Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh has announced the reopening of National Highways for free movement of all communities.
IMPHAL — Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh, Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen and Saitu MLA Haokholet Kipgen have jointly announced that the national highways in the state will soon be reopened for free movement of people from all communities, with adequate security arrangements.
They also announced the resumption of the Imphal-Dimapur bus service shortly.
The announcement was made during Khemchand’s maiden visit to Kangpokpi district headquarters on Saturday, nearly three years after his last visit to the district.
During the visit, the chief minister held meetings with community leaders, inaugurated several development projects and distributed welfare benefits to beneficiaries under various government schemes.
Khemchand received a warm welcome from villagers at Gamgiphai in Kangpokpi district while travelling towards the district headquarters. However, hundreds of villagers staged a black-flag protest at Makhan as his convoy passed through the area, demanding justice for six Naga civilians who were killed in May.
Upon his arrival at Kangpokpi town, the chief minister was welcomed by Nemcha Kipgen, Haokholet Kipgen and senior district officials.
Speaking at the inauguration of various development projects, Khemchand said Manipur has a history spanning around 3,000 years and recalled the 19th-century “Seven Years’ Devastation” as one of the most tragic periods in the state’s history.
He said the boundaries of Manipur were shaped and protected by people from all communities, adding that members of different communities had made sacrifices to safeguard the state’s territory.
The chief minister urged people from all communities to trust and support one another. He appealed to the people to identify themselves as Indians first and Manipuris thereafter, expressing concern that many people have become hesitant to identify themselves as Manipuris.
Khemchand said India’s development would remain incomplete without the development of the Northeast, just as Manipur’s progress would be incomplete without the development of Kangpokpi district.
While inaugurating a dialysis unit at the Kangpokpi District Headquarters, the Chief Minister quoted a verse from the Bible and appealed to people to forgive and forget.
He cited the examples of Americans taking pride in their nationality regardless of race and Singaporeans identifying themselves proudly as Singaporeans.
On the development front, Khemchand announced that the Kangpokpi District Hospital would be upgraded to a 100-bed facility with a CT scan unit. He also announced the construction of Primary Health Centres at Motbung and T Waichong and the upgradation of the Community Health Centre at Saikul.
He further announced that a major retaining wall would be constructed along rivers in Kangpokpi district as part of measures to control flooding.
Referring to the impact of the ongoing conflict on the younger generation, the chief minister said the prolonged crisis had severely affected them.
Later, sharing a video of his announcement on the reopening of the highway on social media, Khemchand said the decision marked a significant step towards restoring normalcy in Manipur. He stated that, in the presence of Kipgen and NDA legislators, it had been decided that the Imphal-Guwahati bus service would resume shortly and the National Highway would be opened to all communities.
He said the measures would strengthen connectivity, rebuild trust and deepen people-to-people ties, while calling for peace, reconciliation and a united Manipur.
Endorsing the announcement on reopening the Imphal-Dimapur highway, Kipgen said the National Highway belonged to nobody and should remain open for everyone.