Moreh to Mae Sot – India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway for Seamless Connection with ASEAN

In India, the National Highways are connecting the states so as increasing the networking between the populace. To take the development to every corner of the country highways are inevitable. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is entrusted with the responsibility of development and maintenance of National Highways in India. The National Highways carry 40% of trade though they constitute 1.7% of Indian road network.

Now the National Highways Authority of India undertakes the responsibility to alleviate their mission to the next level – international connectivity. To encourage trade and the intermingling of the cultures, Government of India has planned a seamless connection between India and the south-east Asian neighbours. The govt. has proposed highways through the north-east of India to Myanmar and beyond to Thailand.

Mr Nitin Gadkari, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways hopes the trilateral Highway project can boost the trades and ties among the nations in the region. It also alleviates the infrastructure of the northeast India which is lagging behind the other parts of the country. India has fully financed the trilateral highway and Delhi is hoping for strengthening the connectivity with ASEAN.

The Trilateral Highway project - to link Moreh in Manipur, India, to Mae Sot in Thailand through Mandalay in Myanmar - was in fact linked by the previous NDA government under AB Vajpayee. It is visualised as a "highway of opportunity and friendship that would facilitate not just the movement of goods and services, but also, people and ideas". To give a boost to trade, business, health, education and tourism ties India, Thailand, and Myanmar are working on about 1,400km long highway that would link the country with Southeast Asia by land.

Among the connectivity projects already being proposed, the most influential one is the four-lane trilateral highway linking India (Moreh in Manipur) with Mae Sot (Thailand) via Myanmar which will be expanded to Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. This highway helps in cutting down the costs for the movements of the goods and services.

Connectivity is also being upgraded in the border areas for strategic purposes, with highways and development plans approved for Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Manipur, including a four-lane highway between Dimapur and Kohima. In the efforts for the development of the North-East and connectivity to Asean, Japan has emerged as a major partner of India. A recent Research Information System study notes that trilateral highway is going to have a positive impact in the region.

Recently Punj Lloyd and Varaha Infra joint venture get the proposal for the construction of a two-lane highway in the Kalewa-Yargi section of the proposed India-Myanmar-Thailand (IMT) Trilateral Highway. NHAI builds the Rih-Tedim road that will help connect the Trilateral Highway through Zokhawthar-Rih border in Mizoram, where India has already committed huge sums for widening the highway.

After all, as the old proverb says, a "good neighbour is far better than a distant relative." The trilateral highway project improves the people-to-people contacts and increases goodwill towards New Delhi in this region.

Referral Links: https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/logistics/nhai-issues-epc-contract-for-highway-project-linking-india-myanmar-thailand/article10020435.ece

https://www.livemint.com/Opinion/o4QSDxyenyvZ0QGwX5mwdL/The-North-East-is-key-for-Indias-ties-with-Asean.html

https://thediplomat.com/2017/09/a-promising-trilateral-india-myanmar-thailand/

#Ministryofroadtransport #HighwaysinIndia #Highwayprojectsinindia

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