Monsoon, lack of labour due to COVID-19 badly hit national highway 8 in Tripura

Hundreds of vehicles including long-distance trucks carrying perishable food items and essential goods have been stranded here for at least four days with the onset of the monsoon deteriorating the condition of the national highway (NH8)in Tripura.

The condition of the road on National Highway NH 8 between Pecharthal and Kumarghat under Unakoti district deteriorated in the showers.

Due to heavy rainwater flowing down the nearby hills, the entire road was covered with mud which made it impossible for loaded vehicles to ply on it.

A driver from Uttar Pradesh Aman said, "I have been stranded here for two days. One can see the condition of the road. We are poor people and if we do not reach our destination on time then we incur a loss."

"There are no hotels here where we can eat. What do we do now," he asked.

Another driver from Punjab Gurcharan said, "For the past three days I have been stuck here. The government should take care of this area."

Our ration is exhausted. There is so much mud that our vehicles are stuck," Gurcharan said.

The National Highway Authority has been engaged in repair work but due to COVID-19 pandemic there has been a huge shortage of labourers and the work could not be completed before the monsoon and now with the arrival of the monsoon the situation is expected to worsen.

To overcome the crisis the BSF is using choppers for airlifting of food and essential items to some of its border outposts especially in the remotest part in the Dhalai district along Bangladesh.

( With inputs from ANI )