Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Friday met three union ministers to discuss different demands, including expediting the construction of highways in the state, and stated that the Union Defence Minister is working tirelessly to restore normalcy in Manipur.
CM Biren departed for New Delhi on Thursday to attend the Niti Aayog meeting scheduled for Friday, which will be followed by the Chief Ministers Conclave. Both meetings will be chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
This will be the first meeting between Manipur CM N Biren Singh and Prime Minister Narendra Modi since the violence in Manipur erupted on May 3, 2023.
Before departing for New Delhi on Thursday, CM Biren told the media that he would take the opportunity to meet the Prime Minister during the conclave. “I will take the advantage of addressing the prevailing situation in the state. I will request an immediate solution to the present crisis,” he said.
On Friday, he met three different union ministers, including Union Minister of Road, Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and Union Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw.
The chief minister met Nitin Gadkari and Ashwini Vaishnaw in New Delhi and Rajnath Singh at Parliament House.
CM Biren shared a post on his Facebook page, “Had an engaging meeting with Hon’ble Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Shri Nitin Gadkari Ji in New Delhi. Some of the points discussed: Expedite highway construction and repair the roads damaged by recent floods in the state.”(sic)
In a different post, he uploaded photographs with a caption, “It was a pleasure meeting the Hon’ble Defence Minister, Shri Rajnath Singh Ji, at Parliament House today. We had an in-depth discussion about the situation in Manipur. Shri Rajnath Ji is working tirelessly to restore normalcy throughout the state. I also requested Shri Rajnath Singh Ji to expedite the handover of the Koirengei Air Field land to the State Government.” (sic)
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CM Biren also posted another update on his Facebook wall with a caption, “Had a meeting with Hon’ble Union Minister of Railways, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw Ji in New Delhi. Key Points Discussed: Complete the railway works at Noney and Khoupum as soon as possible. Complete the final leg of the Jiribam-Imphal railway line and operationalize train service from Imphal at the earliest. I also extend my gratitude to Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw Ji for the first consignment of food grains by train at Khongsang Railway Station, Noney District.”(sic)
Coincidentally, Imphal Free Press had published an earlier report highlighting the issues faced by transporters along NH-37 (Imphal-Silchar via Jiribam). The report noted that the condition of the national highway was so poor that it took around four days to travel from Imphal to Jiribam, while the government claimed that an airplane could land on the highway.
Oil tankers along the highway had launched a ‘steer down’ strike for three days and requested NHIDCL to complete the repairs to make the highway motorable within three days.
