Driver missing on NH-37 Stranded trucks begin to move onward
|
By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Aug 16: One truck (oil tanker) driver has been missing after he fell into Barak River at Sibilong village at around 10.30 am on Thursday.
The missing driver has been identified as Vijay Tamang s/o Bahadur Tamang of Lower Kala-pahar, Kangpokpi.
A convoy of around 120 oil tankers, LPG bullet tankers and other loaded trucks left Jiribam for Imphal some days back.
Vijay Tamang was also travelling in the same convoy escorted by CRPF.
Due to the extremely worn out condition of NH-37 (Imphal-Jiribam highway) near Awangkhul, the convoy halted for two days at Shanti Khunou.
The same convoy was again held up for two nights at Sibilong.
As the drivers were waiting for NHIDCL to make the highway passable, Vijay Tamang went to Barak River to cool off as it was very hot yesterday.
After he got down into the river, Vijay Tamang did not come up.
A team of Tamenglong police posted at Sibilong, CRPF posted at Barak, villagers and Sibilong and Kambiron launched a search and rescue operation but without success so far.
A team of Rongmei Naga Students Organisation Manipur (RNSOM), RNCM and Drivers’ Union Oinam-long joined the search operation in the evening.
Meanwhile, teams of NDRF and SDRF were sent to Barak this morning to trace the missing driver.
On the other hand, the NHIDCL was able to repair/clear the highway only in the late hours on August 15 after it was blocked by landslide at Awangkhul on August 9.
It is not only NH-37 which is in pathetic condition but NH-2 (Imphal-Dimapur highway) too has worn out to the extreme. Incidentally, both these key highways are being constructed and maintained by NHIDCL.
Transporters have expressed strong resentment over the way NHIDCL has been working on NH-37.
They rued that driver Vijay Tamang would not have died had NHIDCL repaired/restored the landslide affected section at Awangkhul within two/three days.
The transporters have also highlighted the urgent need for the State Government to form a high-level committee and monitor how NHIDCL has been working on NH-37 and NH-2.
IMPHAL, Aug 16: One truck (oil tanker) driver has been missing after he fell into Barak River at Sibilong village at around 10.30 am on Thursday.
The missing driver has been identified as Vijay Tamang s/o Bahadur Tamang of Lower Kala-pahar, Kangpokpi.
A convoy of around 120 oil tankers, LPG bullet tankers and other loaded trucks left Jiribam for Imphal some days back.
Vijay Tamang was also travelling in the same convoy escorted by CRPF.
Due to the extremely worn out condition of NH-37 (Imphal-Jiribam highway) near Awangkhul, the convoy halted for two days at Shanti Khunou.
The same convoy was again held up for two nights at Sibilong.
As the drivers were waiting for NHIDCL to make the highway passable, Vijay Tamang went to Barak River to cool off as it was very hot yesterday.
After he got down into the river, Vijay Tamang did not come up.
A team of Tamenglong police posted at Sibilong, CRPF posted at Barak, villagers and Sibilong and Kambiron launched a search and rescue operation but without success so far.
A team of Rongmei Naga Students Organisation Manipur (RNSOM), RNCM and Drivers’ Union Oinam-long joined the search operation in the evening.
Meanwhile, teams of NDRF and SDRF were sent to Barak this morning to trace the missing driver.
On the other hand, the NHIDCL was able to repair/clear the highway only in the late hours on August 15 after it was blocked by landslide at Awangkhul on August 9.
It is not only NH-37 which is in pathetic condition but NH-2 (Imphal-Dimapur highway) too has worn out to the extreme. Incidentally, both these key highways are being constructed and maintained by NHIDCL.
Transporters have expressed strong resentment over the way NHIDCL has been working on NH-37.
They rued that driver Vijay Tamang would not have died had NHIDCL repaired/restored the landslide affected section at Awangkhul within two/three days.
The transporters have also highlighted the urgent need for the State Government to form a high-level committee and monitor how NHIDCL has been working on NH-37 and NH-2.