Imphal: With monsoon rains intensifying across India’s Northeast, National Highway 37 — a key supply route linking Imphal to Silchar in Assam — has fallen into severe disrepair, disrupting deliveries of essential goods and raising fears of shortages in Manipur. The crisis has worsened as recurring blockades on National Highway 2 have diverted more traffic onto NH-37, transporters and drivers say, overwhelming an already fragile road during the rainy season.
Several stretches of NH-37 are now nearly impassable after heavy rains and landslides. Drivers report deep mud, large potholes and damaged blacktop; parts of the route are submerged in knee‑deep slush, forcing heavily loaded trucks to travel only under security escort and adding many hours to trips that normally take six to eight hours. Some journeys are stretching to nearly two days, sources say.
Worst-affected sections identified by drivers include the areas around Irang Bridge, Rengpang‑Nungba, Sibilong‑Barak and Kaiphundai, where waterlogged potholes and slushy surfaces have repeatedly stalled convoys. In several places the carriageway narrows to a single lane, creating long waits as vehicles travelling in opposite directions clear each other. During heavy downpours, trucks frequently become bogged down and require excavators or other heavy machinery to be pulled free.
The All Manipur Road Transport Driver and Motor Workers’ Union has warned that chronic neglect and inadequate maintenance by the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) have contributed to the present emergency. Union General Secretary Maimom Anil Meitei said reduced security convoy operations have compounded the problem, limiting the daily volume of vehicles able to enter the state.
Transporters note that each escorted convoy can carry roughly 150 vehicles and argue that increasing the number of security escorts would speed movement of food, fuel, cooking gas and other essentials. The union has urged NHIDCL and the Manipur government to carry out immediate repairs on the most damaged stretches of NH-37 and to boost convoy operations by deploying additional security personnel.
Officials have not been quoted in the source account. If repairs and enhanced escort operations are not implemented quickly, the union warned that the state could face shortages of fuel, cooking gas and other critical supplies in the coming weeks, underscoring the long‑standing need for a reliable all‑weather highway connecting Manipur to the rest of the country.
Original Source: https://nenow.in/north-east-news/manipurs-key-supply-route-nh-37-crumbles-amid-monsoon-truckers-seek-urgent-repairs.html
Category: Manipur,Northeast News,Top News
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Publish Date: 2026-06-22 12:40:00
