
By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Feb 3: Highlighting the difficulties people of Manipur are facing regarding connectivity and highly inflated air-fares, MP Leishemba Sanajaoba has urged the Centre to complete Jiribam-Imphal Railway line at the earliest.
The Rajya Sabha MP was speaking in the Parliament during Zero Hour when he raised the issue today.
While urging for improved connectivity, he urged the Centre to effectively crack down on foreign narco-terrorists and those who want to secede from India.
Amid the crisis in Manipur, more than 20 lakh people in the valley are unable to use the National Highways running through the State as a means of travel, said the MP.
Further, this inconvenience has been compounded by the rising air-fare and highly inflated prices of essential commodities. Therefore, a completed railway connectivity is the only solution to these issues, he added.
Even as the Central Government and the State Government are taking up steps to the issues surrounding National Highways and the crisis, attacks on innocent civilians and firing have not ceased, abduction and extortion activities on the Highways have not been curbed, the MP said.
The crisis in Manipur has seen many brave Jawans killed and injured at the hands of illegal immigrants, he added.
The illegal immigrants, with the assistance of foreign countries, are indeed waging a war in Manipur, he asserted.
Re-focusing on the issue of connectivity, MP Lei-shemba said, being a hilly State, Manipur at present has only air and National Highways connecting it with other States.
Even after around 10 years since the project began, the Jiribam-Imphal Railway Line has not been completed till today. Only the Jiribam to Khongsang section of the project has been completed, he said.
For better connectivity, the project should be completed at the earliest, he added.
Meanwhile, the Central Government must take concrete actions to free the National Highways from threats and allow people to commute safely. The Government must also crackdown on foreign narco terrorists and groups who want to secede from India, the MP reiterated.