Total indefinite shut-down in Nungba sub-division, Manipur

Our correspondent Imphal, Sep. 1 (EMN): The Nungba Area Joint Action Committee (NAJAC) sponsored the ‘total indefinite shut-down’ in Nungba sub-division in Manipur’s Tamenglong district bordering Assam’s Cachar and Haflong area has been suspended from 2 p.m. following an understanding with state government on Friday, reports said. General Secretary Blessing Rongmei of NAJAC stated that they have decided to suspend the shut down considering the assurance by the state government. “But we will resume our agitation if the authority fails to fulfil our demands within five days time as promised,” he warned. The demands of NAJAC which called the indefinite shut-down from 5 p.m. of August 30 onwards, include adequate health care infrastructure and doctors etc at the Community Health Centre at Nungba sub-divisional headquarter, about 115km west of Imphal along Imphal-Jiribam highway (NH 37),the second life line of Manipur after Imphal-Mao sector NH 2 . With the suspension of the shut down, normal traffic has started to resume along the highway while the stranded vehicles also reportedly started to ply on the route. Meanwhile normal life has been affected for the second day in Manipur’s Churachandpur and Tengnoupal district headquarters due to 48 hours bandh in border areas of the state. However there is no report of any untoward incident. The bandh in border areas was called by All Manipur Border Area Development Association (AMBADA) from August 30 midnight till September 1 midnight in protest against the recent cabinet decisions on border areas development program/schemes. The agitation will be intensified if the authority fails to roll back the decision, according to AMBADA. In view of the bandh, the Churachandpur town, 65 km south of Imphal which had already witnessed a bandh like scene on Thursday in view of second anniversary observation of August 31 incident (in 2015) wherein 9 persons lost their lives during a police firing incident, wore desolate look while the normal business activities comes to a grinding halt while the passenger services suspended for the day. Similarly, Tengnoupal town also witnessed a similar scene while the trading activities at the normally busy Moreh, the border commercial town, 110 km south of Imphal was also affected in view of the suspension of all forms of vehicular movement along the Pallel-Moreh sector of Indo-Myanmar route in the state since Thursday. However the border areas bandh could not affect the normal life in Senapati, Tamenglong,and Ukhrul hill towns, according to residents.