Pointer to a new approach ?
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: October 13 2011 -

The economic blockade launched by the Sadar Hills Districthood Demand Committee (SHDDC) entered its 80th day today, becoming the longest ever economic blockade the people of the state had to endure.

At the end of the 68 day long economic blockade imposed by the UNC last year, we thought we had seen the last of such blockades which, as we have been repeatedly saying, punishes the common people to make the government give in to the demands of a particular group(s) or organization(s) imposing such economic blockades.

But as these current ongoing blockades by the SHDDC and the UNC has proved, in this part of the world we must be prepared for the most unexpected, most abnormal things to happen.

As of now there hasn’t been much change in the ground situation since the last time we visited the the Sadar Hills Demand issue and the blockade.

We have been consistently reiterating the need for dialogue between the government and the SHDDC and also more importantly between the SHDDC and the UNC to arrive at an amicable and lasting solution to this vexed problem.

There has been no such move from any of the parties directly involved in the conflict. The government seems to have made up its mind to wait for the Committee on Re-organisation of Administrative and Police District Boundaries report and even after that, there is no guarantee that they will have the requisite political will to act on its recommendations.

While the SHDDC too seemed to have decided to stick it out until and unless the government gives in to their demand of a full-fledged district for Sadar Hills.

The UNC on its part, as per its utterances and action, is absolutely determined to resist the formation of Sadar Hills district by carving out areas from Senapati district.

Given this ground situation, with none of the parties willing to initiate any dialogue, there seems to be very little likelihood of a breakthrough. And in the meanwhile, the economic blockade continues and the general public of the state continues to suffer the hardships as a consequence.

And by and by, and this should be of concern to all of us, the general public, it seems, is getting used to the situation of deprivations just as they have got used to many other abnormal situations and events which have been happening in this state and which over time has become the 'normal'.

The economic blockades too and the forced deprivation this had entailed is also fast becoming a normal way of life.

It is worrying for everybody concerned, even for the groups and organizations which are imposing blockades and other organisations which might do so in future, for they have inadvertently increased the tolerance level of the people of the state to deprivations in life.

This means the organizations will have to inflict a higher degree of deprivation next time around. From a purely tactical point of view, the overuse of the economic blockade has blunted its effectiveness in leveraging to secure demands or a particular goal.

This could mean two things, one either the organizations using this mode of agitation of imposing economic blockade will have to going for greater length of time, or they will have to give it up altogether, if not for anything else than on the sheer logic of its effectiveness.

If it is the later, it will mean a new approach to securing ones demands a new beginning for resolving outstanding issues, a new way of redressal for grievances.