Road condition improves; trucks take 3 days to reach Imphal
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, August 30 2024: Following a slight improvement in the condition of NH-37 (Imphal-Jiribam highway) and cessation or thinning of rainfall during the last three/four days, trucks and tankers now take three days to reach Imphal from Jiribam.

Notably, the people of Manipur particularly those residing in the valley districts have been currently facing shortage of LPG and petrol.

The condition of NH-37 was in extremely bad shape.

It grew worse following heavy rainfall during the past one month.

With the NHIDCL's efforts to repair the highway yielding little results, it took almost 10 days for loaded trucks and tankers to reach Imphal from Jiribam just a week back.

Road condition improves; trucks take 3 days to reach Imphal

In the past, trucks were able to cover the Jiribam-Imphal journey in a day before the highway deteriorated to an extremely sorry state.

As it took almost 10 days for loaded trucks and tankers to reach Imphal, shipping in of LPG and petroleum products to Imphal dwindled drastically resulting in shortage of LPG and petrol in the valley districts and certain hill areas.

As evident in the long queues seen in front of petrol pumps, the valley districts and certain hill areas are still facing shortage of petrol.

Although people have been standing in long queues to refill their vehicles, most petrol pumps run out of petrol in the afternoon.

According to information received from the IOCL's Malom depot, as the volume of fuel shipped in to the State dwindled drastically, there is no stock of petrol in the depot's storage tanks except for emergency purposes.

Considering the requirement of the public, petrol brought by oil tankers are released directly to petrol pumps.

Oil tankers no longer unload petrol in the depot's storage tanks.

With the weather condition improving over the last three/four days and the NHIDCL's efforts of repairing the highway yielding some positive results, loaded tankers and trucks which left Jiribam on August 27 reached Imphal on August 29 .

The convoy of loaded trucks and tankers which left Jiribam on August 27 reached Shanti Khunou on the same day.

The convoy reached Noney on the next day before they reached Imphal on August 29 .

If the volume of petroleum products and LPG shipped in to the State increases at this rate, the State may be able to get rid of LPG and petrol shortage in the coming days.

Yet, transporters plying on NH-37 have expressed keen desire for the Government to pay special attention to the highway development work and see that the worst sections at Old Kaiphundai, Nungkao and Nungba are repaired at the earliest.