Aizawl, Dec 18 : A rice-laden truck, heading for Lawngtlai in Mizoram, was looted on its way in between Leite and Maudarh hamlets under Hnahthial police station, police said here today.
The driver of the looted truck, which was the last of the convoy of three trucks, realised after reaching the Maudarh village that a few bags of rice had gone missing from his truck.
It was suspected that some miscreants climbed on the moving truck and fled with the rice bags. Meanwhile, the truck drivers supplying rice to government godowns in rural areas expressed the fear of being robbed on the way following the widespread famine caused by bamboo flowering in the State.
Some of the supply truck drivers said many people had requested them to sell them some of the rice, even as the state, particularly its southern parts, was reeling under acute rice shortage following the Mautam famine.
“It is so distressing to see old women urging us to sell the rice. Sometimes we had to lie that we were carrying sugar, iron rods or something else,” a driver said.
Confirming that all government godowns across Mizoram were running out of rice stocks, the supply drivers said whatever amount of rice arrived at the Bairabi railhead, were being distributed to different destinations as soon as they arrived.
“The clarifications of government officials in newspapers and TV channels that the rice shortage is not as bad as that alleged by the media is totally different to the actual situation,” the drivers pointed out.
Previously, the Centre had allegedly remained inactive during the previous Mautam in the late 1950s and early 60s, which triggered 20-year-long insurgent uprising led by Laldenga.
Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga, the late Laldenga’s former right-hand man, also expressed fear of recurrence of another such rebellion if the Centre did not act fast to relieve Mizoram from the prevailing rice shortage.
The driver of the looted truck, which was the last of the convoy of three trucks, realised after reaching the Maudarh village that a few bags of rice had gone missing from his truck.It was suspected that some miscreants climbed on the moving truck and fled with the rice bags. Meanwhile, the truck drivers supplying rice to government godowns in rural areas expressed the fear of being robbed on the way following the widespread famine caused by bamboo flowering in the State.
Some of the supply truck drivers said many people had requested them to sell them some of the rice, even as the state, particularly its southern parts, was reeling under acute rice shortage following the Mautam famine.
“It is so distressing to see old women urging us to sell the rice. Sometimes we had to lie that we were carrying sugar, iron rods or something else,” a driver said.
Confirming that all government godowns across Mizoram were running out of rice stocks, the supply drivers said whatever amount of rice arrived at the Bairabi railhead, were being distributed to different destinations as soon as they arrived.
“The clarifications of government officials in newspapers and TV channels that the rice shortage is not as bad as that alleged by the media is totally different to the actual situation,” the drivers pointed out.
Previously, the Centre had allegedly remained inactive during the previous Mautam in the late 1950s and early 60s, which triggered 20-year-long insurgent uprising led by Laldenga.
Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga, the late Laldenga’s former right-hand man, also expressed fear of recurrence of another such rebellion if the Centre did not act fast to relieve Mizoram from the prevailing rice shortage.
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