- Imphal-Guwahati National Highway now open to all communities in Manipur
- Imphal-Guwahati bus service will resume shortly, announced Chief Minister Khemchand Singh
- Khemchand urged communities to trust each other and prioritize peace
Manipur's lifeline that connects the state capital Imphal with Assam's Guwahati is now open for use by all communities, and the bus service on the National Highway between the two cities will restart, the state's Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh said today.
He made the announcement with his deputy Nemcha Kipgen.
"A historic step towards peace and normalcy in Manipur. In the presence of Hon'ble Dy. CM Smt. Nemcha Kipgen and Hon'ble NDA legislators, it was decided that the Imphal-Guwahati Bus Service will resume shortly, while the National Highway will be open to all communities," Khemchand said.
"A step towards restoring connectivity, rebuilding trust and strengthening people-to-people bonds. Let us move forward together in peace, reconciliation and hope," he said.
This is the first time since the Meitei-Kuki ethnic violence began in May 2023 that the chief minister formally announced the opening of the National Highway. N Biren Singh was the chief minister before Khemchand came in February this year.
The last time a similar announcement was made by the Centre following a meeting with the Kuki-Zo Council (KZC) over extending the suspension of operations (SoO) agreement with two dozen Kuki insurgent groups, the Kuki body had clarified there was no such thing as "free movement".
This time, no Kuki insurgent group or their civilian interface has announced any opposition to the peace move. The Centre has sent CoBRA units that eliminated Maoists in the heartland to tackle anti-peace groups in Manipur.
Now, as part of the government's peace-building and reconciliation efforts, Khemchand Singh visited Kuki settlements in Kangpokpi district headquarters and met community leaders.
He inaugurated development projects and distributed welfare benefits under government schemes. During one of the inaugurations, the chief minister said Manipur has "a recorded history of some 3,000 years".
He recalled the 'Seven-Year Devastation', the Burmese invasion of Manipur, over 200 years ago and said people from all communities helped in forming the boundaries of present-day Manipur and protecting it. All communities have made sacrifices to safeguard the land, he said.
It was unfortunate that some vested interest groups created confusion among people, he said, adding there is a solution to every crisis.
He appealed to all communities to trust and support each other. "People should first consider themselves Indians and then Manipuris," he said.
India's development will remain incomplete without the development of the northeast, the chief minister said. "Similarly, the development of Manipur will be incomplete without the development of Kangpokpi district."
The chief minister said the Kangpokpi district hospital will be upgraded to a 100-bed facility with a CT scan machine. A primary health centre will be built in Motbung and T Waichong too.
Many MLAs and officials accompanied the chief minister during his visit to Kangpokpi.
