In most a deplorable conditions in absence of any administrative helps from two states Meghalaya and Tripura, hundreds loaded trucks coming to Tripura and lower Assam districts were stranded for last five days in Tongseng area of national highway portion of Meghalaya with perishable food items.

After passing of four days and on Saturday (June 21), the fifth day, still none of the  administrative officials from Meghalaya and Tripura has taken no initiatives to clear the road from the blockade, organized by local villagers demanding immediate repair of the road.

Sources said that on June 17 last after a massive landslide at a national highway (JBRC Road) portion of Meghalaya’s Tongseng, of East Jaintia Hills district the local administration of Meghalaya cleared the road and resumed the movements of vehicles one after one. By that time, one ambulance carrying a pregnant local woman tried to reach a community health centre, but the vehicle struck due to debris of landslides and unfortunately, that pregnant woman died inside the ambulance.

The incident triggered massive agitation by local villagers and they unitedly blockaded the national highway, connecting districts of lower Assam and Tripura. As a result, above 500 Tripuran bound loaded trucks  with items like mangoes, fish, and vegetables from upper Assam districts and Shillong stranded in miserable conditions. Major parts of these trucks loaded with perishable items, which have already started decomposing  and markets across Agartala are now suffering acute shortages of vegetables, fishes and fruits.

When our reporter has established contact with some truckers, the distress and the condition of their loaded trucks narrated by truckers is beyond imagination. Some truck drivers said that the items like mangoes, fresh vegetables including potatoes and onions have already started decomposing as the food items are perishable.

The truck drivers also said that they are suffering a lot as in the hilly district, they were unable to collect food items and after passing of four days no persons from Civil and Police administration from Meghalaya state government came to the blockade spots and there are no initiative from the local administration to ease the situation. But, the angry villagers of Tongseng, of East Jaintia Hills district are still continuing their agitation demanding immediate repair of the road.

While, when Northeast Herald spoke to the top administrative officials of the Transport department of Tripura government, surprised with the fact that none of them were not aware of the worsening situation, which caused a crisis of vegetables, fruits and fishes across markets of Tripura. Even on Saturday in Agartala, a section of errant traders started hoarding and they are selling green chilies Rs. 400 per kilogram and other vegetables, barring some local products that are also beyond the reach of common people.

Meanwhile, the Transport Commissioner of Tripura, Uttam Mandal admitted that administration was not aware of the current development in the national highway portion of East Jaintia Hills district of Meghalaya. He assured that the department will take immediate steps with help of their counterpart in Meghalaya to resume the movement of vehicles. “If necessary, the team of the Transport department will rush to the spot , where  Tripura bound loaded trucks are stranded and the department will take immediate steps for resuming the movements of vehicles,” said Mandal.

The wholesale traders of MG Bazar of Agartala said that since the last five days, they have not received any trucks coming from different parts of the country loaded with grocery, food items, vegetables and fruits and fishes coming from Andhra Pradesh had also not arrived in the state capital during the last four days.

Tripura is fully dependent on the only beleaguered national highway passing through major parts of Meghalaya for supply of essentials, food grain, fertilizers, petroleum products, construction materials and other commodities from different states of India besides ferrying passengers.

Following the shortages caused by the disruption of road traffic, prices of essential commodities have soared high in the state's markets.