India allocates Rs 6,000 crore for strategic highway along border with China; work to begin in April

To intensify its vigil along the border with China and enhance connectivity, the Indian government has allocated around Rs 6,000 crore for 11 different packages of the strategic Frontier Highway in Arunachal Pradesh that will run by the India-Tibet-China-Myanmar border. A ToI report cited a top road transport and highways ministry official saying the construction work will be carried out by three agencies - the state public works department, Border Road Organisation and National Highway and Infrastructure Development Corporation. The 1,748 km two-lane highway will be hardly 20 kilometres away from the international border at several locations. The work construction work is expected to commence in April this year and will be executed in phases. “By the end of this financial year, we are confident of bidding out nearly 400 km of this mega road project in Arunachal Pradesh and also in the entire North East,” the report quoted the official as saying, who added that construction work will create a lot of jobs for locals. Crucial for defence forces’ strategic movement The greenfield stretch will pass through uninhabited or sparsely-populated areas of upper Arunachal Pradesh and therefore, the two-lane highways will be beneficial to cater to the traffic demand and the requirement of defence forces for strategic movement, the report mentioned sources as saying. Frontier’s Highway to enhance connectivity to border areas On Sunday, Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari announced an allocation of Rs 2,098.81 crores sanctioned for the construction of the Bomdila-Nafra-Lada section (package 2, 3) covering 78.3 kilometres and Rs 279.91 crores for the 15.4 kilometres long Lada-Sarli section (Package 7) of NH-913 (Frontier Highway) on EPC mode. “The strategic development of this road aims to enhance connectivity to border areas, fostering socio-economic growth in the region. The Frontier Highway’s construction is anticipated to curb migration and facilitate reverse migration towards the border areas of Arunachal Pradesh,” the Union Minister said.

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“Additionally, the advancement of this Frontier Highway segment will establish crucial road infrastructure connecting significant river basins, thereby enabling the development of numerous hydropower projects in the state,” the minister said. With inputs from agencies