Manipur CM thanks Naga, Kuki communities for ensuring free movement along NH-2

Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh thanked the Naga and Kuki communities for their cooperation in ensuring the free movement of public transport along National Highway-2 (NH-2).

Speaking at the 45th Hawkers Day Celebration organised by the Manipur Hawkers Association at Haying Khongbal, Imphal, the Chief Minister said the cooperation between the communities was an important step towards maintaining peace, restoring normalcy and ensuring smooth movement of people and public transport in the state.

Referring to the incident reported at Taphou village in Senapati district on Monday, Khemchand said MLAs and district authorities had persuaded both communities to ensure free movement and refrain from activities that could disrupt the movement of vehicles. Public transport from Imphal resumed after a delay of a few hours.

Public transport services on the Imphal-Dimapur-Guwahati route via NH-2 continued for the fourth consecutive day on August 24. Around 300 passengers, including women and children, travelled from Imphal towards Dimapur and Guwahati in a fleet of five buses and nine Winger vehicles.

The Chief Minister said around 900 passengers had so far travelled from Imphal to Dimapur and Guwahati, while more than 400 passengers had safely travelled in the opposite direction.

Khemchand attributed the continued movement to the government’s peace and reconciliation initiatives and dialogue among communities. He also recalled the joint announcement made on August 8 regarding free movement along the national highways.

Referring to his recent visit to Jiribam, the Chief Minister said communities that had lived together before the crisis were now moving towards peaceful coexistence through the government’s reconciliation efforts.

He maintained that dialogue among communities is key to restoring peace and promoting development in Manipur.

Khemchand also said that safeguarding the integrity of Manipur was not solely the responsibility of the government but a collective responsibility of all communities and people living in the state.

During the programme, the Manipur Hawkers Association submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister. Khemchand assured the association that its proposal for a corpus fund would be discussed at the next Cabinet meeting.

The event was attended by MLAs Sapam Kunjakeswor Singh and Lourembam Rameshwor Meetei, office-bearers of the Hawkers’ Association and newspaper distributors.