Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, December 16 2008:
ROAD CONNECTIVITY of Manipur's Senapati district with other parts of the state has been totally cut-off today after the agitating Naga People's Organisation (NPO) intensified its "total cut-off" stir as NPO volunteers smashed the glasses of at least four vehicles plying along the NH-39 at Senapati this morning.
Plying of all kinds of vehicles on the Imphal-Dimapur section of the NH-39 passing through Senapati district have suspended from this morning after some youths suspected to be volunteers of the NPO smashed the glasses of four vehicles entering Senapati district headquarter defying the indefinite total cut-off agitation.
The NPO launched the agitation to press the state government to fulfill its demand.
More than 100 vehicles� goods carrying trucks and inter-state buses have been stranded at Khuzuma in Nagaland bordering Manipur's Mao.
Several vehicles leaving Imphal along the highway this morning had also turned back before reaching Senapati, official reports said.
The total cut-off stir spearheaded by the NPO commenced from midnight of December 13 last after the government failed to meet their demand of transfering Senapati DC Nidhi Kesharwani or she voluntarily moves out of the district.
However, till the second day yesterday, vehicles mainly the goods transporters and passenger buses continued plying the highway with security escorts reducing the agitation to little impact to the highway travellers.
But this morning, some suspected volunteers of the NPO took to the streets along the NH-39 at Senapati district headquarters and damaged vehicles entering the district from other parts in defiance of the total cut-off.
Windshields of at least four vehicles were broken, official reports said.
Following the attack, vehicles entering Senapati along the NH-39 have been stopped by the police or by the drivers themselves fearing further attacks on the vehicles, the report added.
The NPO alleged that DC Nidhi Kesharwani has not been implementing various developmental schemes in the district upto expectation.
Mention may be made here that the NPO has been pressing the state government to transfer the DC from the district for the last one week.
The DC herself even runs out leaving her official quarter after volunteers of the NPO boycotting her stormed her office in the first part of this year.
She resumed office after around one month later with deployment a column of CRPF at the DC complex and her quarter coinciding with slowing down of the stir of the NPO.
Renewing its demand recently, the body submitted an ultimatum urged the government to address the demand within December 13, but since the government has not responded till now the NPO commenced its stir from the midnight of December 13 .