Silchar: Hundreds of Manipur-bound goods vehicles stranded along NH-37 have caused traffic congestion in Cachar’s Lakhipur sub-district, prompting residents to demand a designated parking area to keep the highway open to local traffic.Loaded trucks have remained parked between Lakhipur and Jirighat for days while awaiting clearance to enter Manipur. Residents said the queues were blocking stretches of the highway and disrupting movement.Under the “code system”, Manipur-bound goods vehicles are permitted to proceed through Jirighat in a regulated manner. However, road disruptions and the law-and-order situation in Manipur have slowed their movement, leaving hundreds of trucks stranded on the Assam side.Residents said trucks parked on both sides of the road had narrowed the carriageway, forcing passenger vehicles and two-wheelers to negotiate narrowed, congested stretches. The situation has affected schoolchildren, office-goers, patients and daily commuters, while also increasing pressure on local police. Residents said the congestion could delay emergency journeys and increase the risk of accidents.Jirighat gram panchayat president Shantanu Choudhury and social worker Panna Paul raised the issue with authorities in Assam and Manipur. After contacting Lakhipur police, they met the additional superintendent of police of Manipur’s Jiribam district and outlined the difficulties faced by Assam-side residents.They said the officer heard their concerns and sought two days to take steps to ease the congestion. Choudhury and Paul approached police authorities in Cachar, Lakhipur and Jirighat.Residents called for a permanent parking facility near Jirighat, saying regulation of truck entry alone would not resolve the recurring congestion.
