IMPHAL/NEW DELHI, Feb 9: Manipur’s bid to avoid being held hostage to the blockade of its economic lifeline by Naga groups by developing an alternative road through Assam is unlikely to bear fruit by next year as envisaged.
Exploring options: Manipur chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh.(Indranil Bhoumik/Mint)
Manipur wants to develop National Highway 53 (NH53), which runs through Assam, as an alternative to NH39, its sole economic lifeline, which was blockaded last year for 121 days by Naga groups.
The government was much criticized for mishandling the blockade, which resulted in severe shortages of essential supplies. The state went to the polls on 28 January, with results to be declared on 6 March. The government had said that NH53 will be fully operational by 2013.
The 600km route runs from Silchar in Assam and bypasses Nagaland, while the existing link is about 236km long. NH53 is currently a single-lane hill road that can’t bear loads of more than 20 tonnes.
The cabinet committee on security (CCS) said NH53’s development should be implemented by “reputed engineering companies” after the Manipur government told the Centre that the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) was not in a position to build it. But the project has been unable to make much headway.
“At the present pace of work, the Manipur section of the road up to the Assam border won’t be over in the next five years,” said a state government official, requesting anonymity. Even after a decision to develop the Manipur stretch (222km) of NH53 through private sector participation was taken, only a 14km section has been outsourced.
“Blockades in Manipur are not a new phenomenon. Our commitment is to provide an all-weather NH53 by December 2013,” Manipur chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh said last month. “This is an alternative. If anything goes wrong with NH39, we can use this road.”
Naga groups such as the Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) and the All Naga Students’ Association, Manipur (Ansam) last year retaliated against the Manipur government blocking T. Muivah’s entry by blocking NH39, which runs through Nagaland. Since 12 April last year, when the blockade began, Manipur has been crippled by shortages of diesel, cement and kerosene, even though the stoppage was lifted in November.
To provide security to vehicles, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) battalions have been deployed for the first time on NH39. A CRPF battalion has also been deployed on NH53.
Phungzathang Tongsing, Manipur’s power minister, who contested from the Churachandpur assembly constituency, defended the state government. “There is no blame on the state government. The state has been trying to solve the problem,” he said. “Blockades are very unfortunate and are anti-people and have created problems for all sections of people in Manipur.”
Interestingly, while the state government had earlier banned Muivah from visiting his birthplace in the state, Neiphiu Rio, Nagaland’s chief minister, campaigned in the Naga-dominated hill districts of Senapati, Ukhrul, Chandel and Tamenglong. These are among the districts that the National Socialist Council of Nagalim wants to be carved out to form the Naga state of Nagalim, along with Naga-dominated areas in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Myanmar.
Of the 60 seats in the assembly, 20 are in the hills, with the balance in the valley.