Violence chokes inter-State passenger service
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, March 02 2024: With the transport sector hit hard by the unrest in Manipur, many rendering road passenger services have expressed desire for the Central Government and the State Government to work out a political solution to the protracted crisis in the State .

The Sangai Express interacted with a group of people who opened bus and winger (van) ticket counters at North AOC today during which some of them said that their earnings have declined to the extent that they even skipped dinner at times due to the dramatic drop in the number of passengers.

Violence chokes inter-State passenger service

All Manipur Inter-State Bus and Allied Transport Association (AMISBATA) secretary Thingbaijam Chandra said that there are 14 bus counters and four winger counters at North AOC respectively and at least 12 fully loaded passenger buses and seven wingers used to hit the road daily on rotational basis from North AOC before the violence broke out on May 3 last year.

Saying that they used to live comfortably by rendering transport service before the violence, Chandra added that Meiteis however have stopped taking Imphal-Guwahati road due to the violence.

Those Meiteis who need to go to Guwahati, Delhi or other places outside for studies and medical purposes have been compelled to fly as taking the highways has become unsafe for them, he added.

Saying that they can send only two to three vehicles a day at the moment carrying Nagas, Muslims and non-locals only and many seats are vacant most of the time, Chandra added that it is only the buses and wingers owned by Muslims which are carrying passengers these days.

All the drivers and handymen plying along Imphal-GuwahatI road are also Muslims, he added.

Saying that there is no change in the rate of bus fare as compared to the pre-violence days, Chandra added that the figure of passengers taking the route has dropped significantly.

The counters are open from 5 am to 6 pm, he informed.

Making ends meet has become difficult due to the drop in number of passengers taking Imphal-Guwahati road, he said and added they can't do other jobs too as they have to be at the counters.

He then appealed to the Centre and the State Government to work out a solution to the ongoing crisis.