Aizawl: Commercial vehicles plying on the crucial Vairengte–Aizawl stretch of National Highway 306 (also known as NH-6) will remain off the road from August 4 to 9 to facilitate urgent repairs on the rain-battered highway, operators announced on Thursday.
The decision was taken jointly by commercial transporters, who clarified that the move is not a form of protest but a goodwill gesture to enable uninterrupted repair work on Mizoram’s most vital supply route.
They, however, warned of agitation if the state Public Works Department (PWD) and the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) fail to complete repairs within the stipulated period.
“This is not a bandh or strike. We are stepping back to allow the authorities to expedite work,” a representative of the vehicle operators said at a press briefing.
NH-306/NH-6 serves as Mizoram’s primary artery, linking it to Assam’s Silchar and the rest of India.
The highway has suffered major damage, particularly in the Sairang-Kawnpui sector, due to monsoon-triggered landslides and erosion.
Officials said repair works on the affected stretch are ongoing, jointly carried out by NHIDCL and the state PWD.
As of Thursday, essential supplies continued to reach Aizawl despite the disruption, with 106 trucks—12 of them carrying LPG and six oil tankers—released from Kawnpui.
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Additionally, 84 vehicles, including 39 empty trucks and 26 empty LPG carriers, were cleared from Sairang’s Khamrang area on Wednesday.
However, over 380 goods-laden trucks en route to Aizawl remained stranded at Kawnpui, while 46 vehicles heading toward Assam were held up at Khamrang.
Meanwhile, a proposed indefinite strike by the Northeast Petroleum Mazdoor Union in Guwahati has been withdrawn following an appeal from the Mizoram government.
