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Menace on the
Highway
Pressure group the world over, irrespective of their ideological leanings and which country they operate, have developed the uncanny knack of spotting the soft spot of the authority concerned and how to deliver the knock out punch to present their case more effectively thereby managing to strike a deal which almost always reflect their interest and agenda. There is nothing wrong in employing these tactics to protect one's interest or to highlight one's agenda as long as the common people are not subjected to unnecessary hardships and inconveniences.
The two National Highways that connects the State to the outside world has become a bone of contention between various armed underground organizations and State Government in the past many years. Not only the underground organizations but a number of voluntary organizations, including student bodies and other sundry organizations have been exploiting the importance of these highways to put their points across to the authority.
While these organizations may have reasons to exploit the central role played by these highways to protect their interests or highlight their grievances we certainly do not know what compelling reasons certain armed persons or groups have to turn their guns on the passengers and transporters plying on these routes to extract their pound of flesh. One explanation could be that some of the armed organizations have resorted to this practice just to stamp their authority on the highways and imposing taxes on the vehicles thereby showing to the whole world that they control the life lines of the State. This is fine but the moment drivers and passengers are harassed unnecessarily through the barrel of the guns, then we can with confidence say that such acts are not any show of authority but misusing the powers of the gun, which should in the first place be trained against their enemies and not on the passengers and transporters who are obliged to take the route.
Since June 29 the Imphal-Silchar Road Transporters Welfare Society has suspended passenger services on NH-53 protesting against the harassment and indignity meted out by armed persons on passengers and transporters who take this route. Following the stir launched by the Society all passengers services to Tamenglong, Money, Nungba and Tupul have also been suspended since July 6. This is not the first time that passenger services and vehicular movement on the National Highways have been suspended in protest against the frequent harassment meted out to the passengers and transporters.
A little jog down the memory lane will remind us all of the perilous days that followed whenever an economic blockade was imposed on the highway, particularly on NH-39. The question now is why are the highways used or abused by certain organizations to put their views and opinion across. Why should the people as a whole be made to suffer just because some section of the society wants to bring the Government to its knee? Or is it because the Government has become so insensitive that it wakes up only when the aggrieved party resort to such extreme measure as blocking the highway?
These questions may seem out of context in the backdrop of the present suspension of passenger services on NH-53 but worth asking all the same for the simple reason that no one has the right to take the whole State to ransom to get across their viewpoints. By harassing drivers and passengers on the highways what are the armed men trying to prove? That their writ runs on the highway and if they ask you to crawl you should?
In our opinion such show of manly courage is downright juvenile and will not prove anything manly but expose their immaturity. Amidst all these the most surprising thing is the deafening silence maintained by the Government. The Monsoon session is still underway and no one has brought this matter for discussion on the floor of the Assembly. No, we do not want any high sounding promises like providing a Highway Protection Force but we want our elected representatives to study the matter seriously and try work things out.
(Courtesy: The Sangai Express)
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