AMSU's agitation finds support from women of Ima Keithel
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, September 20 2011: The agitation launched by the AMSU to counter the rise in prices of all essential commodities as sold by the shopkeepers in and around Imphal city was further strengthened with the support of the women of Ima Keithel today.

Students of DM college of Science, Arts and Commerce led by Soibam Anil, Publicity Secretary, AMSU went out in huge numbers to inspect shops and to make the shopkeepers sell essential commodities at the rate at which the goods were sold before the economic blockade.

The drive against exorbitant and unilateral quoting of prices of essential commodities by wholesalers was conducted by AMSU today in central business area of at Nagamapal, Dharmasala and Mashjid road.

The All Manipur Students' Union (AMSU) while conducting a drive against exorbitant prices of essential commodities in the state, today faced stiff opposition from whole-sale dealers which led to heated arguments.

A timely intervention by the police however brought the situation under control.

AMSU volunteers and women vendors of Ima Keithel going around shops trying to enforce AMSU's fixed price

The huge number of students was blocked by the City Police and was taken to the police station.

Meantime, the women folks of Ima Keithel joined the drive along with the volunteers of AMSU left untouched by the police personnel.

National highways 39 and 37 (NH-53) have been closed for commercial use since over 50 days continuously after economic blockade was imposed by Sadar Hill Districthood Demand Committee (SHDDC) demanding a full fledged district while United Naga Council (UNC) imposed a counter-blockade in opposition to the SHDDC's demand.

To tide over the scourge of artificial inflation, AMSU has fixed the prices of all essential commodities taking in view the difficulty being faced by common men as also by businessmen.

The students' body has fixed the prices a little above the pre-blockade era but wholesalers are found selling essential commodities at thirty to forty percent above normal rates, said a student volunteer.

The wholesalers were however in no mood to comply with the directive of the students' body and stood firm against the drive.

A heated argument ensued between the two parties but timely intervention by the police salvaged the situation from getting unsavory.

A student from DM College told the press that the ongoing economic blockade on national highways can not be a logical reason for anyone to raise prices of essential commodities according to his whims.

The supply of essential commodities has clearly come down because of the economic blockade but the supplies have been stopped nevertheless, he said.

"AMSU will not allow anyone to take undue advantage of the economic blockade" .

Meantime, to a call by AMSU to the general public to stage a sit-in protest against artificial price rise in the state, school students and womenfolk responded by staging sit-ins at several places across Imphal.