Kuki blockade affects routine life in Manipur

IMPHAL: An indefinite blockade, launched by a Kuki organisation today, affected routine life in the hill and valley areas in Manipur.

Official reports said markets, shops and other establishments were closed in the Kuki-settled areas in the state because of the blockade called by the Kuki State Demand Committee to press for dividing Manipur into small states along ethnic lines.

Reports said hundreds of daily wage earners at several places in the state were out of work as vehicles did not ply on roads, including the national highways. Both the national highways, Imphal-Dimapur-Guwahati and Imphal-Silchar, which are considered to be the lifelines of the state, were blocked because of the KSDC agitation.

Several hill-based social organisations have appealed to the KSDC to call off their agitation for the hardship it was causing to people.