Conglomerate body threatens agitation from Nov 8
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, November 05 2011: Denouncing alleged lack of initiative by the State Government to control prices of essential commodities, including petroleum products, and not according importance to the seven point suggestion placed before the Government, Protection and Prevention Committee declared that it would launch democratic form of agitation against the Government from November 8 onward.

Announcing the agitation plan at the Keishampat office of NIPCO today, Committee convenor Elangbam Chanu Tamphatombi condemned the SPF Government for failing to mitigate suffering of the people due to increase prices of essential goods, triggered by the economic blockade in demand as well as against upgrading Sadar Hills to a full-fledged revenue district.

While enforcing blockade on both the National Highways has certainly resulted in spiralling of prices of daily use it is without doubt that inefficiency of the Government is one of the factors for hardships faced by the people in purchasing petrol/diesel and petroleum products in the State, expressed convenor of the Committee, which is a conglomerate body of 34 civil society organisations.

The agitation programme will include sit-in-protests and street corner meetings at various locations, informed Tamphatombi who ridiculed repeated assurances by the Government for ensuring availability of petrol/diesel and other petroleum products by referring to hardships faced by the general public to possess a few quantity of petrol/diesel while the same is abundantly available in the black market.

Cautioning that failure of the Government to understand pulse of the common people or take effective measures to mitigate the problem might led to embarrashing situation for the ruling Front, she said taking into account multiple hardships besiezing the people, the Committee at an emergency meeting resolved to highlight plight of the people in a democratic form of agitation.

The convenor recounted that the memorandum submitted to the Chief Minister proposed pro-active measures, including utilisation of all available resources to bring in essential items; relevant action by the Government-instituted Price Fixation Committee to control prices of essential commodities along with making functional the public distribution system; initiate punitive action against traders found hoarding goods; ensure smooth transportation of goods on the Imphal-Moreh route; accelerate development of the Imphal-Jiribam route along with adequate security provision to protect transporters plying on the route; and constitute/promote economic development council of each and every ethnic groups settled in Manipur in order ensure self-sustenance of the masses.

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