TODAY -
Manipur's alternative highway plan makes little headway
Live Mint |Thu, Feb 9 2012. 12:13 AM IST | Imphal/New Delhi: :
Even after a decision to develop the stretch through private sector participation, only 14km section has been outsourced
Manipur's bid to avoid being held hostage to the blockade of its economic lifeline by Naga groups by developing an alternative road through Assam is unlikely to bear fruit by next year as envisaged.
Manipur wants to develop National Highway 53 (NH53), which runs through Assam, as an alternative to NH39, its sole economic lifeline, which was blockaded last year for 121 days by Naga groups. The 600km route runs from Silchar in Assam and bypasses Nagaland, while the existing link is about 236km long. NH53 is currently a single-lane hill road that can't bear loads of more than 20 tonnes.
The cabinet committee on security (CCS) said NH53's development should be im
"Blockades in Manipur are not a new phenomenon. Our commitment is to provide an all-weather NH53 by December 2013," Manipur chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh said last month. "This is an alternative. If anything goes wrong with NH39, we can use this road."
Naga groups such as the Naga Students' Federation (NSF) and the All Naga Students' Association, Manipur (Ansam) last year retaliated against the Manipur government blocking T. Muivah's entry by blocking NH39, which runs through Nagaland. Since 12 April last year, when the blockade began, Manipur has been crippled by shortages of diesel, cement and kerosene, even though the stoppage was lifted in November.
To provide security to vehicles, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) battalions have been deployed for the first time on NH39. A CRPF battalion has also been deployed on NH53.
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* This Post is courtesy of Assam Tribune and uploaded on February 09, 2012
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