Imphal, March 24: The agitation in Manipur against the use of the Bengali script in textbooks is snowballing into a bigger crisis than the administration had thought it would.

An economic blockade on the national and state highways ? one of many that this volatile state has had to contend with in recent times ?has raised the prospect of a scarcity of essentials in the state within the next few days.

The Meitei Erol Eyek Loinasillon Apunba Lup, which is leading the campaign for the adoption of the Meitei script, launched the indefinite blockade at midnight last night. Scores of goods-laden trucks bound for Imphal have been stranded along the Imphal-Dimapur road.

An official source said security teams would be deployed along the main supply routes to prevent activists from blocking trucks.

Leaders of the Meitei Erol Eyek Loinasillon Apunba Lup had held talks with the government last night, but failed to break the deadlock on the issue of replacing the Bengali script with the Meitei one.

Sources said a nine-member delegation from the organisation and the Democratic Students Alliance met chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh and held a two-hour discussion, the first since the agitation began on February 10.

The delegation is understood to have demanded a clear-cut policy from the government on replacing the Bengali script in textbooks in the local language. Ibobi Singh, however, made no such commitment.

On Tuesday, a private member?s bill to amend the Manipur Official Language Act and introduce the Meitei script in educational institutions was vetoed by the Assembly. Tabled by Manipur People?s Party leader Nimaichand Luwang, the bill had recommended an amendment to replace the words ?Bengali script? with ?Meitei script? in the act. The move was, however, blocked through a voice vote after a marathon debate.

Ibobi Singh said an amendment would force the government to replace the Bengali script in school and college textbooks immediately, which would be ?impractical?.