Following repeated complaints of extortion along NH-37, the Noney district administration has constituted a Highway Patrol Team to curb illegal collections, improve road safety, and ensure uninterrupted movement of vehicles.
Imphal, July 18: The Noney district administration has constituted a multi-agency Highway Patrol Team along National Highway-37 to tackle extortion, strengthen road safety and ensure uninterrupted movement of vehicles on one of Manipur's most critical transport corridors.
The initiative comes days after several petroleum transport associations jointly submitted a representation to Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh, alleging widespread extortion from fuel tankers travelling between Imphal and Jiribam despite the presence of security escorts.
Deputy Commissioner Vidhyamari Sridhar announced the formation of the Highway Patrol Team on Saturday, describing it as a coordinated effort to curb illegal activities on the highway while improving road maintenance and traffic management.
According to the District Information Office (DIO), the patrol team comprises an Executive Magistrate from the district administration along with personnel from the Manipur Police, Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), the National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL), and representatives of agencies responsible for the construction and maintenance of NH-37.
The team has been tasked with conducting regular patrols and inspections to prevent illegal extortion, monitor traffic movement, review the progress and quality of ongoing highway maintenance works, and facilitate coordination among all stakeholder agencies.
Officials stated that the mechanism is intended to ensure prompt resolution of issues affecting commuters and maintain uninterrupted vehicular movement along the highway, which serves as Manipur's principal surface link with the rest of the country.
RELATED NEWS: Fuel Transporters Warn of Service Suspension Over Alleged Extortion on NH-37 in Manipur
The district administration maintained that the safety and security of commuters using NH-37 remains a priority and directed all departments concerned to work in close coordination to maintain law and order and improve road conditions.
Deputy Commissioner Vidhyamari Sridhar appealed to transporters, commercial vehicle operators and the public to cooperate with the Highway Patrol Team and immediately report incidents of extortion, intimidation or any other unlawful activities to the nearest authorities.
The administration's decision follows growing concerns raised by petroleum transporters over alleged illegal collections from fuel tankers operating along the Imphal-Jiribam stretch of NH-37.
A joint memorandum dated July 15, signed by office-bearers of several petroleum transport organisations, was submitted to the Chief Minister and copied to the Commissioner (Home). The representation was endorsed by associations representing petroleum product transporters, HPCL dealers, Nayara Energy dealers, Bharat Petroleum transporters, bulk LPG transporters and LPG cylinder drivers.
In the memorandum, the associations alleged that since May 2023, petroleum tankers transporting fuel under Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) escort convoys have been subjected to repeated extortion at multiple locations along the highway.
The transporters claimed that each convoy generally consists of around 100 fuel tankers, with individual vehicles allegedly forced to pay money at different points despite being escorted by security forces.
According to the representation, the escort charge, which was initially around ?200 per trip, has allegedly risen to more than ?7,000. The associations further argued that while transportation charges are fixed under contracts with oil marketing companies, the alleged illegal collections are not reimbursed, leaving transporters to bear the financial burden.
The memorandum also included a table listing alleged collection points and amounts. It claimed that tankers travelling between Imphal and Jiribam were being asked to pay sums ranging from ?500 to ?3,500 at locations including Awangkhul, Kambron, Nungba, Jiribam parking area, Noney and Oinamlong.
The associations expressed concern that the amounts could increase further and warned that transporters would find it increasingly difficult to absorb the additional costs.
In their representation, the transport bodies urged the state government to eliminate extortion and restore the purpose of the security escort system by July 30.
They also cautioned that if effective action was not taken, petroleum transport services could be suspended from July 31 onwards, raising concerns over the supply of fuel and petroleum products into Manipur.
The formation of the Highway Patrol Team is expected to serve as one of the first coordinated administrative responses to the concerns raised by transport operators. It remains to be seen whether the new mechanism succeeds in addressing allegations of illegal collections and improving commuter confidence on the state's most vital highway.
