Assam govt denies blockade on national highway to Mizoram

GUWAHATI: The Assam government on Thursday denied that there is any economic blockade on the national highway to Mizoram through the Barak Valley as the neighbouring state has reported to the Centre.
NF Railways on Thursday reported minor damages to railway tracks connecting Barirabi in Mizoram but clarified that train movement on the section has been suspended for quite some time since the outbreak of Covid-19.
NF Railway chief PRO Subhanan Chanda when asked about the extent of damage to railway tracks to Bairabi said, “The minor damages to tracks at some places can be repaired. Right now there is no movement of passenger trains on this route as it has been suspended due to Covid-19 restrictions. Regarding freight movement, we are yet to run goods train in this section.”
Bairabi is the first station in Mizoram and the NFR is constructing the Bairabi-Sairang new railway line which will be later extended to Aizawl.
The project is scheduled to be completed by 2023.
Mizoram home secretary Lalbiaksangi, while seeking immediate intervention from the Centre in her letter, had said that damage to railway tracks and blocking of the highway has disrupted movement of essential items to the state.
"Unknown miscreants from Assam have destroyed/removed railway tracks at Mohammedpur and Ramnathpur stations in Hailakandi district of Assam. With this, the only railway line connecting Bairabi railway station in Mizoram has been blocked,” Lalbiaksangi wrote.
Cachar district superintendent of police, Ramandeep Kaur, said, “There is no economic blockade on any of the routes inside Assam linking Mizoram.” She added that truckers, vehicle owners, drivers and food-grain merchants have stopped movement and communication with Mizoram since Monday in which six Assam police personnel were killed and many others were injured.
On Tuesday, local residents had put up a blockade on the national highway leading to Mizoram at Kabuganj in Cachar district and Mahammadpur in Hailakandi district in protest against the killing of Assam policemen by Mizoram police but the blockade was withdrawn the next morning.