Indefinite highway blockade called by Kolasib land owners

Aizawl: The Joint Action Committee of the Land Owners’ Association of Mizoram’s Kolasib district has called for an indefinite blockade of National Highway-306 and National Highway-6 from 6 am of September 25, 2024 demanding the state government to resolve the ownership issues.

The NH-306 and NH-6 are interlinked and connect Mizoram’s state capital Aizawl with Assam’s Silchar town.

It is the primary lifeline of Mizoram as all supplies come through this route.

The association said the people of Kolasib have been having a conflict with the government over ownership of lands for more than three years.

It also said the state forest department has frozen their lands along the national highways by declaring them as roadside reserved areas.

The association alleged that due to the ongoing widening project of the national highways to four lanes, the state forest department has notified 800 metres of land on either side along the stretch of the national highways as Roadside Reserve Forest under the Roadside Reserve Forest notification, 1965 with an objective to receive the CA/NPV compensation.

The association claimed that the forest department has never publicly announced and maintained the areas – 800 metres of land on either side of the national highways – as Roadside Reserve Forest in the past.

It said the areas along the stretch of the national highway have been occupied by people for human habitation, plantation and other purposes for several decades.

The Land Owners’ Association urged the Mizoram government to repeal the 1965 notification and also withdraw the freezing order on lands, which they claimed were owned by private parties.

It further asked the state government to expedite the widening process of NH-306 and NH-6 to four lanes.