Correspondent
IMPHAL, February 17
[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he indefinite economic blockade called by All Tribal Students Union Manipur (ATSUM) will be called off from 8 am of Tuesday following an understanding between the striking students’ body and government authority.
This was announced by the Manipur Government’s spokesperson and state education Minister Moirangthem Okendra during a hurriedly called media brefing in Imphal on Monday evening.The state authority was headed by Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh while the 23 member ATSUM delegation was led by its president Emboi Serto during the talk wherein both the sides took 2 hours to discuss the demands of the students union.
“The government decided to fulfill most of the demands raised by the students body during the meeting”, says Minister Okrandra. “In view of the development they (ATSUM) agreed to call off the agitation.”
Manipur has been facing scarcity of fuel after ATSUM launched indefinite economic blockade on 110km Imphal-Mao sector of National Highway 2 and 222km Imphal-Jiribam sector of National Highway 37 since February 16 mornings forcing the Imphalite to stand in long queue for fuel in front of oil pumps or buy petrol at Rs 150 a litre in black market.
ATSUM has been demanding rules for reservation, separate directorate of education for the hills, adherence to reservation norms while recruiting contract lecturers and adhoc teachers in the Education Department, decentralization of the tribal affairs, solution to the problems confronting the Indira Gandhi Tribal University and devolution of powers to the Autonomous District Councils (ADCs)etc.
Many organizations including Manipur People’s Party, the oldest regional party in the North Eastern region had appealed to call off the blockade as the state begins to witness the higher secondary examinations from Monday.A total 36,295 students have been appearing across 107 examination centres in the state.Similarly 26,272 students are appearing in this year’s matriculation examination which is scheduled to begin from February 20.
BSF man commits suicide:Assistant Sub Inspector(ASI) Ranbir Singh of Border Security Force(BSF) reportedly commits suicide by pumping of two 9mm bullets at his neck.The incident occured around 9.40 am at F Coy of 49 Battalion of BSF at Laikoiching under Lamlai Police Station in Manipur’s Imphal East district.ASI Ranbir,a resident of Haryana was declared dead at RIMS hospital in Imphal at around 10.25am,sources added. The reason behind the incident was not known immediately.
