Zomi Council opposes reopening on NH-2 without action against extortionists

Churachandpur, Sep 3 (PTI) The Zomi Council, a tribal outfit, said the NH-2 should not be reopened till extortion rackets operating along the highway are dismantled.

It alleged any decision to reopen the Dimapur-Imphal section of NH-2 is solely to serve the Meitei community, while the people of Churachandpur "continue to suffer shortages and hunger".

The NH-2 is considered the lifeline of Manipur, and since the ethnic clashes broke out in the state in May 2023, access to the highway has been used by both communities to cut off supplies for the other side.

While people of other communities can travel between Imphal and Dimapur, Meiteis cannot, as the highway passes through the Kuki-dominated Kangpokpi district. Kukis living in Churachandpur cannot travel to Imphal as Meiteis live there. Additionally, the trucks operating on the highway are protected by heavy security to prevent any untoward incidents.

The government has been working to make the highway accessible for people of both communities as part of its efforts to bring back peace in the state, where over 260 people have been killed and thousands left homeless.

In a statement, the Zomi Council said it would be nothing short of a betrayal for the Kuki-Zo Council or any other tribal body to sign an agreement for the reopening of the highway that would not safeguard the interests of the Kukis.

"We cannot endorse such an idea of agreement as it would abandon the very community we represent," it said.

For months, Churachandpur district has endured shortages of essential items, including LPG cylinders and rice, it said.

Alleging that the NH 2 "remains choked by illegal taxation/extortion, manned by anti-social elements both inside Nagaland and along the highway up to Imphal", it said that "unless the government dismantles these gangs of licensed extortionists, reopening the highway is promotion of exploitation".

"To reopen the road now, without uprooting this corrupt system, will only reward the unscrupulous players," it said.

The Zomi Council also took on the Kuki Zo Council (KZC), stating that it "must stop indulging in activities that do not serve the people", calling it "a puppet of the government". PTI CORR SOM