Meghalaya Chief Minister and National People’s Party (NPP) president Conrad Sangma on Friday called for restoration of normalcy in Manipur. He met various stakeholders, including Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla, to discuss suggestions for lasting peace amid the ongoing conflict. The Chief Minister reached Imphal on a two-day visit and also met Federation of Civil Society Organizations (FOCS) acting president BM Yaima Shah and representatives of Manipur Integrity Coordination Committee (COCOMI).
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“I met the Governor of Manipur yesterday. We discussed the suggestions received from various organizations and what the Government of Manipur and the Government of India can do to restore normalcy,” Chief Minister Sangma said at a press conference in Imphal, Manipur. Sangma further said that the suggestions given by the NPP were also welcomed. COCOMI spokesperson Myengbam Dhananjay said the organization requested Chief Minister Sangma to consider opening national highways between the states and curbing the menace of illegal inter-border drug trade and arms.
COCOMI spokesperson told ANI, “We urged Chief Minister Conrad Sangma about the growing situation of illegal infiltration along with the menace of drug trade and illegal weapons. We urged him to open the national highways, as it is the right of every citizen of the country. For almost two and a half years our highways have been blocked, we are still not able to pass through.” Regarding curbing drug trafficking, he said, “We urged them to open the highways and also create a narcotics control bureau with consultancy to control the menace.”
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Meanwhile, to restore safe and free movement in violence-hit Manipur, a trial run of passenger vehicles was started on the Imphal-Senapati section of National Highway 2 on October 2. Since Saturday, these vehicles were being guarded by the state police and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), and the drivers and helpers were from the neutral community. According to a reliable source, although there were no people from the warring Meitei and Kuki communities on board, the initiative marks a gradual effort to reopen NH-2 for traffic.