IMPHAL: The Committee on Tribal Unity (COTU) Sadar Hills Kangpokpi has reinstated an indefinite blockade on two crucial national highways in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district on August 21. This renewed blockade comes as a demand for adequate supplies of essential commodities to the Kuki-Zo communities residing in the state’s hill areas.
On Monday, volunteers from the tribal organisation took to the streets at various points within Kangpokpi district to enforce the blockade, effectively halting the movement of vehicles on NH 2, connecting Imphal with Nagaland’s Dimapur, and NH 37, linking Imphal with Assam’s Silchar.
COTU Secretary, Lamminlun Singsit, had previously warned on August 17 that highway blockades would be reinstated if the vital supplies of essential goods to Kuki-Zo communities in the state’s hill areas were not assured.
The Manipur Police, in response, have announced successful facilitation of the movement of 163 vehicles carrying essential items on NH 2. The police have implemented stringent security measures in vulnerable locations and assigned security convoys to sensitive stretches to ensure the safe and unobstructed movement of vehicles.
In a parallel development, the Kuki Zo Defence Force, another tribal organisation, has threatened to impose blockades from August 26 onwards if the supply of essential goods and medicines to Kuki Zo inhabited areas is not promptly addressed.
Meanwhile, a senior Congress leader from Tripura hinted that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is slated to visit Manipur and Tripura in the coming days.
“I’ve already communicated with our leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and plans are in place for her imminent visits to Manipur and Tripura,” he told the press at the state Congress headquarters in Agartala.
