Aizawl: Owners of all commercial vehicles, including trucks carrying essential commodities, will stage an indefinite strike on National Highway-306 in Mizoram from Monday to protest the dilapidated condition of the road.
NH-306 is the lifeline of Mizoram, linking the state with Assam’s Silchar.
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The Joint Action Committee of various associations, including the Mizoram Truck Owners’ Association (MTOA), Mizoram Truck Drivers’ Association (MTDA), Mizoram Tipper Owners’ Association & Drivers Association (MTA), Mizoram Oil Tanker Drivers’ Association, and Kolasib District Driver Welfare Association, has decided to stay off the road from 7 am on Monday to protest the bad road condition, said MTOA president B. Lalzarzova.
He said that no vehicles carrying essential items from outside the state and passenger carrying vehicles will ply between Vairengte and Sairang from Monday. The bandh will also be supported by Kolasib maxicab operators.
Lalzarzova said that NH-306, the lifeline of the state, has been in a dilapidated condition for a long time, and it has become dangerous for vehicles to ply on the national highway. He said that vehicles carrying essential commodities between Mizoram and Manipur will also stay off the road.
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The MTOA president said that they have approached the government over the bad road condition several times and have finally decided to stage the agitation as the government has failed to repair the road.
He alleged that several vehicles have met with accidents and others have been destroyed due to the bad road conditions.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Zoramthanga on Saturday convened a meeting with officials of the state Public Works Department (PWD) and leaders of the Joint Action Committee and agreed to take immediate steps and expedite the repairing of the dilapidated road from Monday, an official statement said.
The meeting decided to halt the plying of heavy vehicles from Monday to ensure uninterrupted repair of the most dilapidated section of the road, the statement said.
The strike is likely to have a significant impact on the supply of essential goods to Mizoram, as NH-306 is the primary route for transporting goods to the state. It is also likely to cause inconvenience to passengers traveling between Mizoram and Assam.