Manipur: Amid Violence, Train With Essential Commodities Reaches State

In a first, amid the violence, a freight train carrying essential commodities like potato, rice, sugar, onion and other food products reached Khongsang station in the strife-ridden state of Manipur.

Faced with continous unrest over the last two months, a severe crisis of food supply is looming large over Manipur.

The freight train started its journey from Guwahati on 22 July carrying two wagons of potato, three wagons of sugar and six wagons of mixed goods of onion, packaged juice, Coca Cola and potato chip and reached Khongsang at Manipur, on 24 July.

All these wagons were clubbed together and the piecemeal booking of goods was allowed as a special case on the request of Manipur transport secretary.

The goods train was received by Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh and other state ministers and officials at the station, according to the Northeast Frontier Railway.

This train will bring relief to the people of Manipur who have been suffering due to unavailability of essential commodities, owing to the civil unrest in the state.

The Railways maintains that more such freight service would be pressed into service for the state in the coming days.