Centre airlifts supplies to Manipur

NDTV: "The government has said that essential supplies will be flown into Manipur which has been hit by a six-week-old economic blockade by a Naga group. The price of a cylinder of cooking gas has shot up to Rs 700 while a litre of petrol costs Rs 80. Finally acknowledging the gravity of the situation, the Home ministry airlifted 45 tonnes of essential items to Imphal.

Rajeev Aggarwal, Joint Secretary in the Union Home Ministry, said the government has made arrangements to airlift essential commodities to Manipur with the help of Assam Rifles. "The state government has been advised to distribute the material to areas facing shortage," Aggarwal said.

He said though there were no serious complaints of shortage of medicines, life saving drugs and medicines were being sent. This is why even the police and security forces have been cautious in their handling of the situation and have opened a new highway route. "No. It's not as if we have just surrendered. We are continuing to bring in our supplies and move convoys when we require. We have moved five convoys recently," said A K Parashar, director general of police, Manipur.

While the state government claims there is no problem, a queue more than a kilometre-long at a petrol station conveys a different picture. And this display of patience by the Meitei-dominated Imphal valley in the face of a 45-day economic blockade by the Nagas of the hill areas is based on a simple realisation - any backlash against the Nagas here could change Greater Nagaland from a demand into a reality.

Naga student's body ANSAM launched their economic blockade on June 22 - of the Imphal-Guwahati NH 39 and Imphal-Silchar NH 53 - to protest against Manipur government's decision to declare June 18 as a holiday to observe "state integrity day."