Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Nagaland, Manipur Chief Secys to meet

Spl correspondent
NEW DELHI, June 15 – Notwithstanding the announcement by the Naga agitators to suspend the road blockade, the Union Home Ministry has convened an emergent meeting of the Chief Secretaries of Nagaland and Manipur here tomorrow to work out the measures to be taken by the two States to keep NH-39 open.
The Centre is planning to permanently deploy additional battalions of Central para military Forces on National Highway 39 to prevent similar situation from developing in the future, sources said.

Official sources here said that Union Secretary G.K.Pillai has invited the two Chief Secretaries to review the measures to be adopted to re-open the highway. The current blockade on NH-39 is a matter of serious concern, sources said.

Union Home Minister, P. Chidambaram has already spoken to the Chief Ministers of Nagaland and Manipur to take necessary steps to have the blockade withdrawn, sources said.

At the request of the Government of Manipur, the Ministry of Home Affairs has decided to shortly deploy additional battalions of para-military forces on NH-39 to keep the highway open for unhindered movement of traffic and goods, sources added.

The Home Ministry also furnished details of the measures taken to ensure flow of supplies to Manipur.

Meanwhile, there may be more than it meets the eye to the current blockade in Nagaland, if sources in the government is to be believed.

It has been learnt that the Ministry of Home Affairs is currently compiling supply figures of a particular three months period, last year in a bid to compare it with supply figures of this year preceding the announcement of the road blockade agitation in Nagaland.

Sources confided that the move was taken following reports that a section of traders in Manipur had resorted to massive hoarding of essential commodities prior to the announcement of the blockade programme in Nagaland. The MHA got wind of the racket and is now probing the matter and is closely monitoring the situation in Manipur.

It is suspected that a section of the traders of Manipur were in league with the agitators and had prior information about the blockade. They imported huge supplies of commodities ahead of the agitation before making a kill by hiking prices during the blockade programme, sources said.

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