talk about industries and economic development without paying adequate attention and without showing enough will power for the development of these economic infrastructures.

It is something which we urgently need for uplifting our economy and for our economic independence whether these are constructed by the State Govt. or Central Govt. or some occupying foreign forces or some armed outfits.

For example railways, roadways or whatever little economic infrastructures built by Britishers in India and in Manipur during their regime were left behind by them when they leave this region.

NH 39 and 53 built by Britishers are still the most important life lines of Manipur.

Similarly Khuman Lampak Sports Complex, Loktak Hydro Electrical Project and other Dams and projects and whatever infrastructures social or economic made by India or any outsiders shall remain ours and for our future forever. We have nothing to lose.

But we still do not allow the smooth construction of these infrastructures and do not pressurize enough the authorities concerned for timely completion of the projects. This is one of the most important reasons for lack of industrial and economic development in our state.

In democracy we people are almost equally responsible as the Govt. formed by our elected representatives.

If we think and believe that socio political cultural identity issues are most important and economic issues are to be addressed only after solving socio political issues first, then let there be hundred of bandhs and economic blockades to resolve these socio political issues and let us continue to live the way we are living now.

However we must not forget one thing that an economically poor state which is culturally rich (including culture of corruption) but prominent by absence of work culture, whose capital city is full of garbages, choked drains, filthy, dirty potholed roads, dusty, muddy roads like those of 18th century, frequent power failure, where different ethnic communities co-exist who hate and look down upon one another, where bandhs and blockades are commonly accepted methods and practice of expressing any grievance can never develop fast but will remain backward and poor (perhaps happily basking in rich culture).

No foreign country would like to have good trade and economic relations with such state where frequency of bandhs and blockades are so high and normally accepted without any strong protest.