The United Naga Council (UNC) on Wednesday said that the “persistent ongoing economic blockade being imposed by CoTU along the highways be lifted immediately in the interest of all communities living in the state”.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the UNC said it was necessitated to draw certain concerns from the state authorities and the two warring communities for immediate redressal in the greater interest of all the communities living in the state of Manipur.
The UNC said the state government and the central government should initiate necessary steps to ensure the uninterrupted supply of essential commodities throughout the length and breadth of the state.
The UNC further said that “unwarranted checking/frisking/detentions/unloading of essential commodities and various strictures imposing upon Naga people in sporadic areas and unabated illegal taxation/extortion towards the commuters and suppliers of essential commodities along the national highways and inter-district highways should be stopped once and for all”.
The Naga body then said the state government and the central government must also address the grievances like non-availability of life-saving drugs and essential commodities being faced by the Kuki-Zo community as demanded by COTU.
The UNC then said that four months have well passed ever since the “mayhem” broke out on May 3, 2023, and all the ethnic communities living in the state of Manipur, including Nagas as the third parties, have been suffering untold miseries in every sphere.
“With all concern and patience, hoping for resolution to the ongoing conflict between the warring communities viz, Kuki-Zo and Meiteis, Naga people have endured all the hardships and provocations from both the communities and on top of that UNC has been giving all efforts-goodwill peace mission towards the resolution of the same but it turns out otherwise and all the more weight is being put upon the Naga people in many ways,” it added.
The UNC then expressed hope that this statement will find well to all the concerned and pave way to prevail peace and return to its normalcy.
