Manipur locals protest 20 years of road neglect with shutdown

Imphal: Protests continued for the second consecutive day in Imphal East district of Manipur, as part of a 48-hour total shutdown called by the Yairipok to Nongpok Keithelmanbi Road Development Organisation.

The shutdown, which began at midnight on Tuesday, is set to conclude on Wednesday at midnight.
Demonstrators, including a large number of women, blocked key portions of the inter-district road connecting Yairipok and Nongpok Keithelmanbi a stretch of approximately 12 kilometers by sitting in the middle of the road and burning tires. Protest activities were reported in areas such as Azad Golai, Changamdabi, and Top Chingtha.

According to the organisation’s co-convenor, Premkumar Loukrakpam, the protest was triggered by the government's long-standing neglect of the road, which has reportedly not seen any construction or repair work in the past two decades. He said multiple appeals had been made to the concerned authorities, all of which went unanswered.

An ultimatum was submitted to Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla demanding road repairs begin within five days. However, with no action taken, the public resolved in a meeting to enforce the 48-hour shutdown.

While emergency services such as medical, electricity, water, and religious and traditional rituals were exempted, educational activities came to a halt as the road remained blocked.

Protestors have also voiced support for extending the shutdown into an indefinite strike if their demands continue to be ignored.