Himalayan News Service

Imphal, July 23:

Manipur’s efforts to break a dragging militant blockade of the state by bringing in food and medicines have suffered a setback after guerrillas blew up a key bridge over an alternative highway today. This week, a convoy of about 200 trucks loaded with essentials rolled into Manipur under heavy security through National Highway 53. It was the first major blow to a month-long economic blockade enforced by Naga students. But as things were beginning to return to normal, tribal rebels blew up a bailey bridge on the highway disrupting vehicular traffic again. “It will take one or two days to restore the bridge. Border Road Task Force (BRTF) personnel are working on war footing to repair the bridge,” army spokesman Lt Col Santanu Dev Goswami said.

The main link road, National Highway 39, still remains paralysed with protesters enforcing the blockade since June 20. “Stocks of lifesaving drugs and medicines are drying up and there is already a crisis,” said N Irabanta, general secretary of the Medical and Sales Representatives’ Association of Manipur. All vehicles from the rest of India have to pass through Nagaland and Assam to reach Manipur. The blockade is being enforced by the All Naga Students’ Association

of Manipur in support of a demand for unification of all tribal Naga dominated areas in Manipur with “Greater Nagaland”, a concept mooted by the Isak-Muivah faction of the National

Socialist Council of Nagaland. Prices of all essentials have shot up manifold with fuel and cooking gas cylinders selling at double the actual price. The majority Metei community and the state government in Manipur are opposed to the disintegration of their territory. “We shall eat grass and survive but not allow our territory to be disturbed,” said T Brajeshwar, a Metei community leader.