Come forward for talks, do not resort to bandhs: Manipur CM

PTI

IMPHAL, May 22: Manipur Chief Minister Y Khemchand Singh on Friday appealed to the people of the state to come forward for talks and not to resort to bandhs or blockades.

Singh was speaking at the inauguration of a bridge at Akham Makha Leikai in Imphal West district.

Addressing a gather-ing, Singh said, “Enforcing bandhs and blockades out of anger toward the government only leads to hardship, par-ticularly for the daily wage earners.”

He also said, “I have been to Jiribam twice. First, I visited the district by heli-copter and second by road, during which members of Kuki, Paite, Hmar and Meit-eis gathered together at the grassroots level and inter-acted. All are having cordial relations.”

“The day after I returned from Jiribam, a bomb attack at Tronglaobi in Bishnupur district killed two small chil-dren in April cauing much grief to all of us. The inci-dent caused disruptions to the economy of the state due to shutdowns and bandhs,” he said.

Singh appealed, “To the people to come forward for talks to reach a mutual un-derstanding whenever there is any frustration or anger towards the government, as bandhs cause hardships, particularly to families of daily wage earners.”

Later, in a social me-dia post, Singh said “I am pleased to inaugurate the RCC Bridge over the Nam-bul River at Akham Mayai Leikai in Lamsang Assem-bly Constituency today, in the esteemed presence of MLA Lamsang AC S Rajen Singh.”

He also said, this vital infrastructure project will strengthen connectivity be-tween key areas, facilitate the movement of people and goods, support local markets, and contribute to economic growth and inclusive devel-opment.

“The government remains steadfast in its commitment to enhancing road connec-tivity and building quality infrastructure for the welfare and progress of the people of Manipur”, he added.