Ukhrul-Jessami National Highway 202 came to a grinding halt on Sunday after a timber-loaded Nagaland-bound truck met with an accident at Phangrei in Ukhrul district causing immense hardships to the general public with vehicular movement totally blocked from both ends.

Sources said that one of the trucks skid off to the left side of the road on Saturday and is on the verge of falling while another truck lost its balance and hit the right side of the road on the same spot.

Sources continued that since early Sunday, scores of vehicles were seen queuing the highway with several of the commuters being children and elderly ones.

Even at the wee hour of Sunday, heavy machineries brought to pull up the trucks were still seen struggling to fix the problem; the road was finally cleared at midnight.

The two trucks which met an accident at the approach road of Phangrei were fully loaded with timber. The accident took place at the same spot. No human casualties were reported.

The existing condition of the road is not fit for the heavy vehicles to ply along this lifeline. In fact, to and fro movements of these fully loaded trucks is responsible for making this highway a hell for the commuters, sources further added.

Meanwhile, sharing his plight with the Imphal Free Press, Athing R, who spent the whole night at the scene of an accident due to non-clearance of the road, lambasted the truck owners and the concerned department to ensure smooth passage of national highway at all times. Whatever happen has happened. But no one has the right to blocked the highway for such a long period of time at the cost of the public, he said.

It is worth mentioning that this lifeline has become a nightmare for commuters given its deplorable condition. At several intersections, potholes and crack fills greet every travellers with a bumpy ride. Patients suffered the most as they are to slow down at different spots. "Comfort is long gone."

The worst part is that many potholes are like fishing point with its depth measuring over 1 feet. These highways are in need of an urgent makeover.

The general populace has been urging the concerned department to address the genuine plight of the area. However, repeated attempts draw flak as no authority responsible for its maintenance pay heed into their grievances.