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Normal life in Manipur was brought to a complete standstill by an economic blockade spearheaded by the All Naga Students' Association. Simultaneously, the All Tribal Students' Union is leading a stir in the state. Oil depots have shut shop while the prices of essential commodities have sky rocketed. Hospitals have shut down due to non-availability of life-saving drugs and oxygen. At present, a resolution does seem in sight. "The prices have been hiked very significantly. Earlier one bag of rice cost rupees 670. Now, it has reached rupees 980. As a result I can't afford rice, so, I have avoided procuring rice. How can I purchase it? How can I sell to those poor villagers who won't be in a position to purchase it? As the price has hiked very high I'm not in a position to buy in abundance. So, I am compelled to purchase only a rickshaw load materials," said Ahanbi Devi, a businesswoman in Imphal. The shortage is so acute that black marketing of items is rife. "I've been told that now the petrol is being sold at Rupees150 per litre," said Binota Devi, a housewife. "We are not satisfied with the government's policies, because they could have arranged in such a way that every one gets their share. Instead, why have they allowed the black marketers in," she added. The ANSAM has alleged that the Amendment Act might deprive ethnic Nagas in Manipur of their cultural identity.

Economic blockade hits normal life in Manipur