The India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway is a highway under construction under India's Look East policy that will connect Moreh, India with Mae Sot, Thailand via Myanmar. Imphal-Mandalay-Bangkok 1,980 km (1,230 mi) route, consisting of Imphal-Mandalay 584 km (363 mi) and Mandalay-Bangkok 1,397 km (868 mi), is good condition highway except for the under upgrade 101 km (63 mi) part of 120 km (75 mi) long Kalewa-Yagyi stretch, revised expected completion date for which is 2019.
The road is expected to boost trade and commerce in the ASEAN-India Free Trade Area, as well as with the rest of Southeast Asia. India has also proposed extending the highway to Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. The proposed approx 3,200 km (2,000 mi) route from India to Vietnam is known as the East-West Economic Corridor (Thailand to Cambodia and Vietnamn became operational in 2015).
India and ASEAN have plans to extend this route to Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam as this connectivity will generate annually, an estimated US$70 billion in incremental GDP and 20 million in incremental aggregate employment by 2025, and India has offered US$1 billion line-of-credit for the India-ASEAN connectivity projects (c. Dec 2017).
Video India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway
History
A highway connecting Moreh to Mae Sot via Myanmar was first proposed at a trilateral ministerial meeting on transport linkages in Yangon in April 2002. The length of the four-lane highway is approximately 1,360 km (850 mi).
The India-Myanmar Friendship Road, officially inaugurated on 13 February 2001, forms part of the trilateral highway. The 160-km road linking Tamu-Kalemyo-Kalewa was built by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), a wing of the Indian Army. The BRO maintained the road until 2009, when it was transferred to the Government of Myanmar. Per the original agreement between India and Myanmar on the Friendship Road project, the Indian government was tasked with widening and repaving the existing roads in the area, while the Myanmar government would upgrade the decrepit single-lane bridges along the route. However, the Myanmar government failed to carry out the upgradation work. In May 2012, India announced that it would invest US$100 million to repave the existing highway and upgrade all 71 bridges that Myanmar had failed to build. Myanmar stated that it would upgrade the Yargi-Monywa section and open the existing motorway between Mandalay-Naw Pyi Taw and Yangon. Following the 2015 Myanmar elections, the new government withdrew the country's commitment, and India is expected to upgrade the stretch from Moreh to Monywa. An alternate alignment for the stretch between Mandalay-Naw Pyi Taw and Yangon has also been proposed.
During Myanmar President U. Htin Kyaw's state visit to India in August 2016, an MoU was signed with the Government of India under which the latter will fund the construction of 69 bridges, including approach roads in the Tamu-Kyigone-Kalewa section (149.70 km (93.02 mi)) of the highway, and also upgrade the Kalewa-Yagyi section (120.74 km (75.02 mi)). India provided funding for the renovation of 73 bridges along the route in Myanmar that were originally built during World War II. India and Myanmar signed an agreement to speed up construction of the highway on 29 August 2016. Prabir De, coordinator of the ASEAN-India Centre at the Research and Information System for Developing Countries, stated in November 2017 that the Border Roads Organisation had completed upgrading the 160 km Tamu-Kalewa-Kalemyo section of the highway in Myanmar at a cost of US$27.28 million. In August 2017, the government of India allocated US$256 million for the upgrade of 1,360 kilometres (850 mi) highway from Moreh in Manipur through Tamu, Myanmar to Mae Sot in Thailand. On 6 September 2017, the National Highway Authority of India awarded a INR1,200 crore (US$190 million) construction and maintenance road contract for the Kalewa-Yagyi section in Myanmar to a joint venture of Punj Lloyd and Varaha Infra Ltd. The 120 km stretch will be upgraded to a two-lane road. The engineering, procurement and construction contract for the project will entirely be funded by the Indian Foreign Ministry.
The 25.6 km (15.9 mi) long Myawaddy-Thinggan Nyenaung-Kawkareik section of the highway was inaugurated by Thai and Myanmar officials on 30 August 2015, reducing travel time between Thinggan Nyenaung and Kawkareik from three hours to 45 minutes. Construction on the section had begun in 2012. On the same day, a foundation stone laying ceremony was held at Myawaddy, Myanmar to mark the beginning of construction of the Myanmar-Thailand Friendship Bridge No.2 that will link Mae Sot, Thailand with Myawaddy.
A trial run of passenger vehicles on the highway up to Naypyidaw, the capital of Myanmar, was carried out during November 9-14, 2015 in which Indian vehicles travelled to Myanmar on the Imphal-Mandalay-Bagan-Naypyidaw route and back, with Myanmar vehicles joining the Indian vehicles on the return journey. In order to let people know about the highway, a car rally was flagged off by the governments of the three countries from New Delhi. The rally will travel from New Delhi to Guwahati and will enter Myanmar from Manipur (India) before moving on to Bangkok.
In February 2017, Myanmar approved a proposal from the Thai government permitting the latter to upgrade a 68 km (42 mi) section of the road between Thaton in Mon State and Ein Du in Kayin State. The upgrade will be financed by Thailand at a cost of US$51 million. Under the project, the road will be widened and its surface improved. Myanmar also requested Thailand to assist in the development of other sections of the highway.
In 2015, India proposed a trilateral Motor Vehicle Agreement to facilitate seamless movement of passenger and cargo vehicles among the three countries. In May 2017, during a visit by Thai officials to Manipur, the state's Chief Secretary Oinam Nabakishore declared that the draft of the trilateral agreement had already been prepared. In December 2017, Myanmar stated that it needed time to review all of its connectivity agreements, before proceeding with this agreement.
In May 2017, India's NITI Aayog proposed establishing a Special Purpose Vehicle owned by all three countries to monitor and implement the project. In September 2017, Indian ambassador to Myanmar announced that an Imphal-Mandalay India-Myanmar bus service will commence from 2018 after India and Myanmar sign the motor vehicle agreement.
Maps India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway
Route upgrade status
The highway's route will be Moreh (India) - Tamu (Myanmar) - Kalewa (Myanmar) - Yagyi (Myanmar) - Monywa (Myanmar) - Mandalay (Myanmar) - Meiktila (Myanmar) - Nay Pyi Taw (Myanmar) - Payagyi (Myanmar) - Theinzayat (Myanmar) - Thaton (Myanmar) - Hpa'an (Myanmar) - Kawkareik (Myanmar) - Myawaddy (Myanmar) - Mae Sot (Thailand).
The status of upgrade of various segments of the highway according to India's Ministry of Development of the Northeast Region is shown below During 9-14 December 2015, Imphal-Mandalay-Naypyidaw bus service trial run only 101 km stretch bwteen Kalewa-Yagyi was the bumpy section.
Look-East connectivity
Commerce with South and East Asian nations accounts for almost 45% of India's foreign trade. Myanmar and ASEAN nations are part of India's Look East policy. India is part of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, BIMSTEC, East Asia Summit,Mekong-Ganga Cooperation, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, Asian Highway Network and the Trans-Asian Railway network and India has embarked on several Look-East connectivity projects.
See also
- Pakokku Bridge
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia
0 Comments