Tamenglong, July 27: Amid palpable sense of anxiety and uncertainty, the convoy of goods carriers and passenger buses led by escort commander�s Maruti gypsy finally crossed the restored Irang Bridge after dusk yesterday.

With security personnel manning the bridge and mediapersons from Imphal who had converged at the Irang river banks waiting for the arrival of the vehicles with bated breathe the escort commander, none other Thoubal district commandos� Officer-in-Charge N Lokhon, waved merrily announcing the uninterrupted passage of the vehicles from Jiribam.

For a change, security personnel stationed to guard the Bridge were the happier and more delighted lot than anybody as was reflected by the cheerful information to the media of seeing a stream of vehicle light round the sharp terrain.

Prior to the arrival of the vehicle, tension loomed large at Irang bridge site as contrary to reports of the vehicle having left Jiribam in the morning there was no sign of arrival till late evening leading to constant radio communication between security commanders stationed at their respective posts on either side of the bridge and the convoy escorts.

When approached by the media team on the historic journey, N Lokhon expressed pleasant surprise at the pace of road development compared to the deplorable condition when the truck convey had left for Jiribam about a week earlier.

He was also of the view that security personnel including men of the Assam Rifles, Manipur Rifles and IRB deserve a pat for providing security cover to BRTF personnel whose service in making the previously fearsome route into a motorable stretch will not be forgotten.

During a stopover towards Imphal to ascertain whether all the trucks and passenger buses had crossed Irang bridge a group of truckers and their assistants conveyed that with such large deployment of security personnel on the Imphal-Jiribam route insecure feeling had been greatly diminished.

Such feeling of security which cannot be comprehended even when NH-39 was free from agitation had provided renewed zeal to the drivers to take the wheels inspite of road conditions yet to attain the standard of Imphal-Dimapur road, said the drivers whilst inviting some mediapersons to have light meal during the brief halt.

Observing that the creaky Maku Thong (bridge) need attention from authority as crossing the structure takes maximum test of anticipation, alertness and all the experiences gained through the years the drivers also urge State Government for adequate deployment of security personnel on permanent basis.

Referring to the surprisingly swift road and bridge repairing works that facilitated passage of over 80 vehicles at a time since traffic was diverted on the Imphal-Silchar highway the drivers wondered what compulsion the Government had for non-attention to the said route for so many years.

The loaded trucks numbering 81 in total reached Imphal well past July 26 midnight with 54 of them diverted into Kangla fort while the rest left for other destinations.

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