AIZAWL: Officials from the Mizoram Public Works Department (PWD) are hopeful that work would be completed soon to repair the badly damaged stretches of NH-6 connecting Kawnpui and Khamrang in Kolasib district. They expect trucks to return on this road as early as next week.
Repair works are going on fine, and unless there are some unexpected rainfalls, this road shall be thoroughly open by the end of September.
There are a number of teams that are toiling hard to repair over ten spots along the route.
The state has got some respite with the return of oil tankers and other important supply vehicles which had entered Mizoram in large numbers in the wake of poor road conditions that led to shortage.
Mizoram's Food, Civil Supplies, and Consumer Affairs Minister B Lalchhanzova said trucks have been entering the state since Friday evening. He is hopeful that normal supply levels would resume soon.
This shortage of key supplies came about owing to the hundreds of trucks that couldn't move due to damage to NH-6 and 306. The Mizoram Oil Tanker Drivers' Association and the Petroleum Entrepreneurs' and Transporters' Union of Mizoram refused service later.
Earlier, rail and road services have been brought to a grinding halt and the condition of the national highways has further hampered the fuel and other essential goods transport to Mizoram.
The trains on the Bhairabi-Sairang route have remained suspended from August 21 as the region has been witnessing floods and landslides. The railway engineers and workers are working hard to restore the service as soon as possible.
There was the complete stoppage of transport services because bad road conditions were generally causing bottlenecks on National Highway-306 and National Highway-6 between Kawnpui and Khamrang in the Kolasib district.
Sources close to truck drivers said that the section of NH-306 and NH-6 from Kawnpui-Sairang is so pathetic that fuel transport is not possible in that area.
The poor condition of roads is dangerous to the drivers themselves and causes oil spills from tankers at such places due to rough terrain.
The drivers avoided it for their safety as well as that of the local people. Most the fuel stations in the state capital Aizawl and in other towns are running out of fuel.
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