Guwahati: Former Manipur Director General of Police Yumnam Joykumar Singh has backed the government’s decision to reopen National Highway 2, calling it a much-needed step to restore movement in the violence-hit state.
He urged authorities to extend the same focus to other key routes, including NH-37 and the road to Moreh on the Indo-Myanmar border, to ease mobility for ordinary citizens.
Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge!
“Manipur is a landlocked state, and most people cannot afford air travel,” Singh said, highlighting the necessity of secure and accessible road networks.
He asserted that the authorities must provide foolproof security across all major highways to restore normalcy.
Singh said the security situation had improved under President’s Rule compared to the previous N. Biren Singh-led government, as reported by a news agency.
Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge!
However, he admitted that tensions between communities still linger beneath the surface.
Beyond infrastructure, Singh called for the early resettlement of thousands displaced by ethnic violence, which has claimed more than 250 lives and uprooted around 60,000 people.
He emphasized the need for a neutral government to oversee the resettlement process and foster reconciliation between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities.
He cited recent dialogues between Meitei and Thadou civil society groups as encouraging signs, but warned that peace would remain elusive without trust-building efforts.
“There must be sustained dialogue between civil society groups on both sides,” he said.
Singh also pointed to illegal migration from Myanmar as a core issue fueling unrest. He criticized Manipur’s failure to regulate refugee settlements, unlike Mizoram, which restricts long-term integration. He alleged that many of these migrants have become active participants in the conflict against the Meiteis.
Calling for safeguards against demographic manipulation, Singh pushed for a special intensive revision of the electoral rolls.
He said the authorities must preserve the integrity of the voter list through stricter scrutiny, given Manipur’s border location and strategic importance.