Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Manipur relieved after blockade lifted

Naga tribal groups have lifted their blockade of Manipur after more than two months bringing relief and hope to the beleaguered northeastern Indian state.
Naga groups, mostly women and students, blocked roads to Manipur from April 11 to protest a government ban on Thuingaleng Muivah, a Naga leader, from entering the village of his birth.
The blockade choked Manipur as prices of essential commodities skyrocketed. People had to pay 100 rupees for 1 kilo rice that sold for 20 kilometers in other states.
The Naga groups relented after the federal government threatened to send troops to clear the blockade.
Their leaders said they are lifting the blockade temporarily to honor requests from the federal leaders. Some top Naga leaders had met with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last weekend.
Manipur, a landlocked state, depends on trucks from outside for essentials commodities. The trucks have to pass through Nagaland, its northern neighbor.

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