Imphal: The Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) has urged the Manipur government to examine a proposal for a dedicated road corridor connecting the state’s hill districts, after receiving a memorandum from the Kuki Inpi Manipur.
Joint director, DoNER ministry, Pausianmuang Tunglut, on Wednesday forwarded to Manipur chief secretary a copy of the memorandum submitted by the Kuki body on August 1 to the President of India.
The Kuki body called for urgent intervention to establish the corridor, citing a humanitarian crisis in the hill areas caused by ongoing ethnic violence, economic blockades, and restricted movement since May 2023.
It described the proposed corridor as essential to restoring connectivity between the hill districts and the rest of Manipur, warning that the “lifeline of the Hill Areas” had been severely disrupted.
On Friday, state government held talks with the Foothill Naga Coordination Committee (FNCC), a Naga organisation, amid tensions over a blockade imposed by Kuki groups along National Highway-2 (Imphal-Dimapur). The Kuki bodies had demanded that FNCC withdraw its indefinite bandh against the Kuki-Zo community.
FNCC maintained that its protest was a response to what it calls Kuki “expansionism,” alleging territorial encroachment and politically motivated development projects. It has strongly opposed certain road works, including the controversial ‘German Road,’ claiming it cuts through ancestral Naga lands without consultation or consent.
The state government reiterated that no unauthorised naming of roads or construction on disputed land would be permitted.
