Mizoram Election: Kolasib District Threatens LS Poll Boycott Over NH Widening

AIZAWL: More than 1,700 landowners and their families living alone on National highway-306 and NH-6 from Vairengte in Kolasib district to Sairang in the Aizawl district have threatened to boycott the upcoming Lok Sabha elections if the government doesn’t meet their demands by a certain deadline.

The landowners are asking the state forest department to approve the construction company’s request to widen the national highway between Vairengte and Sairang to four lanes.

They also asked the state government to fulfill their demands by April 15. If the government doesn’t meet their demands by then, the landowners and their families won’t vote in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections scheduled for April 19.

The leader of the Kolasib district Lanowners’ Association James Vanlalringa said that they asked the government to solve the issue by April 15. If the demands are not met by then, they will boycott the Lok Sabha elections and not vote.

He further claimed that the National Highway Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL), a construction company owned by the central government, couldn’t start widening or turning NH-306 and NH-6 into four lanes between Vairengte and Sairang.

This was because the state forest department issued a stay order to the construction company, stating that a significant portion of the national highway falls within notified forest areas known as Roadside Reserved Forest and Riverine Reserved Forest.

James also said that the Gauhati High Court had canceled the stay order issued by the forest department. The court rejected the forest department’s claim that the area falls under the notified forest area in January 2021.

He mentioned that the state cabinet, in a meeting a December of last year, had decided to follow the high court’s order to begin work on widening the national highway.

James stated that they wanted the widening work to start as soon as possible, and they had also received compensation as per the regulations.

NH-306 is crucial for Mizoram, as it runs about 90 km from Silchar in Assam’s Barak valley to Kolasib. It serves as a lifeline for the state, as most supplies are transported through this highway.

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