Manipur deadlock to continue; truckers ban NH-39

Manipur: The Manipur deadlock refuses to die down. First the two-month long national highway blockade by the Naga students group, and now the truckers who clearly refrain from moving to Kohima, fearing extortion. What is the government doing about it all? Well, the good old silence makes a comeback here again.

The most affected area is the Dimapur toll gate, from where one enters Nagaland. Infamous due to the presence of rebel groups like the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak Muivah (NSCN-IM), the toll gate has earned itself the disrepute of being the most dangerous toll gate in the country. For the truckers, passing thorough this toll gate on NH- 39 is nothing short of a nightmare. The rebel organisations issue receipts on payment of money and the receipts act as pass over tickets for those who pay up. The drivers say that one needs to pay anything between 15,000 to 25,000 rupees if they wish to cross the toll. The practice is a regular and a mandatory affair.

 Unable to put up with such extortion, drivers have decided to ban highway 39 even though this is the main economic lifeline of Manipur. The highway that was under siege for 68 days by Naga student groups has already made the people of Manipur suffer enough.  Now with this counter blockade by the truckers, seems like the woes of Manipuri's will last longer. However, the truckers refuse to withdraw.

Tomba Singh, Secretary, Drivers Welfare Association says," the practice of collecting extortion money from us by underground outfits must stop and we want it in writing by the government."

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For Manipur, there are not too many alternatives other than the NH-39.The other two highways through which goods can be transported, are in a dilapidated state and with monsoon setting in; it's this highway that is the only transit point.

Though the Centre has sent in paramilitary forces to be deployed along the highway, it is not considered as a move enough to curtail the extortion menace. The truckers feel that, this is an isolated issue and paramilitary will not serve the purpose.

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