IMPHAL, July 31: Following a crippling landslide that has shut the only motorable highway(Imphal-Dimapur) into the state, the entry of essential supplies into the state has stopped.
Given that the highway is the lifeline for the state on which trucks bringing in petrol, deisel, LPG, rice, cement and other basic items, the slow pace of repairs has led to panic buying of petrol and other items at inflated rates from the black market.
Not a single truck managed to pass through the highway since July 16 though a way has been cleared for smaller vehicles. Long queues are common at the few petrol pumps that are open on particular days with a majority of people having to buy petrol and diesel from the black market. Petrol rates are currently pegged at Rs.120-140 per litre while diesel is pegged at Rs 70-80.
With only a few fuel loaded vehicles trickling into the state, it is not uncommon to see only a few petrol pumps opening with long serpentine queues. The rush for petrol at pumps are leading people to resort to buying petrol being sold on the road-side or in residential areas.