Aizawl, July 18 (PTI) Mizoram Oil Tanker Drivers' Association (MOTDA) said it will cease operations from Saturday due to the dilapidated condition of the national highway linking the state with Assam.

A statement issued by MOTDA on Friday said that the Sairang-Kawnpui stretch of the national highway is so "badly damaged that it is no longer safe for oil tankers to ply on it".

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"The MOTDA decides not to ply on the national highway starting from July 19 till it is repaired for trucks to travel. We apologise to the public for any inconvenience that will be caused by the strike," the statement said.

NH-306 is the primary lifeline of Mizoram, as all supplies come through this national highway from outside the state. It connects Mizoram's capital Aizawl with Silchar town. A portion of the national highway is called NH-6.

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The Sairang-Kawnpui sector of NH-6, which was worst affected by the monsoon, was recently taken over by the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) from the state government.

NHIDCL executive director (P) Virender Kumar Jakhar told PTI that the repairing work of the stretch began on July 10 and is ongoing.

He said that the repair work could not be expedited due to heavy traffic and rain.

The Mizoram Truck Drivers Association (MTDA) has recently filed a PIL at the Aizawl bench of the Gauhati High Court over the dilapidated condition of NH-6/306.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)