Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, October 19 2010:
The Joint Action Committee (JAC) for restoration of Jiri-Tupul Railway has threatened to call a 24-hour state-wide general strike effectives from midnight of October 25 if government to give a positive response to their demand on or before 4 pm of October 23 .
Alleging that the initial proposed alignment for the Imphal-Tupul Railway already approved by the Chief Minister, O Ibobi on June 26, 2009 has been manipulated abruptly, the JAC is demanding to maintain the status quo of the approved alignment approved by the government.
The manipulation is to the dismay of the general public as it was quite contrast to the earlier proposed alignment, a statement of the signed jointly by chairman of the JAC L Touthang and secretary PK Haokip lamented.
If positive response to the demand for restoration of the alignment approved earlier on or before October 23, the JAC will be compelled to call a state-wide general strike for 24 hour starting from midnight of October 25 to midnight of next day, the statement added.
The construction work based on the initial has been completed partly upto Vangaichungpao village about 15 km from Jiribam.
But, the work was, however, stopped due to the diversion of the alignment at the behest of certain underground elements under ceasefire with GoI, the JAC alleged.
Decrying the diversion of the alignment, villagers affected by earlier alignment protested against the new alignment issued by the Chief Engineer, NFR, Malegaon.
The JAC was born out of it in2009 and since its inception it had submitted memoranda to the Railway Authority, CM and his council of minister and to the Union railway minister as well demanding maintain of status-quo of the earlier approved alignment.
However, no positive response is received so far, the JAC lamented.