Condemning the recent attack on trucks by miscreants along the National Highway-37, the All Jiribam Road Transport Drivers’ Union (AJRTDU) Jiribam and the All Manipur Road Transport Drivers and Motor Workers Union have imposed a statewide 48-hour general strike from Saturday night to Monday midnight.
Miscreants opened fire at the convoy near Kaiphundai village on Friday, against which the drivers have resolved to impose the 48-hours statewide general strike, general secretary AJRTDU Jiribam L Maniton Singh said in a press conference on Saturday.
The incident occurred near Kaiphundai village, which is situated around 23 kilometers away from Jiribam, where the miscreants fired shots at the tires and the oil tanks of the trucks, he said.
Appealing for public support to the general strike, Singh said essential services and the media will be exempted from the purview of the general strike.
General secretary S Kesho Singh and publicity secretary N Arun Singh took part in the press conference.
Meanwhile, condemning the incident, state Shiv Sena president M Tombi appealed to the state government to book the culprits immediately. He was speaking in a press conference held at its state party office located at Babupara, Imphal on Saturday.
The goods trucks were carrying essential commodities for both the people of hills and valleys even the family members of those highway attackers and looters are consuming the essential commodities brought by the very truck drivers whom they are harassing, Tombi said.
Raising concerns that the national highways of Manipur have become a source of income for highway looters, gangs and some militant groups, he said both the Central and the state government should take a decision to set up a highway protection force to protect commuters and truck drivers along the national highways of Manipur.
The state government should be held responsible if any untoward outcome occurs to the highway drivers and commuters due to these attacks, said Tombi.
Since the past years, the drivers have been demanding to set up a highway protection force along the national highways of Manipur, he said. State Shiv Sena appreciates chief minister N Biren’s assurance to depute commandos along the national highways but despite all that, the incident occurred, he added.
Four trucks loaded with cement coming from Jiribam were shot at by some armed miscreants near Kaiphundai village under Tousem police station at about 9 am on Friday.
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