Imphal, June 05 2010: It has been 55 days since the All Naga Students' Association (ANSAM) and its collaborators started torturing 2.5 million people of Manipur by blockading National Highways 39 and 53 .

The Naga bodies had called for indefinite economic blockade on the two National Highways on April 12.Since then transportation of all kinds of essential commodities and petroleum products into Manipur had been ceased.

The blockade supporters had burnt down and damaged a number of loaded trucks of Manipur.

Even now attacks on Manipur's trucks and vehicles are going on wherever the Naga frontal organisations get an opportunity.

The ongoing 55 day-old economic blockade has become the longest blockade ever imposed by the Naga frontal organisations in the history of Manipur.

In 2005, ANSAM had called for indefinite economic blockade on the National Highways against the declaration of June 18 as state holiday by the Government of Manipur, which continued for 53 days.

This time, the blockade has crossed 55 days.

The ANSAM and its collaborators are against holding the Autonomous District Council elections in the hill districts.

Though the elections are over now, the blockade is still going on.

Thousands of vehicle owners spend day and night on the roadside in queue to the oil pumps to get a few litres of petrol and diesel.

Super fine rice is not available at the markets.

Prices of all commodities including essential items have sky-rocketed.

Farmers are not getting diesel.

The Public Distribution System which ought to distribute the essential commodities to the poor people is in the doldrums.

Meanwhile, since the hundreds of trucks of Manipur which used to transport goods on National Highway-39 had stopped traversing the highway, the godowns located in Dimapur are reported to be losing business.

Therefore, the owners have started shifting their godowns from Dimapur to Silchar in Assam.

On the other hand, the Hong Kong market of Dimapur which deals with goods imported from Myanmar via Moreh and Imphal has virtually collapsed with no vehicle bringing further supply from Moreh.

Contracts on using godowns in Dimapur are being cancelled by the traders and businessmen of Manipur.

They have signed new contracts with godown owners in Silchar where the businessmen of Manipur have started storing their goods brought from different cities.

However, the transporters are facing obstacles on NH-53 including "tax" imposed by militant groups.

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