NEW DELHI, Jan 16 - With elections drawing closer in Manipur, a jittery Centre has decided to accord top priority to re-opening of the National Highway (NH-2) connecting Manipur with Assam in the wake of the economic blockade called by United Naga Council (UNC) entering the 75th day. About 20,000 Central para-military forces are being rushed to the State.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh convened a meeting of top Ministers, along with security officials on Sunday evening and reviewed the prevailing situation in Manipur, where the economic blockade on National Highways has crippled normal life. The meeting chaired by the Home Minister was attended by Defence Minister Manohar Parikar, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Army Chief General Bipin Rawat besides Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi and other top officials.
Sources said that the meeting that lasted for over an hour focused on reopening the blocked National Highway 2, the lifeline of landlocked Manipur, and restore normalcy. The top priority of the Central Government is now to re-open NH-2 which connects Manipur from Assam through Nagaland. While the other Highway, (NH-37), is reopened, the Centre wants to re-open the NH-2 too as early as possible, the sources said.
In a stern message, Centre had told the Manipur Government that it cannot escape responsibility for the �humanitarian crisis� arising out of the economic blockade by a Naga group and must work to end it, while making it clear that nobody will be allowed to take political advantage of the situation. While NH-37 was partially reopened, there is no traffic movement on NH-2.
Home Minister Singh had written twice to Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh asking him to ensure reopening of the Highway but it did not yield any result. Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju too had visited the Congress-ruled Manipur as a Central emissary but the Highway has not reopened yet.
Rijiju had said it was completely unacceptable to have such blockades in which thousands of people were suffering and both the Central and Manipur Governments will work together to end it. �The State Government has not been able to end the blockade. It must end as soon as possible. Nobody will be allowed to take political advantage out of a humanitarian crisis where people are suffering,� he had said.
Assembly election in Manipur is scheduled for March 4 and 8 and around 20,000 Central security personnel have been sent to the State in the face of alarming reports of possible violence pouring in from the State in the run up to the election.