Jiribam, August 05: With money running out and no sign of any sincere efforts from the side of the State administration to provide escorts on the National Highways, around 300 passengers who have been stranded at Silchar and Jiribam for the past ten days have decided to walk home on foot along NH-53 and face any eventualities.

The Imphal East district authorities this morning had intimated to the Jiribam ADC that security escorts would be provided to take the stranded passengers home but in a complete volte face in the evening the authority informed the ADC that they would not be in a position to provide the escorts.

The ADC was informed that escorts would be sent on NH-39 tomorrow as an army convoy would be leaving tomorrow.

The ADC was asked to transfer the stranded passengers to Dimapur so that they may accompany the escort tomorrow at 1 pm.

However no vehicle is ready to take the journey to Dimapur without adequate security cover as that would entail traveling tonight so that the passengers may reach Dimapur in time to accompany the security escort.

Meanwhile, the Jiribam branch of AMSU has opened an information cell at its office so that family members from Imphal can contact the stranded passengers who are at the relief camp set up by the student body.

The contact number is (953876) 21550, AMSU office, Jiribam.

The information cell will be opened 24 hours a day, informed AMSU, Jiribam.

As reported earlier around 300 passengers are presently stranded at Jiribam.

Some of the stranded passengers include service men.

The peeved service men have asked that they be provide with their service arms so that they may provide protection to the vehicles and passengers as the State government has failed to provide adequate security cover on the highways.

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