People of India's northeastern Manipur state flocked to local markets on Monday to stock up on essential commodities. It comes in the wake of an announcement that an economic blockade will be imposed for 20 days, beginning Wednesday.
The announcement was made by the United Naga Council, which said that the blockade would be imposed along the two national highways leading to Manipur.
People lined up their vehicles in front of gas pumps to refuel their vehicles. Some vendors even sold bottles of fuel on roads.
Manipur suffered two months of blockade by Naga ethnic groups earlier this year.
[Onieu, Student]:
"Everyone including students and day-to-day wage earners normally face lots of problems during shutdowns. We are against it.”
The earlier blockade dried up supplies in the state and gasoline prices more than doubled, while food prices soared and medicines were scarce.
[Brojen Singh, Local]:
"Already 68 economic blockades have been imposed in the state. People, especially those below the poverty line, suffer during blockade due to price rise in essential commodities.”
Paramilitary personnel and police forces have been deployed to escort vehicles carrying goods to Manipur.
Although that economic blockade was lifted recently, Manipur is still not fully supplied with gasoline and other essential commodities due to a boycott by operators of tankers and other freight trucks.
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