Residents of 20 villages in Imphal East have launched a road blockade demanding the resumption of stalled construction works on the Napet Palli-Moirangpurel and Heirok roads.
The agitation followed a public meeting of meira paibis at Oksu Ningthemcha Khul on September 25. The road blockade began at 5 am on October 1 and continued until 5 am on October 2.
Sariya Leima Moirangthem, secretary of the joint meira paibi committee formed over the issue, said meira paibis from 20 villages—10 each from the Ching and Thang areas—jointly launched the agitation after the road construction work remained suspended for several months without any clear explanation.
She appealed to the authorities concerned to resume construction from October 3, warning that the committee would launch stronger forms of agitation if the work was not restarted. She also urged anyone obstructing the construction to withdraw such obstruction, citing the worsening condition of the road with the onset of the rainy season.
Committee joint secretary Premna Jajo said the blockade was aimed at pressing the government to resume the road construction. He said a journey from Moirangpurel to Imphal, which previously took about an hour, now takes nearly three hours due to the poor road condition.
He added that the deteriorated road has caused particular difficulties for women travelling to Imphal with sick children for medical treatment and urged the authorities to complete the construction at the earliest.