Trilateral highway records progress-
In September 2015, a new section of the Asian highway linking India, Myanmar, and Thailand became operational. The section is a part of the trilateral highway connecting the three Asian economies. The newly opened section of the highway is located in the East-West Economic Corridor of the Greater Mekong Subregion. The 25.6 km roadway will reduce travel time between Thinggan Nyenaung and Kawkareik from three hours currently to about 45 minutes. Notably, this section is expected to step up trade between Myanmar and Thailand while improving economic linkages.
The trilateral highway project was conceived at the Trilateral Ministerial Meeting on Transport Linkages in Yangon in 2002 by the six member countries – India, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam – as part of the Mekong Ganga Cooperation (MGC). The project is particularly significant due to the geographical locations of the three countries and their trading relationships with one another. In signing the MGC later in Vientiane, Laos, the countries sought to promote cooperation in tourism, culture, education, and transportation linkages. The project was envisioned as part of the East-West Economic Corridor that would link India with Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam.
The highway is considered an important land route that connects India with Southeast Asia and beyond. The 3,200 km trilateral highway project stretches between Moreh in India to Mae Sot in Thailand via Myanmar’s Tamu, Mandalay, and Myawaddy. Construction work on the section began in 2012. The four-lane highway is part of the proposed ASEAN East-West Corridor. There is also a plan to link this road with the Trans-Asian Highway-1 that runs from Japan (via ferry) to Turkey, where it connects with the European highway after traversing the Asian continent.
The 3,200 km highway originates from the Indo-Myanmar border at Moreh in Manipur in India, passing through Tamu in Myanmar and terminates at Mae Sot in Thailand.
The first phase of the project involves the development of 78 km of new roads and upgradation of about 400 km of roads and associated approach lanes, the rehabilitation of bridges, etc. Apart from funding, the roads and new construction for the project in their countries, the Indian and Thai governments have provided concessional funding to Myanmar for the construction and upgradation of approximately 260 km of roads across various segments in Myanmar. In addition, the Myanmar government is also upgrading intermediate roads.
Although there was some progress in its initial years, the project had been stalled since 2006 due to lack of political commitment and funding, which could largely be attributed to Myanmar’s political isolation. However, six years later, the project picked up momentum with the launch of democratic reforms in Myanmar in August 2011.
India’s provision of $500 million in financing assistance to Myanmar in 2013 to expedite work on the trilateral highway project gave the project a much-needed boost. In September 2014, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) appointed Egis India Consulting Engineers Private Limited to conduct a feasibility study for the upgradation of the Kalewa-Yagyi section of the trilateral highway. In February 2014, the Government of India agreed to undertake the upgradation of the 120.4 km Kalewa-Yagyi section.
In 2012, the project received strong support from the highest levels of government of the three countries. An India-Myanmar-Thailand Joint Task Force Meeting on the trilateral highway project was held in New Delhi, India. The task force also discussed the extension of the highway to the Mekong region nations, thus forming an India-Myanmar-Laos-Vietnam-Cambodia highway. Moreover, it was agreed to initiate steps to harmonise customs and immigration procedures at border checkposts to facilitate the seamless movement of goods and people.
Concerns and the way ahead
The implementation and financing of cross-border infrastructure projects has always been a vexed issue. This has primarily been due to the greater complexity involved in project execution as compared to national-level projects. The perennial issues of securing requisite approvals, procurement of land, dealing with the PAPs, legal differences, environmental concerns, political factors, etc. are multiplied in transnational projects, putting their economic viability in jeopardy.
The project lacks adequate preparation and effort on the part of the three countries involved. One of the major challenges that caused project delays is that the exact route for the trilateral highway within Myanmar has not yet been finalised, although some sections have been approved. An ASEAN-India connectivity report summarises the reasons for the delays as limitations on the investigation and survey of project sites, data unavailability, and the lack of accessibility of related maps. Further, the trilateral highway route identified by the Myanmar government has several missing links: while some stretches are village-to-village tracks, others are just barren land.
While political support has put the project back on track, its success depends on the commitment of funds, availability of human and technical resources, and the participating countries’ capacity to execute it. Harmonisation of customs and immigration laws will also be needed. Only time will tell whether the project is able to deliver the promised prosperity to the three countries.
Nonetheless, the India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral highway, which is expected to become fully operational by 2018, could bring about a sea change in regional connectivity and accelerate India’s economic integration with ASEAN. The much-awaited highway’s initial deadline for completion was 2016 but the slow pace of work in Myanmar has forced rescheduling its opening to 2018. The trilateral highway has been a key component of India’s National Democratic Alliance government’s Act East policy and is designed to promote trade, investment, culture and historical linkages between India, especially its north-eastern region, and Southeast Asian countries.
