60 trucks stranded in Assam as NH 53 chokes
Source: Hueiyen News Service / Newmai News Network
Imphal, June 13 2011:
At least sixty loaded freight trucks bound for Imphal have been stranded at Jirighat in Assam as the five-day economic blockade on National Highway 53 enters third day today following the demand for a full fledged Jiribam district intensified.
Jiribam is situated in the Manipur-Assam border which is some 220 km from Imphal.
Meanwhile, the five-day economic blockade has been imposed on National Highway 53 by Jiribam District Demand Committee (JDDC) beginning 6 pm of June 11 and will expire at 6 pm
on June 15 .
Mention may be made that JDDC has imposed the economic blockade demanding the upgradation of Jiribam sub-division into a full fledged revenue district by bifurcating the existing Imphal East district.
JDDC had called a thirty-hour bandh in Jiribam sud-division to press for the demand on June 6 last.
A massive rally was also organized under the aegis of the Jiribam branches of All Manipur Students' Union (AMSU), Manipur Students' Front (MSF) and Democratic Students' Association of Manipur (DESAM) on June 3 at Jiribam.
A series of bandh have been imposed since the demand for a full-fledged revenue district for Jiribam started in 2006 .
May 30, 2011 was the deadline given by the government with the chief minister O Ibobi Singh and Jiribam MLA Th Devendra assuring positive response to the demand.
With no response forthcoming from the government's side, on June 1 a sit-in protest was staged in Jiribam under the aegis of the district demand committee.
The Jiribam District Demand Committee was formed in 2006 to demand for the upgradation of the sub-division into a full-fledged revenue district by curving out from the existing Imphal East district.
The sub-division is a multi-community settlement with Meitei, Meitei Pangal (Muslim), Bengali and ethnic tribals inhabiting and co-existing.
Meanwhile, the Sadar Hills District Demand Committee has demanded for the declaration of Sadar Hills as a full fledged district at least a day before the demand for Jiribam and Phungyar districts are conceded by the government.