Total, emergency shutdowns affect normal life in hills
KSO-SH requisitions ambulances to transport patients on board stranded buses
Source: Chronicle News Service

Kangpokpi, August 03 2022: The emergency shutdown imposed by various tribal bodies in Kangpokpi district crippled normal life and traffic movement as the shutdown which began on Tuesday at around 7 pm continued till Wednesday.

The emergency Shutdown spearheaded by the Kuki Students' Organisation Sadar Hills was called to protest the arrest of ATSUM leaders and the failure to release them by the government before 6 pm (Tuesday) as demanded by the union's federating units.

Volunteers were seen blocking National Highway 2 at downtown Kangpokpi IT Road and Gamgiphai while a similar blockade was also reported along National Highway 37.The otherwise busy National Highway at Kangpokpi district headquarters wore a deserted look as the traffic movement, except for the exempted services, completely came to a standstill and normal life was badly affected owing to the complete closure of business establishments.

Both government and private educational institutions were also closed while minimal attendance was witnessed in all tHe government institutions owing to the total shutdown.

As the emergency shutdown continued, many vehicles including loaded trucks and passenger vehicles were seen stranded along the National Highway at T Khullen village.

There are at least 3/4 patients in each passenger bus stranded along National Highway 2 who returned to the state after getting medical check-ups at Guwahati.

Some patients including kidney and cancer patients were seen in very serious conditions.

On learning about such patients were among the stranded passengers and with the request and initiative of the SP Kangpokpi, the KSO Sadar Hills released all those passenger buses carrying patients on humanitarian grounds at around 1:30 pm.

An ambulance from the District Hospital Kangpokpi also picked up stranded patients from T Khullen and dropped them at Imphal.

However, other vehicles including loaded trucks were still stranded and no untoward incident was reported till the time of filing of this report.

Volunteers at Kangpokpi town were seen checking the documents of people traveling on medical grounds or bound for airport, examinations, etc.

Only those found genuine were given passage while others are sent back.

Speaking to the media, KSO Sadar Hills general secretary Thangtinlen Haokip confided that the tribal bodies including KSO, TSA, Zillai, Kom Rem Students' Union, TYA, etc., in Kangpokpi district were extremely disappointed over the arrest of ATSUM leaders on Tuesday and to show their resentment an emergency shutdown was strictly enforced in the district.

However, on learning about patients among the stranded vehicles, they decided to release them on humanitarian grounds despite the government treating the tribal people in an uncivilized and inhumane manner, he added.

He then said that the government should understand the sentiment of the tribal people and release the arrested ATSUM leaders unconditionally at the earliest, while warning of more intense forms of agitation in case of failure to release them.

The emergency shutdown was imposed by ATSUM federating units in all hill districts of the state.

CHURACHANDPUR: The emergency shutdown imposed from 6 pm Tuesday in protest against the arrest of ATSUM leaders and the demand for tabling of the ADC Bill, 2021 was total in Churachandpur district.

All shops, business establishment, educational institutions, government and non-governmental institutions in the main town and the peripheral areas remain closed.

The roads wore deserted look as there was a zero movement of both private and government vehicles owing to the bandh but there were no reports of any untoward incidents.

Apart from the KSO Churachandpur, many CSOs and tribe-based student body bodies extended support to the shutdown.

A KSO office bearer told reporters that the agitation will continue if the arrested leaders are not release.

Young Paite Association (YPA) GHQ, Hmar Students' Association (HAS) GHQ, Zoumi Sangnaupang Pawlpi (ZSP), Kuki Students' Organisation (KSO) Churachandpur and Gangte Students' Organisation (GSO) endorsed the ATSUM shutdown.

ATSUM's 24-hour bandh to demand tabling of the HAC recommended ADC Bill 2021 also started from 6 pm Wednesday.

NONEY: Due to the total shutdown imposed in the hill districts of Manipur by ATSUM, normal life was badly affected in Tamenglong and Noney districts.

All types of vehicles including inter-district and inter-state transporters were off the road and some vehicles were seen stranded.

Shops and business establishments were closed in Tamenglong Bazar while attendance in government offices was low.

There was no report of any untoward incident till the time of filing of this report.

Police and security forces are being deployed at Vulnerable locations.

UKHRUL: Normal life in the twin districts of Ukhrul and Kamjong on Wednesday came to a grinding halt a day after Tangkhul Katamnao Saklong (TKS) enforced an indefinite emergency shutdown in support of ATSUM.

Roadways in the two districts wore deserted look as movement of all vehicles remained suspended.

Government offices, educational institutions and business establishments also remained closed.

However, no untoward incidents were reported.

Leaders of ATSUM accompanied by representatives of KSO General Headquarters and ANSAM visited Ukhrul town Wednesday and also briefed media persons at TKS office at Hamleikhong.

They questioned the stoic silence of the HAC members and elected people's representatives of Manipur's Hill districts on the subjects related to the HAC-recommended Manipur (Hill Areas) ADC Bill 2021 in the on-going assembly session.

Vanlallian Khaute, vice president of ATSUM, severely denounced the implementation of Manipur (Hill Areas) District Councils (Sixth Amendment) Bill, 2022 and "Manipur (Hill Areas) District Councils (Seventh Amendment) Bill, 2022" in the Assembly, while also requesting that the HAC-recommended Manipur (Hill Areas) ADC Bill 2021 be tabled.

"This is not an ATSUM movement but a movement of the entire tribal populace," he said while expressing gratitude to all tribal federating units for their collaboration and support.

In his remarks, ANSAM general secretary AC Thotso chastised HAC members for failing to stand up for constitutionally mandated tribal rights, while reaffirming the HAC's recommendation to table the ADC bill 2021 in the current assembly session.

"Hill lawmakers have let us down when they should have been the rock that protects the bill.

This is due to the fact that they are serving their political masters," he added.

It may be mentioned that five ATSUM leaders, including its president, general secretary, information and publicity, forest and environment, and tribunal, as well as four senior student activists, were arrested on Tuesday amid a 24-hour shutdown call in all of Manipur's hill districts from 6 pm of August 3 demanding that the HAC-recommended Manipur (Hill Area) ADC Bill 2021 be tabled in the ongoing 12th session of the Assembly.

The four senior student activists, on the other hand, have already been released, while the remaining five are still detained in Imphal.

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