Imphal, July 01, 2010: A delegation of Manipur People Party will leave for New Delhi to call on with the Prime Minister to press the later for setting up of high protection force so as to solve the problems on the national highways in Manipur permanently.

In an interaction with, president of the party, Dr Nimaichand Luwang conveyed that the party will press the Centre for finding a solution to free the national highways, the lifeline of the people of the state forever.

He also criticized the state government for failing to ensure availability of essential commodities to the people even after two weeks since the lifting of the economic blockade on the highways.

Having no skill of policy making and no policy to deal with the arising situation on the part of the ruling government, people of the state are experiencing scarcity of the essential commodities till date, Nimaichand alleged.

He said, the blockade had lifted but the problems of non-availability of essential commodities are worsening day by day and there is no hope of relieving the people from these woes in the day to come.

The woes of the people is double time that during the blockade.

Petrol is available in grey market at much higher rates.

This shows that petrol and diesel are in the stocks in the government oil depots.

Likewise, other essential items and fertilizers are also available in the market at higher prices, he said revealing that Urea is available at Rs 800 against the normal price of Rs 350.Despite all this, government is remaining silent without taking up appropriate action to check grey marketers and hiking of prices of essential items, he lamented.

Alleging that government is not taking up steps to make national highways in the state free from all sorts of disturbances, the MPP president said that a delegation of the party will go to New Delhi to call on with the Prime Minister and press him to set up highway protection force and deploy permanently on the highways in the state.

If highway protection force is deployed, there will be no problems on the movement of vehicles of all kinds, he hoped.

He also expressed disagree with the handing over of maintaining the NH-53 from the BRTF and taking over by the state PWD, a department which cannot maintain properly a short segment in Imphal area.

How such a department which had no faith by the people in any way could maintain the whole stretch of NH-53 having a length of more than 200 kilometer, he asked.

BJP Manipur Pradesh also against the decision of government to take over the maintenance works of NH-53 from the BRTF and hand over to the PWD.

Instead of totally taken out from the BRTF, government should set up a special task force to maintain the highway, party president Shantikumar said today observing that it will be a right step of the government.