Economic blockade hits Manipur’s Kangpokpi district, driving up the cost of essentials

Prices of essentials such as rice, petrol, and cooking gas have spiralled in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district over the last month, due to a severe economic blockade being imposed since May 13, when three Thadou pastors were killed in the Kuki-dominated district.

The blockade is so severe that Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen, who represents Kangpokpi in the Manipur Assembly, is yet to travel to the State capital Imphal since the elected government was restored after President’s Rule was revoked. Four months after she took oath, she still virtually attends the meetings called by Chief Minister Y. Khemchand Singh in Imphal.

At least 40 people have been killed in Manipur since February 4, when President’s Rule was revoked, in a fresh wave of ethnic conflict that has now spread to the Naga and Kuki communities. The northeastern State is inhabited by three major communities: the Meitei who dominate the Imphal valley and the tribal Kuki-Zo and Naga people who largely live in the surrounding hills. So far, around 300 people have been killed since ethnic violence, initially between Meiteis and Kukis, erupted in the State on May 3, 2023.

Rice prices double, no LPG supply

Due to Kangpokpi’s location — surrounded by the Naga-dominated Senapati district in the north and the Meitei-dominated valley districts in the south — transportation of essential items has been severely affected, with Naga village volunteers imposing a blockade on goods entering from outside the State.

Despite initiatives taken by the State government, daily items are scarcely available, according to Haokholet Kipgen, the MLA from Saitu constituency in Kangpokpi. There is nil supply of LPG cylinders and those already in the district are selling for ₹5,000 on the black market. A 50 kg bag of rice, which cost ₹1,400 to ₹1,700 before the blockade is now being sold at ₹4,000, the MLA told The Hindu.

Thangminlen Kipgen, president of Sadar Hills (Kangpokpi), a civil society group, said there has been a noticeable difference in administration since the elected government was restored, but the district’s access to National Highway-2, which connects it to Dimapur in Nagaland has been blocked since May 13. About 70% of daily supplies are brought to Kangpokpi through the arterial road, he said.

“It is always the poor who are affected by such incidents. Because of shortage of cooking gas, people switched to induction tops, which is leading to frequent power cuts of seven to eight hours. The cost of transportation has gone up. A litre of petrol costs ₹250 to ₹280. There is no way to control this local inflation. It has an effect on all commodities,” the civil society leader said. He added that in some places, local residents have erected physical structures between Naga and Kuki villages as a safety measure.

Security efforts to protect convoys

A senior security force official confirmed that several groups have been placing illegal blockades along NH-2, and added that efforts are on to ensure the movement of convoys carrying essential supplies. Over the past week, around 30 bunkers set up by village volunteers have been dismantled, the official said.

After the bodies of six missing Naga men, including two pastors, were recovered on June 10 from Kangpokpi, the local blockades have intensified. The six men and their family members were abducted on May 13 following the killing of the three Thadou church leaders in an ambush the same day in Kangpokpi. At least 44 civilians were reportedly taken hostage by Kuki and Naga groups in Kangpokpi and Senapati districts. While several of those abducted were released earlier, 14 members of the Kuki community who remained in captivity were released on June 9, a day before the bodies of the Naga hostages were recovered.

On June 23, Manipur police said that security forces had conducted search operations and area domination in fringe and vulnerable areas across districts. They also installed 114 check points in both hill and valley districts.

“Movement of 392 vehicles carrying essential items along NH-37 (Assam-Manipur) has been ensured. Strict security measures are taken up in all vulnerable locations and security convoy is provided in sensitive stretches in order to ensure free and safe movement of the vehicles,” the police said.