According to the Times of India, India is preparing to construct a new expressway/ highway in Arunachal Pradesh that will be close to the borders with Tibet, China, and Myanmar. The road transport ministry will construct the 1,748 km long, two-lane “Frontier Highway,” which has taken on strategic significance in the face of China’s persistent infiltration attempts.
The highway, which will be known as NH-913, will be the longest of its kind recently announced by the Center. It tries to prevent immigrants from border areas from entering the country by making it easier for defense forces and equipment to travel to the frontier.
The highway will officially begin at Bomdila
Strong political reactions have been sparked by the battle between Indian and Chinese troops on December 9 along the Line of Actual Control in the Tawang Sector in northeastern India’s Arunachal Pradesh. According to sources, the Indian Aviation Force began intensive combat patrols over Arunachal Pradesh after spotting “increased Chinese air activity.” In recent weeks, it was necessary to “two-three times” scramble fighter fighters to prevent China.
The highway will officially begin at Bomdila. The closest location on the India-Tibet border, Nafra, Huri, and Monigong, will thereafter be traversed. The areas closest to the Chinese border, Jido and Chenquenty, will also be served by the route. It will end in Vijaynagar, close to the border with Myanmar. 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.
Once a road is notified as NH, the responsibility comes to the road transport ministry to build it
In 2016, the “empowered committee on border infrastructure” first suggested conducting research and creating detailed project reports (DPRs). The report was to be in line with the alignment decided upon by the Department of Border Management under the supervision of the Home Ministry, with input from the Defense Ministry and the State Government. The regions that can be connected to the roadway were suggested by the home ministry in 2018.
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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