Aizawl: Mizoram continues to face a severe shortage of essential supplies, especially fuel, due to a week-long suspension of operations by the Mizoram Oil Tankers Drivers’ Association (MOTDA) since July 19.
The Association suspended the operation due to the severely damaged condition of the National Highway 306, connecting the state with Assam.
This halt in services has significantly impacted supplies to Mizoram, which relies heavily on this route.
With only a few vehicles on Aizawl’s streets, most petrol stations have run dry. Repair work has started on the worst-damaged section of National Highway 306, between Kawnpui and Sairang, but the impact on transportation remains critical.
State food, civil supplies & consumer affairs (FCS&CA) department officials said that on Sunday, around 50 oil tanker trucks were given challans at Vairengte town bordering Assam till 9.30 pm on Saturday and were proceeding towards Aizawl and other towns.
FCS&CA minister B Lalchhanzova was informed by the oil depot manager of Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) at Vairengte town on Saturday that around 60 oil-carrying trucks were entering Mizoram.
MOTDA earlier stated that the Sairang-Kawnpui stretch of the national highway is so “badly damaged that it is no longer safe for oil tankers to ply on it”
Though the MOTDA called off its agitation on Friday (July 25) evening, a large number of truckers still refuse to ply along the NH-306 as it is too dangerous. It now takes days to reach their destinations, which they could cover in a day at normal times.
Hundreds of trucks, including oil tankers and those carrying building materials, are stranded on NH-306 and NH-06. This has led to a severe shortage of essential goods in the state.
Construction workers in Aizawl said cement is no longer available in the capital city and a shortage of steel rods has led to a halt in their construction works.
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The Kolasib district administration has been providing food items such as rice, lentils, onions, edible oil, and drinking water to the stranded truckers since Sunday afternoon.
Meanwhile, the Opposition parties such as the Mizo National Front (MNF), Congress and the BJP alleged that the state witnessed the worst road conditions along the NH-306 and NH-6 this year.
