Imphal-Guwahati bus service resumes after more than three years

Imphal-Guwahati bus service resumes after more than three years The movement of all communities on the arterial National Highway 2 is believed to pave the way for sustainable peace in Manipur.

Key points

• Manipur administration office-holders noted 125 passengers left for Guwahati, Assam's principal city, from Imphal in two buses and five wingers on Friday (August 21, 2026) morning.
• The Imphal-Guwahati bus service via Nagaland's Dimapur resumed on Friday (August 21, 2026) after more than three years, raising hopes for sustainable peace in conflict-scarred Manipur.
• This service was a major casualty of the ethnic conflict that broke out between the tribal Kuki-Zo and the non-tribal Meitei communities on May 3, 2023.
• Kiyam Kumarjit Singh from Imphal Valley's Thoubal district thanked the State administration for the positive initiative.
• Authorities stated the buses crossed Kangpokpi, a Kuki-dominated district, and the Naga-majority Senapati district before entering Nagaland in the afternoon en route to Guwahati.

Imphal-Guwahati bus service resumes after more than three years of unrest in Manipur. Photo: Special Arrangement.

Notably, the Imphal-Guwahati bus service via Nagaland's Dimapur resumed on Friday (August 21, 2026) after more than three years, raising hopes for sustainable peace in conflict-scarred Manipur.

In practice, the bus service on National Highway-2, the more preferred of Manipur's two lifelines, had been the primary mode of surface communication for most individuals in the State with the world beyond. This service was a major casualty of the ethnic conflict that broke out between the tribal Kuki-Zo and the non-tribal Meitei communities on May 3, 2023.

"The resumption of this service is an significant step towards restoring normal life and strengthening connectivity. Individuals have welcomed the restoration of this crucial inter-State link, " a administration spokesperson noted.

Kiyam Kumarjit Singh from Imphal Valley's Thoubal district thanked the State administration for the positive initiative. "The resumption of the bus service should usher in love, peace, and harmony among all communities in the State, and should help people forget the past and look ahead, " he remarked.

Nivedita Chanu, a traveller from Imphal East district's Khundrakpam village, remarked the lifting of highway blockades and free movement of residents augured well for Manipur.

In practice, the movement of individuals belonging to most communities in Manipur had been barred on NH-2 due to a series of blockades and counter-blockades, first by Kuki groups and then by Naga organisations.

For context, the bus service resumed after Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh on August 8 confirmed the reopening of the national highways for the free movement of all communities. He confirmed this during his visit to Kangpokpi district, along with Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen and Saitu MLA Haokholet Kipgen.

For now, imphal-Guwahati bus service resumes after more than three years remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.