NEW DELHI: Giving a push to Southeast Asian road connectivity, cabinet approved upgradation of Imphal-Moreh Section of NH-39 in Manipur at a cost of Rs 1630.29 crores. The project corridor is part of the Asian Highway 1 and acts as India's Gateway to the East as it will connect Myanmar.
The project is being developed with ADB's loan assistance under the South Asian Sub-Regional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) Road Connectivity Investment Program which aims at upgradation of road infrastructure in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and India (BBIN) in order to improve the regional connectivity among BBIN nations.
"The section will connect India to Myanmar and we can further go to Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia. So it is the section that connects India internationally," said Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari.
The connectivity is expected to boost trade, commerce and tourism in the region. For fulfilling India's "Look East" Policy and to promote and enhance trade link with South East Asia, India has notified an Integrated Custom Post (ICP) at Moreh.
The development of this project is essential in order to support the increased traffic volume due to coming up of ICP.
The minister said that the better road connectivity will boost trade, commerce and tourism and there is likelihood that it will create 2.67 lakh man days of employment in Manipur. Besides socio-economic development the project will also lead to reduction in average travel time along the project road by nearly 40 percent.