IMPHAL, Nov 13: School van drivers in Manipur’s state capital on Thursday staged a sit in protest against unbearable monetary demands by armed outfits.
More than 500 van drivers under the aegis of All Manipur School Students Transporters’ Association staged a sit in protest at eight different locations of Imphal valley districts against unbearble monetary demands by armed outfits.
The van drivers also suspended their activities of ferrying students for the day.
The Association’s representative Meghachandra Singh told reporters, ‘the monetary demand by armed outfits are being served to individual drivers. We had been told to collect the money from them and hand it over to them (armed outfits). Many of them have been told to pay Rs 2000 per driver. Previously also such monetary demands have been made to us and the association did paid what they could.”
He said “there are nearly 4000 vehicles in Imphal East and Imphal West districts. None of these families are well to do and struggling.”
A protester Dinamani Singh told reporters, “with the little income we get from driving school vans, we run our family and maintain the vehicle as well. If a high portion of it is taken away by armed outfits, how are we going to run our family and survive. We appeal to the armed outfits to withdraw their monetary demands.”
(By Our Correspondent)
