Imphal, Aug 29 (IANS) More than 1,700 passengers, including women, have travelled smoothly from Imphal to Nagaland’s Dimapur and Assam’s main city of Guwahati via National Highway-2 over the past week, following the resumption of inter-state public transport services after a gap of more than three years.
In a major development, inter-state passenger bus services between Manipur, Assam and Nagaland resumed on August 21 for the first time after the ethnic violence broke out on May 3, 2023.
A Manipur transport department official said that the resumption of public road transport service along the Imphal-Dimapur-Guwahati route via National Highway-2 continued smoothly, with more than 400 passengers departing from Imphal in 19 vehicles on Saturday. The vehicles comprising eight buses and 11 wingers left Imphal on Saturday morning.
The official noted that the steady movement of public transport along NH-2 underscores the ongoing efforts by authorities to facilitate safe and hassle-free travel for passengers on this vital route. Various sections of society have been appreciating the state government led by Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh for such a positive initiative.
Saturday marks the first day since the resumption of public road transport along NH-2 that the number of passengers has crossed the 400 mark, reaching 428, the official added.
Commuters from diverse communities have been travelling via NH-2 since August 21, 2026. More than 1,700 individuals have successfully travelled from Imphal to Dimapur, Nagaland’s main commercial city, and Guwahati via NH-2 over the past week.
The movement of transport vehicles was suspended on Friday due to a shutdown in Senapati district following the violent incident on Thursday (August 27). Four members of the Liangmai Naga community, including the Principal of a private school, were killed and another person injured in an ambush by armed militants in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district on Thursday.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah had earlier lauded the state government’s initiative for successfully resuming the Imphal-Dimapur-Guwahati bus service and ensuring free movement on the National Highway 2.
Chief Minister Khemchand Singh had earlier stated that the resumption of public road transport services (between Imphal and Guwahati) will provide much-needed relief to the people of Manipur, particularly students studying outside the state and those travelling for medical treatment.
It may be recalled that the resumption of transport service along NH-2 comes after the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen and local MLA Haokholet Kipgen jointly announced the reopening of National Highways for free movement of all communities and the resumption of Imphal—Dimapur–Guwahati bus service on August 8 at Kangpokpi district.
The Imphal-Jiribam National Highway (NH-37) and the Imphal-Dimapur-Guwahati National Highway (NH-2) are the two crucial lifelines of Manipur, connecting the state with the rest of the country.
The passenger bus services along National Highway-2 had remained disrupted following the outbreak of ethnic violence between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo tribal communities in Manipur on May 3, 2023.
–IANS
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