Aizawl, Jan 26 (IANS): Movement of goods-laden trucks and other vehicles on the National Highway-6 started on Saturday after the two Mizoram truck associations have called off their agitation to protest against the pitiable condition of the vital Aizawl-Silchar National Highway, officials said.

The truckers’ association withdrew their strike following the assurances of the state government to repair the highway, which is the main National Highway to carry food grain, essentials, medicines, and transport fuel and other materials from other parts of the country via Assam.

The leaders of the Mizoram Truck Owners' Association (MTOA) and Mizoram Truck Drivers' Association (MTDA) said that the strike was lifted as the government was assured to take necessary steps to repair the worst-affected portions of the highways.

Trucks carrying essential commodities, food grain, and construction materials had ceased plying vehicles from Thursday. However, oil tankers and trucks carrying cooking gas from Assam did not halt operations. The stretches of the National Highway between Sairang/Khamrang near Aizawl and Vairengte near the Assam border were badly damaged by heavy rain during monsoon last year.

An MTOA spokesperson claimed that the officials of the state government and other concerned departments earlier promised to renovate the roads during winter but no steps had been taken before their agitation started.

Meanwhile, engineers of the Public Work Department (PWD) said that the repair work in some portions of the National Highway between Sairang and Vairengte is being executed on a war footing manner. The state government also sanctioned Rs 75 lakh for repair work.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) had earlier notified that some portion of the repair of the National Highway would be done by the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) and other portions by the state PWD.