NEW DELHI, March 22 ? The Commerce Ministry has ruled out the possibility of reopening the Stillwell Road even as two additional points for border trade with Myanmar in Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh have been identified for opening. The disclosure was made by the Minister of State for Commerce, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, at the Lok Sabha, here this morning, in response to a question by Paban Singh Ghatowar. The MP seeking an assurance from the Minister, underlined the importance of the Stillwell Road for the economy of the North East. He pointed out to the Minister that importance of the road lay in the fact that it connects Myanmar and the Kunmming Yunan province of China. He said the road was used by the tribal people even after it was officially closed in the 1960s. The Minister, conceding the importance of the road, said that this route for border trade does not find favour with the Myanmar Government. The country wants that the Moreh-Tamu border point should be developed first, he said. ?I don?t see any possibility of reopening of the Stillwell Road in the near future,? Rudy said.
However, Ghatowar asserted that the tribal people on both sides of the international border continue to use the road for border trade, adding that the Government has done little to develop the infrastructure of the area. The reopening of the Stillwell Road would lead to development of the Margherita-Ledo area, Ghatowar further added. Several international organisations including the World Bank and the SAARC Initiative have identified the North East as the potential growth centre for trade, the MP said, pointing out that reopening of the Stillwell Raod will connect the North East with Myanmar and Kunmming in China. The Minister in response, said that it was quite interesting that local border trade in barter system was still continuing. The barter trade is going on and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has recently modified the items that can be traded. The Minister said the Myanmar Government prefers the Tamu-Moreh border point and the two additional points in Nagland and Arunachal Pradesh. ?The Myanmar Government is insisting that the two border points be developed first,? he asserted.
Meanwhile, in response to a separate question tabled by PR Kyndiah, the Minister of State for Commerce revealed that at least six of the recommendations of the ?Inter-ministerial Task Force on Border Trade? have been implemented. The Department of Commerce under the Critical Infrastructure Balance Scheme has sanctioned Rs 6.53 crore for development of trade-related infrastructure including border town in the North East, he added. A study on the identification of a border trade policy regime for the region has been given to Assam Industrial Development Corporation. Under the Export Development Fund created for the North East, Rs 28.9 crore has been already released out of the earmarked Rs 54.76 crore. The Minister further added that six roads in the region have been declared National Highways and action is being taken to upgrade and maintain these highways. Commodity Boards have opened their offices in different States in the region, Rudy contended.