Talks between the Assam government and All Assam Moran Students Union (AAMSU) leaders to end the indefinite economic blockade on highways in Upper Assam’s Tinsukia district failed after Dispur refused to accept the union’s demands
Union leaders and chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal were closeted for over an hour from 7pm.
Amsu central committee general secretary Naba Moran told The Telegraph, “A meeting was held from 7pm to 8pm with the chief minister but brought no result as the government refused to accept our demands, including withdrawal of the citizenship bill.”
“A meeting of the executive committee of Amsu will be held on Friday at 11am where we will decide what to do with the blockade. It will continue till then,” he said over phone.
Besides Sonowal and senior minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, other ministers were also present in the meeting.
“We demanded withdrawal of the bill before the Parliamentary session began but the government neither agreed nor answered clearly, said Amsu president Arunjyoti Moran.
Thousands of truck drivers stranded near Makum Junction on National Highways 37, 51 and 52 in Tinsukia on Thursday are going without food and water because of the blockade.
Goods-laden trucks, oil tankers and forest-produce vehicles are stuck as a result of the fifth day of the indefinite economic blockade called by Amsu and its Lekang unit of eastern Arunachal Pradesh.
Amsu’s Lekang unit has been demanding permanent resident certificates for the Moran community residing there since the pre-Independence era, while its central committee has been demanding a Moran autonomous council, non-privatisation of oil fields, scrapping of the citizenship bill and ST status to the Moran community.
There were long queues at petrol pumps for fuel as stocks ran low.
“I have been stranded for five days. I have run out of money and I don’t have an ATM card. What will I eat tonight? In the morning I had tea with biscuits. I have to walk to a nearby village for water,” said Kartar Singh, a driver from Haryana.
A driver cooking chapatis on kerosene oil stove said, “Our stocks of fuel have run out. We don’t have a change of clothes and haven’t bathed for days. Our families must be worried as we don’t have money to recharge our phones and cannot contact them.”
A traffic constable at Makum Tinali, Vijay Phukan, told The Telegraph, “We are struggling to maintain smooth flow of traffic.”
“Volunteers supporting the blockade snatched the keys of our vehicles,” alleged another driver.
Amsu central committee general secretary Naba Moran said, “The rail blockade at Makum railway junction is on. Two coal-laden trains and three passenger trains are unable to reach Tinsukia junction.”
“We will meet Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal at 7pm,” he said.
“We are hopeful that they (Amsu) will call off the blockade,” said Tinsukia district superintendent of police Mugdha Jyoti Mahanta.
The blockade has led to a shortage of essential commodities, including domestic gas cylinders.
An OIL India official said, “Oil India has stopped production.”
The blockade is also affecting the whole of eastern Arunachal Pradesh.