Bandh cripples life in Imphal

IMPHAL: Life came to a grinding halt in the city on Friday owing to a bandh called by three student and civil bodies, including the Socialist Students' Union of Manipur (SSUM), seeking settlement of some key issues besieging the state.



The bodies demanded a resolution to the land dispute in the Myanmar border area that arose after the neighbouring country allegedly installed a border pillar three kilometres inside Manipur from the international boundary, publication of the final draft bill to safeguard the indigenous people of the state, justice for weightlifter Khumukcham Sanjita who tested positive in a dope test recently and to produce a white paper on the transfer and postings of government teachers.

Proletarian Feminist Movement (PoFM) and the Socialist Women Association (SWA) are the other two bodies which had called the strike.

Owing to the bandh, business establishments at Khwaramband Market covering Paona Bazzar, Thangal Bazzar, Bir Tikendrajit Road, Nagamapal and Khoyathong remained shut through the day. Operations of inter-state and inter-district passenger and goods

services

were stopped and attendance in government offices was thin. Various educational institutions remained closed.

Though life in the valley districts of Thoubal, Bishnupur and Kakching was paralyzed, flight services were unaffected because of the bandh. Sharp vigil is being maintained in the city to thwart unwanted incidents in view of the general strike.

On Thursday night, a large number of women staged torch rallies regarding these issues in several parts of Imphal, Thoubal and Bishnupur districts.

Chief minister N Biren Singh on Thursday clarified that there was no shifting of Border Pillar (BP) No 81 along the India-Myanmar border, which had been erected following a boundary agreement between the two neighbouring countries in 1967.