Imphal, August 23: Drivers and handymen who are presently stranded at Kharkhatti in Assam and on the NH-39 are facing untold miseries and their food stock is running low.

With no sign of the lifting of the economic blockade in sight and in the face of the inability of the State Government to provide adequate security along the highways, more problems appear to await the drivers and the handymen who are presently stranded along the highway.

Fortunately so far there is no fear of an outbreak of any communicable disease amongst the drivers and handymen stranded along the highway.

Representatives of the Manipur Drivers� Welfare Association and Truck Owners� Welfare Association led by the executive member of the owners� secretary of the drivers� body.

Ibohal are working overtime to look after the welfare of the stranded drivers.

Rice would be bought and distributed to the drivers tomorrow, they in formed this reporters today.

at present around 160 fuel tankers are stuck at the Khatkhatti Forest Gate ground.

In addition to this about 400 goods trucks are stranded all the way from Khatkhatti to beyond Bokajan.

The distance between Khatkhatti and Bokajan is about 6/7 kilometers.

As the stranded vehicles on the highway include LPG carriers, Assam police have told the drivers to shift to another place as the highly inflammable LPG carriers could pose problems on the highway.

Moreover the stranded vehicles are causing a minor jam on the busy highway.

Following the directives of the Assam Police, the drivers and representatives of the transporters bodies are looking for a suitable place where they can park their vehicles.

The drivers also plan to stage demonstrations once the site for parking their vehicle is found.

As news of the torching of an LPG carrier at Tadubi spread amongst the drivers, there was palpable tension in the air.

The incident has left the drivers shaken and they are now even more adamant they would not take the wheel until the blockade is lifted or the State administration provides adequate security to them.

Another unsavory incident has also left a bitter taste amongst the drivers today.

Two vehicles of the BSF today came to the place where the trucks are stranded at Khatkhatti and told the drivers that they would be escorted to Manipur.

However when trucks were abut enter the Nagaland border the BSF personnel allegedly told them they would escort only the oil tankers.

All the trucks then turned back towards Assam.

Meanwhile Manipur Truck Owners� Welfare Association refuted the statement of the DGP AA Siddique that security escorts are provided to the transporters 2/3 times a week.

Escort is provided only for oil tankers and not the other vehicles, said the transporters in a statement issued in Imphal.

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