IMPHAL, Sep 9 NNN : The Manipur unit of Janata Dal-United (JDU) on Monday said it would launch sustained agitation if the National Highway-37 (Imphal-Jiribam) road was not repaired by second week of next month.
Addressing a simple function welcoming minister T Hangkhonpao, who has joined the party at the state JD-U office here, party president N Tombi explained the party’s concerns about the NH-37, the second most important lifeline of Manipur, and the Indo-Myanmar Border Fencing that has become a political issue in the state.
Tombi, who is also the convenor of Non-Congress All Political Party, said the state unit will launch sustained agitation if the Government fails to restore the Imphal-Jiribam road within second week of October.
He further strongly criticised the Centre asking the intent of the Government in ceding massive border land areas of Manipur to Myanmar after erstwhile Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru in the past had ceded Manipur’s Kabow Valley to the neighbouring country in exchange of Andaman and Nicobar Island.
The Centre and state Governments should come out with a white paper on the border issue and bring it to the public domain soon, the JD-U leader demanded.
He also announced that the Non-Congress All Party has decided to visit the border line for a spot assessment at the end of the current month.
He pledged the party will not compromise on the boundary issue and recounted that the Non-Congress All Political Party has already sent memorandums to the Prime Minister, Defence Minister and Home Minister calling for a halt to the Indo-Myanmar fence construction and bring an unambiguous solution in this regard.
Despite the appeal the Centre has not given a positive response on the matter and Myanmar Government has recently set up an army camp at Pillar No 23 inside Holenphai village of Manipur’s Chandel district deploying its 40-50 army personnel there, Tombi said.
He warned that both the Central and state Governments should own up responsibility for any eventuality that could come out of the flawed boundary fencing.
A six-member team of the state Opposition had visited the Indo-Myanmar boundary to oversee it on September 7 following that it has demanded the state and Central Governments to take steps to immediately stop the fence construction and pillar erection on the international line.
Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/jdu-to-launch-stir-on-highway-issue/
