Imphal, August 01: The Manipur state legislative assembly today unanimously resolved to press the central authority to introduce an Indo-Myanmar bus service upto Mandalay on the line of Delhi-Lahore bus service as soon as possible.

The House also dwelt at length over the proposed bus service between Imphal to Mandalay, which is about 450 km in today's afternoon session soon after a private member resolution was moved by Opposition member Dr Nimaichand Luwang, legislature wing leader of Manipur People's Party.

Highlighting the importance of introducing the bus service between the two countries in the wake of Indo-Myanmar border trade, Dr Nimaichand said that once the bus service is introduce the volume of the ongoing trade would be improved automatically.

The indo-Myanmar border trade was opened at Moreh, the border town of Manipur in the first week of April 1995 with the presence of the then Union Minister of Commerce P Chidambaram along with his Myanmar counterpart.

Drawing the attention of the central authority as well as the Chief Minister Okram Ibobi in this regard, Opposition member also informed the House that over 6000 Manipuris are presently residing at Mandalay, an important city of neighboring Myanmar.

"As all of them have two names including their native name, most of them also speak 'Meiteilon' in their family as well as in the locality, however they speak Myanmarese in their offices and business centres, Nimaichand added.

The Chief Minister Okram Ibobi who holds the portfolio of home affairs of the state while participating in the discussion also informed the House that the matter of reaching the trans-Asia superhighway into the territory of Manipur have become the long standing demand of the state.

"For this we have been urging the central leaders to extend the proposed superhighway from Saurashtra (Porbandar) to Silchar upto Imphal and Moreh", Ibobi pointed out.

The government of India had a proposal of introducing this superhighway from Keinyakumari to Kashmir and Saurashtra to Silchar.

The then-United Front ministry led by the then Chief Minister Wahengbam Nipamacha also repeatedly urged the Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee to consider the state's proposal to extend the highway to Manipur.

Recalling a meeting of South East Asian countries in connection with the development of a Trans-Asian highway held at Hanoi (Vietnam) in 1999, Chief Minister informed the House that the meeting had given more emphasis to three south Asian countries namely Laos, Vietnam and Myanmar.

The state transport minister Manga Vaiphei who also participated in today's discussion expressed the need to appraise the matter to the concerned authority for the welfare of the region.