UNC bandh disrupts normal life in Naga areas
Source: Hueiyen News Service / R Lester Makang & Gyanand Naorem

Ukhrul/Kakching, April 28 2015 : Normal life in parts of Manipur hill districts were disrupted on Tuesday following the 48-hour bandh called by the United Naga Council (UNC) .

The whole town of Ukhrul Tuesday wore a deserted look as vehicle stayed off the road and all commercial establishments remained shut on the first day of the UNC sponsored 48-hour bandh in all Naga areas of the State.

UNC has called the bandh since midnight of 27 April to press the Government of India for rapid intervention in its demands for Alternative Arrangement outside the Government of Manipur pending "Indo-Naga" solution among others.

Talking to media persons at his office, TNL President Weapon Zimik said that the public response to the bandh call has been spontaneous and overwhelming in the district.

Stating that the enforcement of the bandh in the town areas has been successful even without volunteers, he exuded hope that the same would continue on day two.

Ukhrul town wore a deserted look on Tuesday. (R) Volunteers blocking NH-102

In response to the bandh call, long-route passenger bus and Winger taxi services including Ukhrul-Imphal and other inter-village routes, apart from town taxi service, came to a grinding halt and all shops and commercial establishments downed their shutters.

Sources said that a slew of private vehicles were stranded along the Imphal-Ukhrul route near Mahadev on the first day of the 48-hour bandh.

Though educational institutions and other essential service departments were exempted from the purview of the shutdown, some schools like Kendra Vidyalaya declared holiday while other private schools recorded thin attendance due to lack of conveyance service.

Governmental offices in the town remained close due to the bandh both and the ongoing mass casual leaves staged by the State government employees in protest against the government's failure to fulfill their charter of demands.

On the first day of the UNC bandh, normal life was also affected in Naga areas of Chandel District as vehicular movement came to grinding halt.

In Chandel District, the bandh was enforced by the volunteers of Chandel Naga People's Organization (CNPO) who blocked the Pallel-Machi road at Tuishimi, Chakpikarong Sub-Divisional road, Imphal-Moreh Section of National Highway 102 at Lamkang Khunou and Chandel District Headquarters road at Liwa Changning.

During the bandh, all roads in the district including the Imphal-Moreh section of NH looked deserted as private and commercial vehicles stayed off the roads.

Shops and other commercial establishments in the District headquarters were also shut down during the bandh.

However, vehicles carrying patients, religious programmes and other emergency services including media persons were exempted from the purview of the bandh.

Education Minister and his team comprising 42 Tengnoupal A/C's MLA and SP Chandel coming from Imphal towards Moreh were also detained for a while by the bandh supporters at Lamkang Khunou along Imphal-Moreh Section of National Highway on Tuesday morning.

Speaking to media persons, CNPO's Information and Publicity Sectretary John Chothe said the bandh was enforced by the volunteers in the district at different locations including Imphal-Moreh Road and Chandel Headquarters roads.

John Chothe also urged the Government to consider the UNC demands.