Manipur: NH-2 Blockade Strands Truck Drivers for Over Five Days, Humanitarian Concerns Grow
Imphal, July 7: Dozens of commercial truck drivers from Nagaland, Assam, Tripura and Meghalaya have been stranded for more than five days on National Highway-2 in Manipur as ongoing protest blockades continue to disrupt traffic along the crucial Imphal–Dimapur highway.
The drivers remain trapped between two protest locations—Namduilong–Kanglatongbi, where a Liangmei Naga group has enforced an economic blockade, and the Gamgiphai Buffer Zone, where Kuki-Zo organisations are holding a counter-protest demanding unrestricted movement along the highway.
With no immediate resolution in sight, many of the stranded drivers are reportedly facing severe hardships. Several have exhausted their food supplies and are struggling with shortages of drinking water and the absence of basic sanitation facilities. Although the Manipur government has arranged security escorts to move some drivers back towards Imphal, many others continue to remain stranded.
Responding to the humanitarian situation, the Sadar Hills Inland Transporters’ and Drivers’ Union (SHITDU) extended emergency assistance by distributing essential relief materials, including rice, cooking oil and drinking water, to the affected drivers.
SHITDU spokesperson Lenpu Chongloi said the union stepped in purely on humanitarian grounds despite the stranded vehicles being outside its normal area of operation.
“These drivers provide an essential service to society. They should not be abandoned in the middle of a conflict. We came forward because humanity must come first,” Chongloi said.
He further stressed that the union remains committed to assisting transport workers regardless of their ethnicity or state of origin, noting that truck drivers often become unintended victims of regional agitations despite having no involvement in the disputes.
One of the stranded drivers expressed gratitude for the relief provided by the union while describing the difficult conditions on the highway.
“There are no basic facilities here, not even toilets. We request the government to ensure our safe passage as soon as possible,” the driver said.
SHITDU has appealed to both protesting groups to ensure that transport workers are not affected by the ongoing standoff. The union also urged the Manipur government to take immediate steps to resolve the impasse, restore normal traffic, and ensure the uninterrupted movement of vehicles along National Highway-2, a critical lifeline connecting Manipur with the rest of the country.
