GUWAHATI: In a significant development in ethnic violence-hit Manipur, public transport services on the Imphal-Dimapur-Guwahati route resumed on Friday after a gap of more than three years.
The government in the ethnically partitioned state had for long made efforts to resume public transport services towards restoring peace and normalcy. The services remained suspended since the eruption of the ethnic violence between Meiteis and Kukis on May 3, 2023.
A total of 125 passengers travelled on the route in two buses and five wingers on Friday. When reports last came in, the vehicles were crossing the Kuki-majority Kangpokpi district. Beyond Kangpokpi is Naga-majority Senapati district and then, Nagaland.
National Highways 2 (Imphal-Dimapur road) and 37 are Manipur’s lifeline. National Highways 2 is preferred by commuters as well as transporters, as it is a shorter route. Movement along National Highway 37, which enters Manipur from southern Assam’s Barak Valley, is often affected due to disruptions and extortion demands by myriad organisations.
During a visit to Kangpokpi on August 8, Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh had announced the immediate reopening of national highways for free movement of people from all communities in the state.
In March last year, Centre’s attempt to restore free movement for people on all roads in the state met with angry protests with a mob attacking a bus of Manipur State Transport in Kangpokpi. One person was killed while several others were injured.
“The resumption of this service is an important step towards restoring normal life and strengthening connectivity. It has been widely appreciated by the public, with people welcoming the restoration of this crucial inter-state link,” a Manipur government statement said.
One of the travellers, Kiyam Kumarjit Singh from Thoubal district, thanked the state government for this positive initiative. He said that this new journey should usher in love, peace, and harmony among all communities in the state, and help people move beyond what had happened in the past. “Let us all forgive and forget the past,” he added.