Imphal-Guwahati bus service resumes after more than three years

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.

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 people 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.

Manipur government officials said 125 passengers left for Guwahati, Assam’s principal city, from Imphal in two buses and five wingers on Friday (August 21, 2026) morning.

“The resumption of this service is an important step towards restoring normal life and strengthening connectivity. People have welcomed the restoration of this crucial inter-State link,” a government spokesperson said.

Kiyam Kumarjit Singh from Imphal Valley’s Thoubal district thanked the State government 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 said.

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

Officials said the buses crossed Kangpokpi, a Kuki-dominated district, and the Naga-majority Senapati district before entering Nagaland in the afternoon en route to Guwahati.

The movement of people 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.

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