Guwahati, July 10 -- By Waari Singbul Network

Imphal: Manipur is facing the possibility of a fresh shortage of essential commodities as transport operators from outside the state are increasingly reluctant to send freight trucks to the region, citing rising operational costs, prolonged travel times, and uncertainty on the state's two lifeline National Highways.

The emerging transport crisis threatens to worsen an already fragile economy that has struggled to recover from the ethnic unrest that erupted on May 3, 2023, which severely disrupted trade, industry, and normal economic activities across the state.

For a landlocked state dependent almost entirely on road transport for the supply of food grains, vegetables, construction material...