Of blockades, bandhs & woes
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: October 22 2015 -
The United Naga Council (UNC) has announced that it will impose a 48-hour bandh in all the tribal districts of Manipur from midnight of October 22 in protest against bills, rules, acts and notification against the interests of the tribal communities and also to register its protest against the three bills and two resolutions passed by the Manipur Legislative Assembly on August 31 last.
The UNC’s bandh call came after the end of the 48-hour total bandh in all hill districts of Manipur imposed by Joint Action Committee against the killing of Khupneilal Neihsiel and Robert Hesei Kipgen. The bandh completely disrupted normal life in most parts of the hill districts.
Over the years, it has been observed that it is the common people who bear the maximum brunt of the actions of any organisations in the hills or valley.
Manipur has been reeling under numerous bandhs, strikes and blockades in spite of the Supreme Court order against such forms of agitation causing obstructions.
However, there are certain sections of the society that stand to gain from these strikes, bandhs and blockades.
Many know that from the moment, when a bandh or blockade is imposed, prices of all commodities are hiked beyond the reach of the common people and fuel is sold through the black-market.
One can also see people making serpentine queues for filling fuels. This basically means, petrol retail outlets can make hay while the highways burn.
Unscrupulous traders make the best use of the situation by hiking prices of essential commodities.
The common people can hardly react to the situation as they have been more or less disempowered in the name of a future which is definitely uncertain.
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