The Rs 727-crore Jiribam-Toupul Railway Project — Manipur’s first rail link with the rest of the country — has come under the shadow of an NSCN (I-M) diktat that orders all work be ceased on the project. A directive issued by the outfit’s “Ministry of Finance” has threatened to destroy construction materials and “arrest” the labourers in case of non compliance, and has banned all related contract work.

The NSCN (I-M)’s Minister for Information & Publicity Tongmet Konyak told The Indian Express on Saturday that as the rail line would have to pass through Naga areas, prior assent is a must. “The people of the region have to be consulted first as to whether they want the railway line. Without the assent of the people, and the GPRN, nothing can be done. The same applies to all contract works in the Naga areas of Manipur. No contract works can henceforth be issued without the GPRN’s approval.” While officials of the Northeast Frontier Railways (NEFR), the agency implementing the project, said they had no intimation of the directive, sources said the NEFR has approached the Manipur Government for tighter security. A spokesperson for the NEFR (Construction) said there was nothing in writing from the outfit.