Governor in favour of Highway Protection Force: Trade Union
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, January 13 2024:
Governor Anusuiya Uikey has assured of taking up the demand raised by All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), Manipur for setting up a Highway Protection Force to the centre, informed Union general secretary (State) L Sotinkumar.
In a press meet held at Irawat Bhawan, here, on Saturday, Sotinkumar said that a five-member team of AITUC met the Governor at the Raj Bhavan on Friday and discussed in detail about the prevailing situation in Manipur.
The members highlighted to the Governor about the insecurity of drivers, transporters and helpers along the national highways and urged for setting up a Highway Protection Force at the earliest.
The Governor responded positively and assured of taking up the matter with the centre including the Prime Minister and the union home minister, he conveyed.
Sotinkumar then informed that a team would be leaving for Delhi on January 16 to submit a memorandum to the Prime Minister and the union home minister, requesting for bringing a political solution to the prevailing conflict in Manipur and also for setting up a Highway Protection Force.
He further informed that a hunger strike will be carried out at the Jantar Mantar on January 18 with regard to the demands, along with submission of an affidavit related to the conflict to the Supreme Court.
He continued that for Manipur, the national highways are the lifeline.
While movement along the highways is presently restricted due to the conflict, the highways have also become a haven for miscreants to carry out kidnappings, robberies and even murder, which have escalated amid the current unrest situation.
The conflict, which has been raging on in the state for the past eight months, has displaced around 60,000 people and 3000 houses burnt.
The central forces deployed to control the violence are stationed in schools and colleges, thus interrupting the studies of students.
Prices of daily essential items have also increased.
As such, both the central and state governments need to make concerted efforts to talk with the parties in conflict and come up with a political solution, Sotinkumar stressed, while lamenting lack of political will to resolve the conflict till date.