Stalemate ends, hundreds of loaded trucks with perishable items arrives Tripura

Finally after four days of miseries and uncertainty owing to huge financial losses, hundreds of trucks loaded with perishable items and other grocery items entered Tripura's territory since Sunday morning.

Official sources said that over 200 trucks loaded with different perishable items including vegetables, potatoes, onions, mangoes and grocery items are still waiting at the Churaibari check point for clearance and till Sunday evening, many trucks with vegetables and mangoes have also entered into the state capital city Agartala. Though, major parts of their loaded goods have already decomposed.

It may be recalled here that in most a deplorable conditions in absence of any administrative helps from two states Meghalaya and Tripura, hundreds of Tripura bound loaded trucks including lower Assam districts and Aizawl bound were stranded for last five days in Tongseng area of national highway portion of East Jaintia Hills district of Meghalaya with perishable food items after some villagers blockaded the road demanding immediate repair of the road.

Above 500 Tripura bound loaded trucks with items like mangoes, fish, and vegetables from upper Assam districts and Shillong stranded in miserable conditions, but none of the officials from the Civil and Police administration of Meghalaya government visited Tongseng to clear the road.

When the “Northeast Herald” knocked administrative doors of Tripura government and with initiative of officials of Tripura, they urgently contacted their counterparts in Meghalaya and on Saturday night at about 11 PM, the blockade was withdrawn and normal traffic resumed.

Transport Commissioner of Tripura, Uttam Mandal said that about 250 loaded trucks crossed Churaibari check point in North Tripura district.

However, the truckers, who have already entered Tripura's territory on Sunday said that the goods they are carrying, specially the perishable items, have mostly rotten and their owners have to incur huge financial losses due to the reluctant and careless attitude of Meghalaya government.

A fruit wholesale trader in MGB Bazar in Agartala said that they have received four mango loaded trucks and each has 25 metric tons of mangoes from Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. “Unfortunately, in the peak mango season, especially in the period of Ambabuchi’, we received the trucks and we could hardly find five tons of mangoes from a truck and these financial losses became unrepeatable for small traders like us,” said the fruit trader.

Similarly, traders of potatoes and onions  of MG Bazar said that till evening they have not received any truck, but as per the information taken from their truck drivers claimed that major parts of their loaded items have already decomposed and they have also to incur huge financial losses due to sudden road blockade in Tongseng for five days.

While, the Transport department of Tripura government officials said that they have urged their counterpart in Meghalaya to act promptly if such a situation occurs during the ongoing Monsoon season, which directly impacted to lakhs of people living in Tripura , Mizoram and lower Assam districts.