As LAC skirmishes increase, India to build a 1,700-km highway in Arunachal Pradesh

India is planning to build a new highway in Arunachal Pradesh that will run close to the India-Tibet-China-Myanmar border, Times of India reported. The 1,748-km long two-lane road, being called the "Frontier Highway", will be built by the road transport ministry and assumed strategic importance amidst continuous intrusion attemptsby China.

The highway will be designated as NH-913 and is the longest such highway to be notified by the Centre in the recent past. It will help defence forces and equipment travel to the border with ease and also aims to stop the entry of immigrants from border areas.

The clash between Indian and Chinese troops along the Line of Actual Control in northeastern India's Arunachal Pradesh's Tawang Sector on December 9 has evoked strong political reactions in India. The Indian Air Force launched active combat patrols over Arunachal Pradesh after detecting "enhanced Chinese air activity", reports said. Fighter jets had to be scrambled "two-three times" in recent weeks to thwart China.

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Bomdila will serve as the starting point of the highway. It will then pass through Nafra, Huri and Monigong, the closest point on the India-Tibet border. Jido and Chenquenty, the points closest to the China border, will also be covered by the highway. It will terminate at Vijaynagar, near India-Myanmar border.

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Road transport minister Nitin Gadkari estimates that the project will cost around Rs 27,000 crore. However, the government is exploring ways to reduce the cost.

"Nearly 800km of the corridor will be greenfield as there is no existing road on these stretches. There will be some bridges and tunnels as well. We have chalked out the plan to complete the sanctioning of all works in 2024-25 and usually it takes around two years to complete construction," TOI quoted a government official as saying.

The road has been divided into nine packages. "Different packages will get completed as we progress while the entire project is expected for completion by 2026-27," he said.

The 'empowered committee on border infrastructure' had initially recommended a survey and preparation of a detailed project reports (DPRs) in 2016. The report was to correspond with the alignment finalised by the Department of Border Management under the home ministry and in consultation with the defence ministry and state government. In 2018, the home ministry recommended the areas that can be connected to the highway.

The government notified the corridor as a National Highway in November. "Once a road is notified as NH, the responsibility comes to the road transport ministry to build it. There is also a proposal to develop inter-corridors in Arunachal Pradesh connecting the frontier highway," TOI reported a source as saying.

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(With inputs from agencies)