Attempt to lift truckers' blockade triggers tension on Assam-Mizoram border

Tension prevailed along the Assam-Mizoram border at Lailapur on Tuesday after authorities attempted to lift a three-day blockade by truckers protesting alleged harassment of commercial vehicle operators in Mizoram, officials said.

The truckers resisted the Cachar district administration's move to clear the highway and resume traffic, parking heavy vehicles across the road and refusing to allow goods consignments to pass through the Lailapur checkpoint.

The drivers said the authorities should address their safety concerns rather than focus on restoring the movement of commercial traffic.

The protest entered its third day on Tuesday, with the truckers refusing to transport goods to Mizoram until a permanent solution is found to what they described as recurring harassment of commercial vehicle operators crossing the state border.

The drivers alleged that truckers entering Mizoram routinely face hostility, intimidation and other unwarranted difficulties.

They claimed that repeated appeals in the past had failed to result in effective safeguards for their safety.

The situation became tense when Cachar district administrative officials reached Lailapur to disperse the protesters and clear the highway.

The agitators said no commercial consignments would be allowed to pass the checkpoint until the Assam and Mizoram governments put in place concrete mechanisms to ensure the safety of truck drivers.

Several goods-laden trucks have been stranded along the interstate corridor, disrupting the movement of essential supplies between the two states.

Cachar district authorities and police personnel have been deployed in the area to monitor the situation and prevent any deterioration in law and order.

Officials were also holding discussions with the protesters in an effort to resolve the dispute and restore commercial traffic.