Transporters extend support to bandh
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, February 03 2015:
JAC of Imphal Moreh Road Transporters' Association today visited Tengnoupal and pledged their support to the indefinite NH-102 bandh clamped by various civil society and students' organisations against the alleged harassment meted out to the public, particularly the villagers of Tengnoupal by 24 Assam Rifles troops.
Speaking to The Sangai Express over the phone, JAC president Ng Haridas said that the ongoing agitation is justifiable as troops of 24 Assam Rifles have been constantly harassing travellers on the highway at Tengnoupal.
The transporters' JAC also requested the bandh supporters to include some more demands like not to detain transporters and vehicles for long hours and stop harassing them in the name of frisking their vehicles, he added.
Saying that they are not against thorough checking of the vehicles against which the troops get specific intelligence input of transporting illegal items, Haridas said that it is however not proper to detain each and every vehicle for hours.
He added that the troops must also open two check points at Tengnoupal - one for private vehicles and another for commercial vehicles.
Frisking all the vehicles at a single point leads to unnecessary detention of travellers for long hours he added.
Saying that checking all these vehicles by one or two personnel is also nonsensical, Haridas said that the AR unit must depute adequate number of personnel for fast frisking of vehicles.