Miseries of Truck Drivers in NHs of Manipur

Truck drivers on Manipur’s National Highways (like NH-2 and NH-37) face severe hardships due to ethnic blockades, militant ambushes, and poor road conditions. Stranded for weeks without safe water or food, they routinely endure physical assault, abduction risks, and supply shortages. The daily realities and miseries endured by these drivers include: Indefinite Economic Blockades & Hostage Crises: Militant Attacks and Abductions; Dire Living Conditions; Treacherous Terrain & Infrastructure. The latest unrest follows competing allegations by Kuki and Naga organisations over missing persons and alleged hostage-taking after the violence at Zero Point between Kotlen and Kotzim earlier this month. The May 13 incident left three church leaders dead and triggered fresh tensions across the hill districts. According to the Manipur Home Department, 38 people were initially reported missing after the clashes. Authorities later said 32 of them had returned safely. However, the United Naga Council has alleged that six Naga civilians, including two pastors, are still being held captive. Kuki Inpi Manipur, meanwhile, has claimed that 14 members of the Kuki community remain missing. Both communities have accused each other of abducting civilians, further deepening mistrust and unrest across the hill districts. The United Naga Council has continued its economic blockade, while Kuki Inpi Manipur has extended its shutdown by another 48 hours. KIM has said the agitation will continue until those reported missing is rescued.
Manipur is a land lock state which depends on existing National Highways for importing essential commodities and transportation of materials entirely rest with the incumbent trucks. Highways remain only passes through which, in addition to essential commodities, traveller undertake bus journey to train station like Dimapur or Guwahati. The Tupul-Imphal train line is at construction phase and will take some more years to complete. Jiribam has also limited train service. On air connectivity, Imphal has an airport that is well connected with metro cities but bringing essential commodities by aircraft is very limited, as a result highways are very important for the state for flow of commodities. In a nutshell, average Manipuri depends on road for journey to other states of Northeast and commodities required. By its significance nature existing Highways are the life line for people of Manipur irrespective of Hill or Valley men.
Due to fragile ethnic-political conditions that prevail, the state is prone to bandhs and economic blockades initiated by parties for one or another reason. During economic blockade, vehicular traffic at the Highways is totally shut down by supporters and violent attacks at good laden trucks and drivers frequently take place. The truck drivers suffer the most when assaults were inflicted during the journey. The assaults generally damage or destroy vehicles and cause financial issue for the drivers. During normal days, essential items are brought at NH 2 Dimapur-Imphal which is short and well-constructed as compare to NH 37. The NH 37 for Manipur is 220 km in length and is single lane with severe road conditions. However, due to frequent and prolong blockade, essential materials including petroleum products, medical items, eatable etc. are brought through NH 37 Jiribam-Imphal with police protection regardless of violent assault from blockade supporters and bad road. The truck drivers thus, play a live saviour role in the critical situation by bringing goods to capital city Imphal, facing numerous odds. Time and again, during blockade while escorting, there is wide presumption that police protection is inadequate and insensitive. Drivers feel the security cover is not enough and more materials can be transport in, if frequency of security convoy is increase
When protests take place the Highways are obstructed by blockade supporters not allowing the good laden trucks to reach their destination. At this situation, Government in order to bring essentials supplies utilize the more secure Highway NH 37, as compare to NH 2 in the context NH 37 could be viably protected and defended though the Highway is much longer and less constructed. To transport materials from nearest supply depot at Guwahati, good carrying trucks are put into action to transport. Mainly in any blockade, scarcity arises of petrol, medicine, rice and other essential material etc. and while transporting materials, blockade supporters usually attack the good laden trucks to show the protest.
The blockade is against the Government in literal sense but truck drivers face the heat and common people irrespective of hill or valley men suffer equally without any acceptation. The irony is very beautiful here, hammering own toes. Economic Blockade is one of the non-military means to attain certain economic advantages over the adversary during peace as well as in war. It is the manipulation of an adversary’s
foreign trade by means of boycott, embargo and financial controls. More direct means such as “blockade” or “quarantine” are acts of economic war. War is thus not fought only in the battlefield but in rail and roads also (Singh, 1995). It is confusing to pin point who is adversary and for whom economic blockade is meant for, as no war is going on and no one is winning. It is a lose-lose situation for any individual or groups. The one calling the blockade and for whom blockade is tended, suffer equally. This is a lesson every person must learn collectively
The Supreme Court of India, the highest judicial body of India as well as Manipur High Court recently declared that blockade at National Highway’s is unconstitutional. Supreme Court’s judgment in T.K. Rangarajan vs. State of Tamil Nadu (2003), declared the right to strike is illegal, and ‘bandh’ is unlawful. It violates citizen’s fundamental rights. But still more bandhs and economic blockades, a big mockery of law in Manipur and Government seemed to be sitting kaput. In every blockade, common people always suffer the most; this is the striking point of any Economic Blockade. Everyone in Manipur is very good in demanding the fundamental rights but is worst in performing their fundamental duties; which is one of the root cause of problem in the state.
Truck driver’s personal safety is considerably at risk owing to aggressive assault by blockade supporters, insufficient police protection and bad road condition, volatile area. The drivers in spite of their valuable obligation are being look down as a pitiful profession in our intellectual society. In every part of their profession, they face numerous odds and difficulties. They are extorted of money by hill based insurgent groups and rapid attacks at them while they were transporting materials during blockade under government supervision, such are some of the inconvenience faced at the moment. Their problems reach its zenith when they have to transport material during economic blockade, on one hand they have to earn their livelihood by transporting and on other, have to face extreme danger while driving at the mad road. It is the ultimate question of feeding hungry families and facing danger and as usual always the hunger wins.
Another great concern for the drivers is sudden economic blockade at the Highways which left the drivers stranded at middle of the journey without adequate food and supplies for a long time. This sudden eruption cause problem in facing food, medical illness, lack of money and meeting essential requirements at the hill area. The NH 37 Jiribam to Imphal is 220 km in length and the road is extremely bad in condition. Beside the road is flooded with hill based insurgent groups, who continuously extorted money and damage vehicles under the very nose of security forces that guard the Highway. The attacks at them are so brutal that many drivers have lost their lives and whereabouts of many are still untraceable till today. From 1978 to 2016, as many as 219 drivers died of assault by unknowns and accident due to bad road in addition to kidnapping & murder for not implying to demands made by insurgent groups. Due to violent assault many of the drivers get amputated and the numbers are many more as compare to the death ones. The cases are many, but underlying point is the silent suffering endures while performing their job at the uncertain road.
The drivers know the danger while operating at NH 37 during blockade, but in order to fend livelihood, they are ready to face the odds. Protecting the drivers while at duty seems to be fading away though police presence is there. The fundamental principle of Human security also became irrelevant as police and security personnel fail to safe guard an individual in any crisis. It is not the question of only the drivers but any individual during blockade. For the drivers irrespective of weather, their profession incites them to undertake the task of transportation at any cost.
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