A New Era of Economic Development

India should ensure that the trilateral 2800 km-long Kolkata-Bangkok highway is completed at the earliest to usher in a new era of economic development in south and south-east Asia. According to the Thai Vice-Minister of Foreign Affair Vijavat Isarabhakdi, the Thailand portion of the proposed highway has already been completed. On the other hand, Myanmar Commerce minister Aung Naing Oo has informed that the country is hopeful of completing the highway construction within the next three years. Thus, the onus is now completely on India as the longest stretch of the highway will be in this country and successful completion of the project will largely depend on the priority that New Delhi attaches to this project. The diplomatic and trade circles are optimistic that with the given resources and infrastructure, India can make this ambitious highway operational in four years time from now.

The proposed trilateral highway will connect Bangkok with Kolkata, the two most important cities in this part of the globe via Sukho Thai, Mae Sot in Thailand, Yangon, Mandalay in Myanmar and Moreh, Kohima, Guwahati and Siliguri in India. It will be a highway of international standard with modern facilities to ensure smooth and safe travel between the three countries. Once completed, it will be an important economic corridor much in the line of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which will immensely help trade and tourism. It  should be noted that every year, thousands of Indians from West Bengal and Northeast travel to Bangkok for various purposes. Majority of these travelers are either tourists or businessmen. This road link will certainly be suitable for various trades and for exploring many unheralded tourist destinations. This highway will especially be beneficial for the Northeastern region. Due to the geographical distance, it is hard to market the products made in the region to the mainland. The new trilateral highway will definitely help the Northeast rediscover its traditional markets in south-east Asian countries, which once formed the economic backbone of the region. This will provide a tremendous fillip to micro, small and medium industries in all three countries which will likely strengthen economic ties between India and south-east Asian countries.

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It’s a pity that despite knowing the benefits of the proposed highway, the work in India is progressing at a snail’s pace despite the fact that there is no need to construct new roads for the project. Only the existing highway on the proposed route needs to be widened. Yet, in the last two decades, the government has not been able to widen the Kolkata-Siliguri stretch of the proposed highway due to land problems. It highlights the fact that while the other nations are attaching due importance to this project, we have taken an indifferent attitude towards it. It’s time to expedite the process to benefit from the new road link without any further delay. As it is a project of national interest, the government should remove all roadblocks immediately by announcing a special rehabilitation package for persons that may be affected by the road widening project.