PREPAK (Pro) questions idea of HPF
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, June 20 2012: Referring to the reported initiative of Chief Minister O Ibobi to incorporate Highway Patrolling Scheme in the 12th Plan and Home Minister Gaikhangam's idea to raise some battalions of Highway Protection Force (HPF), the proscribed PREPAK (Pro) has questioned the very idea of raising HPF and its practical utilities.

In a statement issued by the outfit's senior publicity officer, department of publicity and propaganda Boby Mangang, the outfit pre-cautioned the State Government about communal polarisation and ethnic conflicts that may arise from the activities of armed HPF personnel patrolling the highways.

Most cases of imposing 'taxes' on transportation of goods along Imphal-Dimapur highway, abduction and detention of transporters for money and robbery are being perpetrated by those groups under SoO pact and ceasefire agreement with the State Government and New Delhi.

It is everybody's knowledge that collection of money from transporters and passengers on NH-2 and NH-37 are done by certain elements in close proximity with the security forces, and sometimes they operate together.

Trucks waiting to be escorted along the National Highways

All these groups operating on the highways are under some understanding with the Government.

The only problem is, the Government is looking the other way.

Frequent blockades and bandhs called by hill-based organisations are an offshoot of the failure on the part of Government authorities to implement development projects in time and properly.

These blockades and bandhs are consequences of the exploitation of the general public by Ministers, and MLAs elected from the hills and high-ranking tribal bureaucrats in collusion with their equally corrupt counterparts from the valley.

All these issues and problems can never be addressed by the proposed HPF, the outfit asserted.

All the development projects implemented and being implemented in the State are seen by New Delhi from the perspective of 'security' .

Capitalising on the issue of insurgency, the Government of India has been taking pro-active roles in raising many new battalions of armed security forces.

Following establishment of many new battalions of State forces and VDF, the State is facing acute financial crunch.

With the Government's attention completely focused on security forces, the issues of development and public welfare have been left in a state of doldrums.

Alleging that the Government is slowly transforming the State into a police/security State, the outfit questioned up to what extent people can enjoy their rights by safeguarding human as well as economic values in such a police/security State.

Not satisfied with the establishment of secret intelligence units and VDF after the notorious IRB/commandos, the Government is now working to raise HPF.

This initiative smacks of an anti-people policy which would be nothing more than waste of public money.

It is also an excuse to earn huge amounts of money by taking bribe during the recruitment process, the outfit alleged.

Suggesting that it would be far better to focus on enhancing productivity of the land and create productive bases which can give employment to the educated, unemployed youths of the land, PREPAK (Pro) cautioned that it would be historical blunder the Government continues with its unproductive and unpopular policies of keeping the State dependent on outside world for good.

The two highways connecting Manipur to the outside world have not been developed a bit since the State came under the alien rule.

Instead the Government of India has been using these two highways as a political tool to suppress the indigenous people.

As Manipur was allegedly annexed to India with a view to keep the ancient State as a buffer zone against any possible social, economic and military influence from the eastern neighbours of India, the State Government would never be empowered to develop the two highways fully without interference from New Delhi.

Saying that Ministers and MLAs need to station themselves on the two highways for weeks, if not months to make full assessment of the highways rather than visiting for a few hours, the outfit asserted that the conditions of the two highways would never improve with the establishment of HPF.

It needs a master plan and a dedicated project for development of the two highways, the outfit added.