Six wagons carrying onions sent to Manipur from Maharashtra

Mumbai: The Central Railway has sent six wagons loaded with onions to Manipur from Manmad in Maharashtra's Nashik district, a CR official said on Tuesday.

In the wake of the prevailing law and order situation in Manipur leading to scarcity of essential items, the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) in co-operation with the state's transport department on Sunday sent the first goods trains carrying essential commodities to the violence-hit north-eastern state, officials said on Monday.

The inaugural goods train reached Khongsang railway station in Manipur’s Tamenglong district from Guwahati on Monday. Talking to PTI, Central Railway's chief public relations officer Dr Shivraj Manaspure said onions were loaded in 22 wagons at Ankai goods shed near Manmad station in Nashik for Changsari station near Guwahati in Assam, from where six wagons were sent to Khongsang station in Manipur.

"A total of six wagons reached Khongsang station on Monday," he said.

A local trader had booked the wagons from Ankai to Khongsang, the official said.

The onion-laden train travelled a total distance of 2,801 km from the Ankai goods shed and reached Khongsang on Monday evening, he said.

A railway official told PTI that after the 22 wagons reached Changsari station, the North Frontier Railway separated the six onion-laden wagons and attached them to another goods train, which was carrying various essential commodities like potatoes, sugar and other fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) to Manipur.

More than 160 people lost their lives and several thousands were injured since ethnic clashes broke out in Manipur on May 3 after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. Tribals -- Nagas and Kukis -- constitute another 40 per cent of the population and reside in the hill districts.