MP Dr Meinya raises issues along NHs in Parliament
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, February 28 2015 :
Member of Parliament (MP) representing Inner Manipur Parliamentary Constituency Dr Thokchom Meinya raised the issues of national highways in the Parliament and urged the Centre to set up a dedicated National Highway Protection Force to ensure smooth movement of goods and essential communities into the State.
In an intervention in the Lok Sabha during the second day of the ongoing Budget Session of the Parliament on February 24, MP Dr Meinya stated that the National Highways in Manipur were once again under blockade since February 18.The Joint Action Committee (JAC) on Kadangband killing had gone ahead with its proposed five-day economic blockade on all National Highways from the midnight of February 18. Consequently, the trucks carrying essential commodities, passenger buses, oil tankers etc.
have stopped plying along these National Highways and as a result essential commodities including food items, life saving drugs, gas and petrol were allegedly made unavailable, he contended.
Taking advantage of the economic blockade, the hoarders and shopkeepers hike the prices of goods and commodities causing tremendous hardships to the people of the State forcing them to buy them at sky-rocketed prices.
Bandhs and blockades are very frequent along the National Highways of Manipur.
Even though the present blockade was over on February 23 midnight, such blockade needed to be dealt with at once, Dr Meinya said.
Inner Manipur MP further urged the Union Government and the Home Ministry in particular to immediately intervene and help the State Government to mitigate the same at the earliest, and also pressed the Centre to set-up a dedicated National Highway Protection Force so that the National Highways, the life-lines of the State of Manipur, are fully secured and insulated from these bandhs and blockades, and thus to ensure smooth movement of goods and essential commodities along the national highways in the State.