Travel without any fear, says minister; Kuki bodies warn
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, December 04 2024: While conveying that the government decided to resume the Manipur State Transport (MST) passenger bus service for the convenience of public movement from hills to valley and vice-versa in view of the upcoming Christmas festival, transport minister Khashim Vashum urged the public to avail the service without hesitation as well as called upon all stakeholders and organisations not to disrupt the bus service in public interest.

Despite efforts by the state government to resume the Imphal-Kangpokpi-Senapati and Imphal Bishnupur-Churachandpur passenger bus services, the endeavour proved to be unsuccessful.

While few passengers were seen waiting for the buses to take them to Bishnupur and Imphal West districts, no passengers seeking to travel directly to Churachandpur and Kangpokpi turned up to avail the services.

In an order issued Tuesday, chief secretary Dr Vineet Joshi said that the state government has reviewed the law and order situation in the state with availability of security forces, response system and feasibility inputs from different agencies and has decided to resume traffic of public vehicles with adequate security deployment.

"Anybody without exemption, if involved in acts which disturb the movement of vehicles, will be sternly dealt with and prosecuted as per relevant laws of the land," the order read.

While Senapati is a Naga-majority area, Kangpokpi and Churachandpur are Kuki-Zo-majority regions.

Imphal and Bishnupur are Meetei-dominated areas.

The state has been witnessing recurring bouts of violence since ethnic clashes between Meeteis and Kukis first erupted in May last year.

At least 258 people have been killed and thousands rendered homeless since then.

In December last year, the government made an attempt to run state transport buses to connect Imphal to Senapati via Kangpokpi and Imphal to Churachandpur via Bishnupur.

However, the initiative did not succeed.

Almost empty buses plied between Imphal and Churachandpur while Imphal to Kangpokpi vehicles had to return due to barricades put up on the road by protesters.

Following an order issued by the chief secretary, buses were stationed at the MST campus, Moirangkhom to operationalise the inter-district passenger services.

Reflecting on the move, minister Khashim said that the state government on Tuesday issued a notification for resuming the MST services on the Imphal-Mao via Senapati, Imphal-Churachandpur via Bishnupur and Moirang routes effective from Wednesday onwards.

He informed that four MST buses were readied for passenger service between Imphal and Mao and Imphal and Churachandpur on Wednesday.

"However, no passenger showed up on the first day," minister Khashim said, attributing the lack of passengers to lack of awareness on resumption of the service among the people.

Nevertheless, the minister assured that MST buses will be kept ready in the coming days and urged passengers to board the buses and travel without any fear.

The minister clarified that the government swiftly reinstated the MST bus service in light of the approaching Christmas festival, stating that the decision is devoid of any political or community based agenda.

Khashim then appealed to CoTU and Kuki organisations imposing shutdown in Kangpokpi area to reconsider their stance in the larger interest of Christmas celebrations.

Regardless of the minister's assurance and appeal, Kuki-Zo community in Kangpokpi district has threatened to escalate their protest into an indefinite shutdown if recent "insensitive" transport policies are not immediately rescinded.

The 48-hour total shutdown, enforced by civil society organisations in Kangpokpi district, began at midnight on December 3 and has brought the region to a standstill.

Shops and markets remained closed throughout the district, severely disrupting daily life.

However, essential services such as schools and vehicular movement were exempted from the purview of the shutdown.

The protest was triggered by a public appeal from the Government of Manipur urging the resumption of public transport services along the two routes.

In response, hundreds of Kuki-Zo women gathered at Gamgiphai, a strategically located village on the Kangpokpi-Imphal West border, to prevent the enforcement of the government's directive.

Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU) spokesperson Ng Lun Kipgen, described the transport policy as "partisan and baseless", claiming it undermines the community's movement for separate administration.

"This directive serves no purpose other than to project a distorted narrative against the Kuki-Zo people," Lun Kipgen stated, accusing the government of vilification and attempting to derail their struggle.

He criticised the chief minister for repeatedly imposing divisive measures, while asserting that the Kuki-Zo community would resist any coercion.

"We categorically reject orders from Imphal and will continue our democratic protests until this unjust directive is withdrawn," he added.

In a separate statement, the Kuki Inpi Sadar Hills condemned the government's plan to deploy Manipur State Transport (MST) buses in conflict-affected areas.

It termed the move "reckless and insensitive", warning that it could exacerbate tensions in the already volatile region.

The Kuki Inpi called on the state government to explore alternative routes for MST operations and avoid escalating the crisis.

The Kuki Inpi urged the government to prioritise resolving the political demands of the Kuki-Zo community over enforcing transport services in conflict zones.

"Deploying buses under heavy security without addressing the root causes of the unrest is counterproductive and risks lives," the Inpi warned.

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