Imphal, September 01 2009: Due to the bandh called in the hill districts of Manipur inter-state transporters both passengers and goods and inter-district buses did not ply along the roads including in both the national highways leading to Manipur today.

The dawn to dusk bandh was called by the Indigenous Democratic Front demanding the fixing of the election dates to hold the autonomous district councils in the five hill districts of Manipur.There was no reports of any untoward incident during the bandh.

CCPur: The IDF sponsored bandh was reported to have affected normal life in Churachandpur.

Inter-district buses and taxi services stayed off the road on Wednesday.

Shutters of business establishment in the district headquarters were downed.

Most of the educational institutions in the Churachandpur remained close for the day.

Chandel: The bandh was concluded peacefully without any untoward incident in Chandel.

The district headquarters of Chandel wore a deserted look as very few people were seen during the bandh hour.

No vehicle was seen plying.

Volunteers numbering around 20 to 30 were seen blocking and stopping vehicles coming from both sides of the road in DC Lamkhai, Chandel.

The bandh was also total at Chandokpokpi village in Chandel.

Meanwhile, at any time the Indigenous Democratic Front (IDF) will take up democratic form of agitations if the government stays indifferent to the legitimate demand of the people to hold early election of Autonomous District Council in Manipur, warned the IDF leaders.

Thanking the people for their unflinching support while congratulating all the IDF members for the success of the general strike called by the IDF to pressurize the government for early election of ADC in Manipur and de-centralization of power, the press release stated that the outcome is a positive sign that people of the hill areas of Manipur are awakened into the necessity of having a self governing system for themselves by themselves.

It is for this reason that the aim and object of the IDF is to evolve a system of governance based on indigenous democracy which best benefits the indigenous/tribal people living in Manipur, it further stated.

Regarding the negative reaction of some social organization to the call given by IDF, the press release stated that they have every right to do so as it is the spirit of democracy.

However, it pointed out, it should also be noted that if traditional bodies stop to be receptive to new ideas they will become irrelevant and like custom, when majority do not pay habitual obedience to their authority those organizations will sink into oblivion.

The press release further pointed out that we should be able to move according to the times, and since necessity is the architect of change it will be a futile exercise if some traditionalists are trying to stop change because IDF's call is need based.

The campaign of IDF for de-centralization of power including holding of ADC elections is receiving a tremendous response from the public, said the press release, and added that it looks forward to the same co-operation from the public until the call is achieved.

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