Moreh remains cut off, reels under scarcity
Rice at Rs 50 per kilo, petrol at Rs 110 per litre !
Source: The Sangai Express

Moreh, August 09 2015 : With Moreh literally cut off from the rest of the world for the last many days, the border town is today literally reeling under a severe crunch of shortage of essential commodities.

A kilogramme of rice today costs Rs 50 while a litre of petrol is sold at Rs 110 per litre in the black market.

After days of vehicular movement along Imphal-Moreh highway remaining suspended following landslides at numerous points, traffic was partially restored a few days back.

However movement of heavy vehicles, which ship in the essential items daily has been banned, with the State Public Works Department issuing an order to stop the movement of heavy vehicles along the said route some days earlier.

A sunk stretch on the Imphal-Moreh highway

Speaking to The Sangai Express an official source from the PWD said that a highly dilapidated 15 Km long section of Imphal-Moreh highway may require re-construction of a new alignment.

Detailed reports have been sent to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) last Friday on the damages caused by landslides and heavy rainfall on Imphal-Moreh highway recently.

The highway which forms a part of Asian Highway-I has been badly damaged by landslides at 4/5 points near Sita Lamkhai, sinking between Pallel and Sinam and development of huge cracks between Tengnoupal and Khudengthabi.

The total length of the highway thus damaged is around 15 Kms.

Separate reports about these damaged sections have been submitted to MoRTH and the Ministry would decide how to repair or re-construct these sections.

Before the damaged sections are repaired/re-constructed, MoRTH's Guwahati based Regional Officer would make a field inspection.

Even though it is just 15 Kms, the Ministry would be required to produce a substantial amount of money as the highway restoration work would entail making fresh alignments and re-construction of certain sections to the existing breadth of seven metres.

This is the first time the highway has been damaged so badly.

Even today, downward flow of earth, mud, uprooted trees and snapped tree branches from hill tops has not stopped completely, added the official.

The trouble is compounded by the fact that connection with Myanmar too has been paralysed for the last 15 days or so following heavy rains in the neighbouring country.

With most the areas in Myanmar, near the border, remaining under water for the last two weeks, vehicular movement on the other side of the border too has remained suspended.

In the face of the heavy flood across the border, a number of people from Myanmar crossed into Moreh and went on a collection drive asking for help, recently.

The Meitei Council, Moreh had chipped in and collected whatever they could to be handed over to the people of Myanmar, living near the border.

On the other hand, with movement of heavy vehicles coming to a halt between Imphal and Moreh, the price of rice has sky rocketed to Rs 50 per kilogramme.

Petrol too is being sold at Rs 110 per litre in the black market, hitting the people of Moreh.

Even movement of light vehicles along Imphal-Moreh highway is fraught with uncertainty as the stretch is still dogged by landslides and cracks.

A heavy landslide at Lokchao along Pallel to Khudengthabi of the Imphal-Moreh stretch has severely impacted vehicular movement.

Moreover large cracks have appeared on the highway near Lai Maton and near Tengnoupal police station.

The president of Meitei Council, Moreh has appealed to the State Government to speed up the repairing work along the Imphal-Moreh highway.

On the other hand, the president of Indo-Myanmar Workers' Forum, Moreh, N Pulindro Singh has stated that deploying only 4 JCBs to clear the highway stretch is not enough to finish the work in good time.

He demanded that the Government utilise more machinery to make the highway fit for vehicular movement.