Growing uncertainty over security arrangements along National Highway-37 has prompted local drivers and passengers to demand a dedicated daily security escort for civilian vehicles between New Keithelmanbi and Noney, warning that the present system is leaving commuters stranded and vulnerable amid the continuing ethnic conflict.
Several passenger vehicles bound for Tamenglong, Nungba, Noney and Jiribam remained stranded at New Keithelmanbi from early Wednesday morning after no security escort was made available for the day. The absence of an escort forced commuters to wait indefinitely, disrupting travel plans and causing hardship to passengers, including those travelling for work, medical needs and other essential purposes.
Drivers alleged that security escorts are generally arranged only when truck convoys are scheduled, leaving local passenger vehicles with no certainty about when they will be allowed to proceed through the sensitive stretch of the highway.
Describing the situation as a recurring problem, drivers said the lack of a predictable escort system has severely affected daily movement along NH-37, one of Manipur’s critical lifelines linking the valley with western districts and neighbouring Assam.
They urged the State Government and security agencies to introduce a separate and regular security escort exclusively for local and small passenger vehicles instead of making them dependent on the movement of commercial truck convoys.
The drivers maintained that a dedicated escort system would not only ensure safer travel but also prevent repeated delays that continue to inconvenience hundreds of commuters using the highway amid the prevailing security situation.