By Newmai News Network
Imphal, June 13: At least sixty loaded freight trucks bound for Imphal have been stranded at Jirighat in Assam as the five-day economic blockade on National Highway 53 enters third day today following the demand for a full fledged Jiribam district intensified.
Jiribam is situated in the Manipur-Assam border which is some 220 km from Imphal. Meanwhile, the five-day economic blockade has been imposedon National Highway 53 by Jiribam District Demand Committee (JDDC) beginning 6 pm of June 11 and will expire at 6 pm on June 15.
Mention may be made that JDDC has imposed the economic blockade demanding the upgradation of Jiribam sub-division into a full fledgedrevenue district by bifurcating the existing Imphal East district.
JDDC had called a thirty-hour bandh inJiribam sud-division to press for the demand on June 6 last. A massive rallywas also organized under the aegis of the Jiribam branches of All Manipur Students' Union (AMSU), Manipur Students' Front (MSF) and Democratic Students' Association of Manipur (DESAM) on June 3 at Jiribam.
A series of bandh have been imposed since the demand for a full-fledged revenue district for Jiribam started in 2006. May 30, 2011 was the deadline given by the government with the chief minister O Ibobi Singh and Jiribam MLA Th Devendra assuring positive response to the demand.
With no response forthcoming from the government's side, on June 1 a sit-in protest was staged in Jiribam under the aegis of the district demandcommittee.
The Jiribam District Demand Committee was formed in 2006 to demand for the upgradation of the sub-division into a full-fledged revenue district by curving out from the existing Imphal East district. The sub-division is a multi-community settlement with Meitei, Meitei Pangal (Muslim), Bengali and ethnic tribals inhabiting and co-existing.
Meanwhile, the Sadar Hills District Demand Committee has demanded forthe declaration of Sadar Hills as a full fledged district at least a day before the demand for Jiribam and Phungyardistricts are conceded by the government. (Hueiyenlanpao)