A youth association in Assam on Sunday announced an indefinite blockade from midnight on the National Highway 39 that goes into Nagaland, The Hindu reported.
The blockade will be imposed on the Assamese side of the state’s boundary with Nagaland.
The All Assam Manipuri Youths’ Association said that this was a counter blockade to protest a bandh imposed by the Southern Angami Public Organisation in Nagaland. The AAMYA said that SAPO’s protest has resulted in people, trucks and vehicles bound for Imphal being stranded, resulting in a socio-economic crisis.
Nagaland and Manipur are engaged in a boundary dispute in connection with the Kezoltsa forest area. The SAPO had imposed a 72-hour blockade along the national highway on March 21, seeking the withdrawal of Manipur’s paramilitary forces from Kezoltsa and the demolition of permanent structures there.
On March 23, the outfit announced that the blockade would go on indefinitely until its demands were met.
The AAMYA said that it decided to impose the counter blockade as the SAPO failed to respond to its “humble appeal” to end the “ongoing indefinite bandh imposed by them on the innocent people”, the Chongthu News Service reported. The organisation also criticised the Nagaland government, accusing it of indifference towards resolving the matter.
The AAMYA said that students going for examinations, ambulances, police and paramilitary forces on duty, mediapersons, religious and marriage processions will be exempted. “The bandh will continue unless and until SAPO withdraws the indefinite bandh in the Nagaland part of the NH-39,” it said.
On Sunday, the movement of vehicles along the Manipur-Nagaland border remained suspended because of the blockade, The Indian Express reported. A district official in Manipur’s Senapati district told the newspaper that the protest could disrupt supply routes to the state.
“The blockade has caused some inconvenience to travellers from Manipur, but the situation is not dire yet as no supply chain has been affected,” the official added. “However, if the issue is not resolved, it has the potential to turn into a big economic blockade.”
Meanwhile, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh said that the construction of a police station at Dzouku valley that authorities have undertaken is inside its territory, The Hindu reported. Dzukou Valley borders Nagaland and Manipur. The SAPO has demanded demolition of the construction of the police station.
“We never encroached on the territory of another state ,” Singh said. “We have written to the Nagaland government pointing out that as established by the satellite map the construction sites are located well within Manipur. There is no question of compromising Manipur’s land simply because some organisation is agitating.”
He added that the Manipur government may approach the Centre if the matter could not be resolved at the state level.
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