Few Oil Tankers, Trucks On Way to Aizawl; Relief for Fuel, Food Crisis Hit Mizoram

This, a day after Mizoram PWD Minister Vanlalhlana met the Mizoram Truck Owners Association and Mizoram Truck Drivers Association

Much to the relief of the people of Mizoram who are facing a scarcity of fuel and essential items, five oil tankers and a few trucks carrying essentials are said to be on way to Aizawl.

This, a day after Mizoram PWD Minister Vanlalhlana met the Mizoram Truck Owners Association and Mizoram Truck Drivers Association in an effort to convince them to call off their strike and start ferrying fuel and essentials to the state.

“We can travel from Silchar to Kawnpui but to reach Sairang from Kawnpui it takes us 3-4 days. The road condition on the National Highway is very bad. It took us 15 days to reach Lunglei from Silchar. If the roads are not fixed, we won’t be able to drive because the ditches on the roads are of the size of big craters, it is very dangerous to drive on the highways between Assam and Mizoram,” a truck driver who reached Aizawl today told Northeast Live.

The Mizoram Oil Tanker Driver Association (MOTDA) and the Petroleum Entrepreneurs’ and Transporters’ Union of Mizoram (PETUM) had announced an indefinite strike earlier this week protesting the deplorable condition of National Highway 306 and National Highway 06, the two highways that connect Mizoram with the rest of country.

National Highway 306 begins in Silchar in Assam and connects Kolasib in Mizoram. National Highway 6 connects Mizoram with Meghalaya and Assam.

Earlier on Monday, Chief Minister Lalduhoma had met representatives of Mizoram Commercial Vehicle Union who had raised similar concerns and demanded immediate repair of the national highways.

On Monday, the Mizoram Distributor Association stated that as trucks carrying essential commodities refused to transport goods from Silchar and Guwahati to Mizoram, the state  was facing shortage of several items including milk and cereals for infants.

Currently, there are 45 registered distributors in the state. Representatives of the association have reported shortage of several items as trucks are stuck on the highway, and the truckers refusing to transport certain items as they claimed that the items get destroyed during transportation due to bad roads.

The Association reported shortage of milk in tetra packs and infant food like Cerelac, Lactogen and other similar baby food and some truckers are transporting goods at higher rates, which they stated will inflate the prices of certain commodities.

All Mizoram Petroleum Dealers Association President, Lalnghakliana reported that as of September 16 around 20 tanker were stuck between Kawnpui and Sairang towns. Although, some repairing works have been taken up by the PWD at three places, it is still difficult for the tankers and trucks to ply through the highway.

Vehicles stuck at Vairengte Check Gate:

1.            37 vehicles carrying a total of 11,982 LPG cylinders

2.            Vehicles carrying 16,925 bags of cement

3.            10 Trucks  carrying HSD, 11 Trucks of MS and 2 Trucks of XP

Trucks Carrying Essential Commodities:

1.            Rice- 2684 bags (1342 quintal)

2.            Potatoes- 468 bags (234 quintal)

3.            Onions- 222 bags (111 quintal)

4.            Dal- 320 bags (160 quintal)

5.            Cooking oil- 1040 Cases

6.            Salt-229 bags (114.50 quintal)

7.            Sugar- 480 bags (240 quintal)

8.            Atta- 170 bags (85 quintal)

9.            Maida- 1743 bags (871 quintal)

10.          Amul Milk – 4131 Cases

This meeting follows a separate discussion on Monday, where the Mizoram Commercial Vehicle Union met with Chief Minister Lalduhoma to raise similar concerns about the crumbling roads across Mizoram. The Chief Minister acknowledged the severe impact of this year’s monsoon on infrastructure and assured the Union that the government is making every effort to repair the affected highways and roads.

The Chief Minister further stated that the Kawnpui-Khamrang section is under the maintenance of Satguru Company, whose contract had been terminated due to unsatisfactory work. The maintenance fund has since been transferred to the Mizoram PWD to expedite repairs.

In addition to truck-related issues, Lalduhoma also addressed concerns over the public carrier sumo service, which has been suspended in several villages due to poor road conditions. He assured that road repair efforts are being prioritized to restore essential transport services.

Meanwhile, in an effort to assist truck drivers stranded on the highways, the senior Chief Medical Officer of Kolasib District conducted medical tests, while the AMPEDA provided food to support those affected.

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