HT DIGITAL
AIZAWL, JULY 2: Mizoram is facing a severe fuel crisis as a blockade of National Highway-6 (or NH-306), the state’s main supply corridor from Assam, enters the sixth day in a row. The blockade is being imposed by truckers belonging to the Mizoram Tipper Association (MTA), Kolasib headquarters, blocking vehicular traffic to undertake repairs on the rain-ravaged Sairang–Kawnpui section of the highway.
The unrest, which commenced on June 26, has hit the transportation of vital commodities hard, particularly petrol and diesel. A majority of fuel outlets in Aizawl have dried up, and the few remaining ones are dispensing fuel through government-issued coupons.
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Four civil society organizations—Mizoram Transformation Movement (MTM), Centre for Environment and Social Justice (CESJ), Mizoram First (MF), and Citizen Alliance for Truth and Justice (CATAJ)—have called on the state government to carry out repairs immediately as a response to the crisis. They cautioned that if nothing is done, people may be compelled to make the repairs themselves.
The organisations also argued against the assertion that the road is under central control, saying that the Khamrang–Kawnpui section is still under state control. The PWD Minister, Vanlalhlana, however, clarified that the entire sector from Sairang to Vairengte was formally transferred to the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) in 2020 by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH).
The minister further added that although NHIDCL had at first refused a complete takeover owing to ongoing repairs, the repair work was undertaken last year. The state government, he also said, had to incur Rs 200 crore in 2024–25 and another Rs 111.74 crore during the current fiscal on maintenance of highways, since MoRTH funding stopped later on.
In the meantime, some respite could be at hand. The Director of Food, Civil Supplies, and Consumer Affairs, Saizikpuii, stated that a few oil tankers and LPG trucks were permitted to enter Aizawl on Tuesday following negotiations with the MTA.
