New trade route links NE to Myanmar

KALEMEYO (Myanmar), February 13: The border trade between the Northeastern States and the neighbouring Myanmar is likely to see a fresh revival with the formal inauguration of the 160 km Tamu-Kalewa-Kalemeyo Road jointly by the External Affairs Minister, Jaswant Singh and the Minister for Construction, Maj Gen Saw Tun here this afternoon. Red carpets were rolled out for the high-level Indian delegation led by the External Affairs Minister that also included ministers of four Northeastern States, including Assam, besides top officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Surface Transport and Army commanders. Singh's visit was the first by a top Indian official after a gap of over 14 years and the military rulers made sure that it was a grand affair. Thousands of children dressed in colourful attire, girls and boys, men and women lined up on both sides of the road at the border towns of Tamu, Kalewa and Kalemeyo to greet the motorcade. In attendence were majority of the senior officials of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) including Deputy Prime Minister, Lt Gen Tin Hla. Overwhelmed by the reception, External Affairs Minister later told newsmen the response was far beyond the expectation. 'We found smiles on the faces of the people,' a visibly pleased Minister said. In what could be another piece of encouraging news for the Northeastern States, particularly Assam is that the prospects of reopening of the Stilwell Road linking Ledo in Tinsukia district with Central Myanmar now stands a better chance. Pressing for it were the ministers of the Northeastern States including Assam Transport Minister Pradip Hazarika. Singh, on his part, said this was only the beginning as the Myanmar Government has seen the commitment of the Indian government. There are several cross-border cooperation projects which could transform the economics of this region, he said without naming the Stilwell Road. The engineers of the Border Road Organisation, who undertook the Tamu-Kalewa-Kalemeyo project said to reconstruct the Stilwell Road, certain sections of it from Pangshu Pass in Arunachal Pradesh and Myanmar has to be realigned, as the old alignment no longer existed. Meanwhile, the External Affairs Minister while inaugurating the Road, dwelt on the economic development of the region, as the two sides of the border were equally backward. Historically these areas have suffered on the account of inaccessibility and inadequate infrastructure. "We believe that the development of these border regions would be faster and more effective if our two countries joined hands in this endeavour. "By providing a link from the India-Myanmar border to Central Myanmar, to the cultural and the commercial centre of your country, this Road can promote exchanges in trade, travel and tourism, not only between people living along the border but also in the interior regions of India and Myanmar. The full potential of the border trading point at Tamu-Moreh may now be realised as a result if this road," he said. The Myanmar officials also reflected the same sentiments. Addressing the function, chairman of the Sagaing Division, Maj Gen Soe Win said various cooperative projects which are being implemented for the development of Indian-Myanmar border areas will bring about better economic conditions of the border areas. Since the Tamu-Kalewa Road is the primary artery connecting the border and Central Myanmar, Monywa-Yargi-Kalewa together with two bridges are being constructed. Intra-regional communication will be greatly facilitated when construction of these two roads have been completed, he announced. Lt Gen Tin Hla said that once the Tamu-Kalay Road is forged, it will be possile for motorists to travel by road from the Indian border to Myanmar and beyond. This road is bound to bring about economic development of the border areas, he added. The inauguration of the Tamu-Kalewa Road which may be a stepping stone for India in promoting its 'look east policy, under Ganga-Mekong cooperation policy, would however require concrete planning and trade promotion and cooperation on part of both the government to revive trade through the Moreh sector. The border trade through the sector which has been on since 1997 has dwindled over the years. Businessmen and officials on both sides of the international border said the trade route has now become a route for smuggling of Chinese goods. Daily goods worth about Rs 10 crore are smuggled across the border to Moreh, admitted a businessman of Indian origin B L Goenka. From the Indian side, pharmaceutical products are brought over. Other businessmen at Kalewa said though there is a great demand for Indian goods like Hero cycles, car and truck tyres, trade has not picked up owing to infrastructural and procedural problems. Significantly the inauguration of the Road has brought about fresh hopes of the bilateral trade picking up. One of the reasons being that the journey time between Moreh and Manipur and Central Myanmar has been cut to half. Earlier it used to take notting less than 12 hours to cover the 160 km. The Border Road Organisation completed the task in three years time. The MoU for construction of the Road was signed between the MEA and the Myanmar government in March 1997 and the project was handed over to 760 Border Roads Task Force under Chief Engineer Project Sewak. The Road estimated to cost Rs 121.35 crore actually cost less, and the entire project was completed at a cost of Rs 101.38 crore. The Road has been designed for a traffic intensity of 150 to 450 commercial vehicles a day with a carrying capacity of 24 tonnes.