Imphal : Around 1,500 loaded trucks and fuel tankers have remained stranded for more than 15 days along a 20-kilometre stretch of National Highway 37 near the Assam-Manipur border, prompting transporters to demand adequate security escorts for their movement towards Imphal.

Tensions rose on Tuesday when a large number of stranded truck drivers and handymen gathered at the Jiribam police station, seeking immediate intervention from the authorities.

The crisis emerged after security forces initially deployed only one convoy despite a request for two, leaving hundreds of vehicles and their crews stranded along the highway connecting Imphal with Silchar through Jiribam.

The Transporters’ and Drivers’ Council (TDC) has maintained its five-day ultimatum to the state government. TDC president Hijam Ranjit said transporters would proceed towards Imphal with or without official security if adequate escorts were not arranged within the deadline.

The stranded vehicles include fuel tankers and trucks carrying essential goods. Drivers and handymen have reportedly been facing shortages of food and money while remaining stranded for more than two weeks, away from their homes.

The situation escalated around 9 am when the transport workers assembled at the Jiribam police station. They demanded that the authorities either fulfil the police’s request for a second security convoy or allow the vehicles to proceed without escorts.

Earlier in the day, security forces had deployed a convoy of 150 vehicles, including 85 fuel tankers and 65 goods-laden trucks. Following the protest, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) deployed a second convoy by around 2 pm in an effort to ease the situation and facilitate the movement of stranded vehicles.

The additional convoy temporarily reduced tensions, but the TDC maintained that transporters could still be compelled to travel independently if adequate security arrangements were not put in place. Ranjit warned that the government would be held responsible for any untoward incident or security failure if drivers were forced to travel along the highway without armed escorts.

The prolonged disruption on NH-37 has raised concerns over the supply of fuel and other essential commodities to Manipur, where the highway serves as a critical route for supplies from Assam. Transporters have called for an immediate and sustained security arrangement to clear the backlog of vehicles and ensure uninterrupted movement of essential commodities into the state.