Mizoram oil tanker drivers to halt operations over crumbling highway conditions

The Mizoram Oil Tanker Drivers' Association (MOTDA) has announced a complete halt in operations starting Saturday, citing the dangerously poor condition of the national highway that connects the state with Assam.

In a statement issued on Friday, MOTDA said the Sairang-Kawnpui stretch of the highway — a crucial part of NH-6/306 — has deteriorated to the point where it is no longer safe for tankers to operate. “We apologise to the public for any inconvenience caused, but we cannot risk lives or property,” the association stated.

The highway, considered Mizoram’s economic lifeline, connects the state capital Aizawl with Silchar in Assam, through which all essential supplies flow into the state. The worst-affected Sairang-Kawnpui section was recently handed over to the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) from the state government.

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NHIDCL executive director (Projects), Virender Kumar Jakhar, told PTI that repairs had begun on July 10, but progress has been hampered by persistent rain and high traffic volume.

Separately, the Mizoram Truck Drivers Association (MTDA) has filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Gauhati High Court’s Aizawl bench, seeking urgent intervention in restoring the road.

With the strike beginning today, supply disruptions are expected unless swift remedial action is taken to make the highway motorable.