Over 300 vehicles, mostly goods trucks and passenger buses were stranded on Sunday, on Manipur’s National Highway 2 in Senapati district– the fifth consecutive day since the shutdown in Kangokpi district.
The Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM), an apex body of the Kuki community called for shutdown across all Kuki inhabited areas starting midnight of May 13 in mourning and protest over the killing of three church leaders in Kangpokpi. The shutdown was subsequently extended another 48 hours to protest alleged detention of 14 Kuki civilians.
Extending support to the shutdown by KIM, the Kuki students’ organisation Sadar Hills also called a 48-hour total shutdown across Kangpokpi, beginning midnight of May 15.
The shutdown has disrupted vehicular movement along the Senapati and Kangpokpi districts sectors of NH-2, forcing many goods trucks and passenger vehicles to remain stranded between Khongnem and Tumuyon Khullen villages.
“More than 200 vehicles were stranded along the highway between Khongnem and Senapati town while another 100 more between Mayangkhang and Tumuyon Khullen villages,” says a resident of Senapati town, 60km north of Imphal.
Passengers, drivers and transport operators are facing hardship as essential supplies continued to run low in the area.
“We are facing a lot of hardship as we’ve been stranded here since the last five days. Some of the passengers have even gone back to their respective destination while some take alternative routes,” laments Sukur, a stranded passenger bus driver.
He claimed lack of sanitation facilities and water supply and said, “We buy rice at ₹110 per kg, potato at ₹80 per kg. So we’re appealing to the government for immediate intervention.”
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Imphal-Mao sector of the NH-2 serves as one of Manipur’s key supply lines connecting the state with neighbouring regions and plays a vital role in the transportation of goods, fuel and other essential commodities.
The continued shutdown has raised concerns over possible shortages and disruption of supply chains if traffic movement is not restored soon.
Three church leaders from the Thadou community were killed on Wednesday in an ambush by unidentified gunmen while returning to Kangpokpi from Churachandpur after a peace meeting.
