Imphal, Manipur, April 20 (HBTV): After militants attacked oil tankers on April 16 in Manipur, truck drivers in the state have started a strike. In a protest at the Malom Oil Depot in Imphal West, truck drivers held sit-in protest and shouted slogans.

The drivers said they started the ‘steering-down strike’ from today and that they would continue until their demands are met.

The drivers are demanding adequate security on the highway as they are often attacked and looted by criminals. Further, they are demanding compensation for the driver who was injured in the April 16 incident.

Drivers often suffer difficulties on the highways as rampant extortion, looting, and violence from antisocial elements are almost daily affairs, the protesting truck drivers said.

According to the goods carriers and heavy duty vehicle drivers, the government and the people of the state never understand their issues. Neither do people give respect for their contribution they make nor does the government do anything to provide for them including security.

More than eight hundred drivers, who transport essential commodities including petroleum products and the other essentials, participated in the strike.

Manipur is a landlocked state, for which safe travelling facilities on the state’s highways plays an important role in the health of the state’s economy. Even a day or two days’ strike by drivers unions often result in the prices of essential commodities skyrocketing or motorists being inconvenienced.