Manipur Restores Imphal-Dimapur-Guwahati Bus Service After 3 Years

Public transport services along National Highway 2 in Manipur resumed on Friday after a gap of three years, with 125 passengers travelling from Imphal towards Dimapur and Guwahati. The passengers departed Imphal in two buses and five tempo travellers, marking a significant step towards restoring normal life and strengthening connectivity in the state.

The vehicles passed through Kuki-majority Kangpokpi and Naga-dominated Senapati districts without any incident and were en route to Guwahati in Assam via Nagaland, an official statement said.

Bus Route Reopens After Ethnic Conflict

Movement along the national highways had been severely affected following the outbreak of ethnic clashes in the state in 2023, with people from different communities refraining from travelling through areas dominated by other groups due to safety concerns and blockades.

Manipur Chief Minister Khemchand Yumnam said in a post on X, “As part of my government's continued efforts to restore peace and normalcy in the state,  Bus service of Imphal-Dimapur-Guwahati has resumed today after more than three years. Two buses and five wingers, carrying 125 passengers have safely reach Senapati a while ago.”

Earlier on August 8, Yumnam announced that in a historic step towards peace and normalcy in Manipur, it was announced in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen and NDA legislators, it was decided that the Imphal–Guwahati Bus Service would resume. He had also said that the National Highway will be open to all communities.

“A step towards restoring connectivity, rebuilding trust and strengthening people-to-people bonds. Let us move forward together in peace, reconciliation and hope,” he said.

Government Pushes For Normal Movement

One of the passengers, Kiyam Kumarjit Singh from Thoubal district, expressed gratitude to the state government for the initiative and hoped the resumption of the service would usher in "love, peace and harmony" among all communities. "Let us all forgive and forget the past," he said.

Another passenger, Nivedita from Khundrakpam village in Imphal East district, prayed that the journey would bring peace to the state.

The Chief Minister had earlier expressed concern that acts of violence have repeatedly undermined efforts towards reconciliation.

Referring to incidents that disrupted the peace process, he said such acts benefit only those who seek to profit from conflict and asserted that these individuals do not represent any particular community but are driven by vested interests that oppose the restoration of peace.

More than 260 people have been killed and 60,000 have been displaced in ethnic strife between Meiteis and Kuki-Zo groups. Security forces have been conducting search operations and area domination in the fringe and vulnerable localities across Manipur since ethnic violence broke out three years ago.