Imphal, Aug 24 (IANS) Inter-state public transport services between Manipur, Nagaland and Assam along the Imphal-Dimapur-Guwahati route via National Highway-2 continued smoothly for the third day on Monday, officials said.
An official of the Manipur Transport Department said that the passenger bus services along the Imphal–Dimapur (Nagaland)–Guwahati route via National Highway-2 continued for the third day on Monday after the much-expected inter-state bus services resumed last week after a gap of more than three years.
The official said that more than 250 passengers, including women and children, left Imphal for Dimapur, Nagaland’s main commercial city, and Assam’s main city of Guwahati in a fleet of five buses and seven Winger vehicles under foolproof security.
This comes amid reports of an unwanted incident at Taphou village in Senapati District between two communities. The departure of the vehicles was delayed due to the situation that arose at Taphou village in Senapati District along NH-2, the official said.
However, timely intervention by the administration and the public support prevented the situation from escalating further, and the vehicles left for Dimapur and Guwahati on Monday afternoon. Both sides involved have agreed to maintain peace in the area. Adequate security personnel and Road Opening Parties (ROP) of the security forces have been deployed along the vulnerable stretches of the highway to ensure free and safe movement of the vehicles.
The official said that the government is committed to safeguarding civilians while maintaining peace and harmony in the state. The large number of passengers using the resumed public road transport service shows the trust and confidence that people have in the peace initiatives taken up by the state government.
Meanwhile, around 100 passengers who started their journey from Guwahati on Sunday reached the Inter-State Bus Terminus (ISBT) at Khuman Lampak in Imphal safely on Monday afternoon. No unwanted incidents were reported along the highway during their journey.
One of the passengers named, Ngangbam Biren from Thoubal District, who was travelling from Guwahati, while welcoming the initiatives of the government under the leadership of Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh, narrated that the whole journey from Guwahati to Imphal was pleasant and peaceful. He said that the journey after more than three years of interval would remain memorable.
Another passenger, Okram Sunil Kumar Singh of Wangjing, Thoubal District, maintained that his journey from Assam to Manipur via NH-2 was safe for all communities and encouraged others to travel through the Inter-State Transport Service initiated by the Manipur government.
He also expressed his gratitude to both Naga and Kuki communities residing along the NH-2 for their co-operation and allowing smooth passage of the vehicles.
The resumption of transport services along the trouble-torn NH-2 comes after Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh, Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen and local MLA Haokholet Kipgen jointly announced the reopening of the National Highways for free movement of people from all communities and the resumption of the Imphal-Dimapur-Guwahati bus service on August 8 in Kangpokpi district.
The Imphal-Jiribam National Highway (NH-37) and the Imphal-Dimapur-Guwahati National Highway (NH-2) are the two crucial lifelines of Manipur, connecting the state with the rest of the country.
Since the outbreak of ethnic violence on May 3, 2023, movement along NH-2 has remained severely disrupted due to law-and-order issues and frequent blockades, affecting the movement of people and essential commodities between Manipur and other Northeastern states.
–IANS
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