Imphal, May 18 2010: In its effort to alleviate the hardship being faced by the people of the state in regard to the scarcity of essential commodities, medicines, petroleum products, etc., due to the over a month long indefinite blockade launched by the frontal organisations of NSCN-IM on the two National Highways, the State Government has made necessary arrangements to provide heavy security escorts to trucks and buses that will start plying NH-53 from tomorrow onwards.

A high level official source revealed that the Home Department has been instructed to make arrangements for mobile security escorts arrangements.

For tomorrow, passenger buses will leave Imphal for Jiribam.

The Government of Manipur has already instructed the transporters to issue tickets for the passengers from today.

The source said, the State Government has already deployed two companies of BSF in areas between Barak and Makru rivers on Imphal-Jiribam highway in order to prevent armed cadres of NSCN-IM from making attempts to give obstructions in the name of support to the bandh/economic blockade.

The two BSF companies have already started patrolling the stretch of the highway between Makru bridge and Barak bridge.

The BSF personnel searched for bombs or any kind of destructive possibility on the highway in the particular areas from this morning till evening.

Later this evening, the BSF reported to the State Government that there is no danger on the way as of now, the authority decided to send vehicles to Jiribam on NH-53 from tomorrow itself.

The two companies of BSF reached their post of durity yesterday evening.

They have made appropriate arrangements to set up camps at strategic points on the highway as required considering the law and order situation.

The BSF authority has also intimated the State Government of three places that they had chosen to set up camps where they think they will be able to face any kind of attacks.

In addition to the BSF deployment, most of the security forces deployed in Tamenglong district have concentrated at danger-prone areas like Noney and Awangkhul, and have set up posts there from yesterday.

The SP, Tamenglong district has been assigned to oversee the security arrangement at Noney.

The vehicles which will leave Imphal for Jiribam under security escorts tomorrow would return to Imphal after one day's halt at Jiribam.

When they return, the trucks and oil tankers that had been stranded in Assam all these past days will be brought along, the official source said.

It may be worth mentioning here that MPCC president and MLA Gaikhangam and Spokesperson of SPF Government and also Minister of IFCD and YAS, N Biren have been meeting a number of public leaders from Tamenglong district, specially Noney and Awangkhul during the past few days to try to create a congenial atmosphere so that plying of vehicles on the highway can be resumed.

The public leaders had given assurances that they would welcome the government's step.

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