Imphal, August 23 2010: Instead of bringing essential commodities like rice, sugar, cooking oil, etc which are immediate requirements of the people in the State, transporters have been paying more attention to transportation of cement bags, iron rods and others.

The underlying factor is money and more profit.

Currently, 458 vehicles including trucks, oil tankers and bullet tankers are being pressed into service under CRPF escorts for transportation of essential goods to Manipur through Imphal-Jiribam Road (National Highway 53) and Imphal-Dimapur Road (National Highway 39) .

However, instead of bringing rice, sugar, cooking oil and other essential commodities of daily requirements, many of the trucks have been bringing cement, iron and other construction materials as it is more profitable.

Information received from Jiribam police said that 412 Imphal-bound trucks, oil tankers and bullet tankers have been escorted from Jiribam today morning.

Among them, 18 are bullet tankers and 11 are oil tankers while 58 trucks are carrying rice, 2 carrying fertiliser, 98 carrying cement, 6 carrying iron and 218 others carrying an assortment of goods.

Mao police said that 46 goods laden trucks which were stranded at Khuzuma along Imphal-Dimapur Road have been escorted to Imphal by CRPF personnel while 75 other empty trucks left from Imphal today.

It is said that one of the main reasons for keen interest in transportation of cement, iron rods and other construction materials by the transportors instead of essential commodities like rice, sugar and fertiliser is the profit involved.

On the other hand, in connection with the approval given by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution for import of 30,000 metric tonne of rice from Myanmar, a source has disclosed that the permission given earlier for import of rice to Manipur from Myanmar had been actually expired.

The Myanmar Authority had given the permission for import of rice to Manipur through Tin Win Myn Trading on September 16, 2009.So, the import of rice through selection of a new company by the Myanmarese Government may be effected in November or December this year.