Assam blockade: Mizoram to get essentials through Tripura, Manipur

Aizawl: The economic blockade by people of Assam’s Barak Valley region is unlikely to hit hard the essential commodities supply in Mizoram as before because the state government has facilitated transportation of fuel, cooking gas and other essential commodities, including rice, from two other neighbouring states, a minister said on Thursday.

Apart from Assam, Mizoram shares inter-state border with Manipur (95 km) and Tripura (66 km).

Mizoram Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs minister K. Lalrinliana said the state government has begun transporting petrol and diesel from Tripura from Wednesday.

“Some oil tankers are expected to arrive in the state capital from Tripura by Friday. We will also send seven oil tankers and another four trucks to transport LPG from Tripura’s capital Agartala on Friday,” he said.

Also Read | Don’t travel to Mizoram, Assam government tells citizens

He said the Mizoram government has reached an agreement with authorities of Food Corporation of India (FCI) in Tripura to transport rice for the state.

“As of now we have sufficient rice stocks for at least three months. Other essential commodities are also coming in and some traders from Tripura have already entered Mizoram,” he said.

He said the state government is currently in talks with Manipur government to facilitate transportation of essential commodities, especially LPG and fuels.

Mizoram is currently under lockdown due to Covid-19.

Lalrinliana said there was no report of essential commodities crisis in the state till date despite the blockade staged in neighbouring Assam.

There is no bandh or blockade in Mizoram and heavy trucks and other vehicles manned especially by non-tribals are uninterruptedly moving towards Assam non-stop, he said.

He said that no vehicles have entered the state from Assam since the past two days.

Also Read | How K Pop fans gave Mizoram an edge over Assam in ‘battle’ on social media

The minister said the government is making massive efforts to ensure that people don’t face essential commodities crisis.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Mizoram government had written to Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) seeking intervention to lift economic blockade on the National Highway-306 in Assam.

NH-306 is the lifeline of Mizoram linking the northeastern state with rest of the country through Assam’s Silchar.

“Unknown miscreants from Assam have destroyed and removed railway tracks at Mohammedpur and Ramnathpur railway stations in Assam’s Hailakandi district, the only railway line connecting Bairabi railway station in Mizoram’s Kolasib district,” the letter also said.

However, Assam denied that there was economic blockade in the state.

Meanwhile, the Mizoram Merchants Association (MIMA), an umbrella body of 25 merchant associations in Mizoram, on Thursday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his intervention for immediate construction of uprooted railway tracks in Assam that link to Mizoram.

On Wednesday, a 12-hour bandh was observed in Assam’s Barak Valley comprising of three districts- Cachar, Hailakandi and Karimganj with which Mizoram shares about 164.6 km border, in protest against the killing of six cops and a civilian from Assam in a violent clash over border dispute on Monday. 

Also Read | Assam border dispute: Cartographers’ lines vs people’s perception of boundaries