Planning a road trip from India to Thailand might no longer be just a dream for travellers. According to Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, almost 70 per cent of the construction work on the ambitious India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway (IMTTH) has been completed. India, Thailand, and Myanmar are constructing a 1360-kilometre-long motorway connecting the country to Southeast Asia by land and strengthening commerce, business, health, education, and tourism relations between the three countries.
The Starting Point
Moreh in Manipur, India, would be linked to Mae Sot in Thailand via Myanmar via the highway. The IMTTH is part of the Transnational Asian Highway, comprising 1,41,000 kilometres of roads passing through 32 member countries. The IMTTH includes the building of 78 kilometres of new roads, the upgrading of about 400 kilometres of existing highways, the installation of all-weather approach lanes, and the repair and reconstruction of weak or distressed bridges. The highway is expected to open in the next three to four years for travellers.
India's Contribution
India is building two sections of the Trilateral Highway in Myanmar the 120.74 km Kalewa-Yagyi road section and the 160 km Tamu-Kyigone-Kalewa (TKK) road section, which includes 69 bridges and an approach road, under the Look East policy. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has been appointed as the project's technical executing agency and project management consultant. The estimated cost of completing the IMT trilateral highway stretch between India and Myanmar is Rs 1,177 crore.
Opportunity for India's North East through the IMTTH
The region's limited accessibility exacerbates the problem of economic underdevelopment in India's North East. Only the 22-kilometre-wide Chicken's Neck [Siliguri Corridor] connects the North East to the rest of India by rail and road. Given the region's predominant steep topography, roads are a crucial form of transportation and a lifeline, as alternative modes of transportation are either prohibitively expensive or difficult to develop. The IMTTH, which aims to connect Morehto Mae Sot, would improve the road network in North East India, increasing the flow of products, services, and people transportation. After the trilateral highway is completed, India also plans to extend it to connect to other nations like Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and other countries.
Cover photo credit Deposit photos
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