Over 100 oil/gas tankers stranded Landslides cut off Imphal-Dimapur highway
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, August 22 2015 : Huge landslides triggered by heavy rainfall in the last 4/5 days have cut off Imphal-Dimapur high-way at Pesama, Nagaland.

Subsequently, transportation of different types of goods including essential commodities along the highway has been suspended since the past four days.

Notably, BRO is in charge of maintaining and repairing the highway.

One official of 89 BRTF told The Sangai Express that massive landslides triggered by incessant torrential rain in the last 4/5 days have block-ed almost 200 metres of the highway.

The landslides started on August 17 and continued till August 19.Now the highway has been totally cut off.

A section of landslide affected highway at Pesama

Maximum efforts are being invested to re-open the highway by constructing anew a section of the highway above the portion which has been blocked.

However, the road construction work is hampered by heavy rainfall.

The rainfall rate ranges between 80 mm to 120 mm.

As such, it would take some time before the highway can be re-opened.

Following the massive landslides which cut off the highway at Pesama, transportation of all types of goods including essential commodities to Imphal has been sus- pended since August 19 .

Transportation of FCI rice, sugar and other commodities as well as petroleum products has also stopped.

Even as most inter-State passenger bus operators have suspended their service, some are taking passengers up to Pesama.

And the passengers are taken to their different destinations by other vehicles after crossing the landslide affected area on foot.

One IOC official informed that tanker trucks have suspended transportation of petroleum products since August 19 .

On being contacted by IOC, BRTF informed that it would take some time before the highway is re-opened and that tanker trucks can resume transportation of petrol and diesel to Imphal.

It is reported that around 100 loaded tanker trucks and LPG bullets have been stranded at Dimapur on account of the landslides.