After a year of waiting in vain for the Border Roads Organisation, the villagers of Mizoram have started repairing the 18 km road. | Popgen Tech

Villagers on the Sairang-Tuipuibari road in Mizoram have started repairing an 18-km stretch after waiting for the BRO to complete the work. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangements

Villagers in Mizoram’s Mamit district have started repairing an 18-kilometer section of a strategic road that the Border Roads Organization (BRO) was supposed to complete a year ago.

The local units of the Young Mizo Association (YMA), a social organization that connects members of the Mizo ethnic community worldwide, mobilized the residents affected by the “unrideable” stretch of the Sairang-Tuipuibari road for a voluntary work march that began on October 20. .

According to the YMA, the BRO is responsible for maintaining this road under the Pushpak Project through 74 Road Construction Company/24 Border Road Task Force.

The voluntary work was undertaken six months after H. Lalthanchama, a lawyer and resident of West Phaileng district town, sent a legal notice to the Director General of the BRO and other officials besides the contractor and subcontractor of the project. None of them responded to the legal notice seeking action on the 18 km stretch.

Villagers on the Sairang-Tuipuibari road in Mizoram have started repairing an 18-km stretch after waiting for the BRO to complete the work. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangements

Mr. Lalthanchama said: “The villagers cannot remember any work done in more than three decades to repair the road or improve it to ride quality standards.” The Hindu.

Sangzuala Sailo, the Joint secretary of the YMA said that people take at least 1 hour 30 minutes to cover the 18 km stretch between Dapchhuah and West Phaileng. The duration doubles during the monsoon season, forcing people to take an alternative, village-bound route to the city.

The Sairang-Tuipuibari road is a lifeline for 33 villages with a total of 4,400 houses and more than 25,000 people. The time it takes for locals to cover the short stretch often leads to delayed treatment for people.

Work on the road repair project, estimated at ₹ 18.94 crore, was to begin in November 2020 and be completed by November 2021.

BRO officials contacted did not respond to complaints from Mizoram villagers.