Mizzima: India To Build One More Road in Burma

[Mizzima News]

                  India To Build One More Road in Burma

Guwahati, March 24, 2004
Mizzima News (www.mizzima.com)

India is upbeat by the growing response from the Burmese government.
The Indian Home Ministry has decided to construct a 70 km road in the
bordering areas of Burma. The 70-km road is divided into two parts and
the survey has been completed to carry forward the construction of the
road.

Highly placed officials in the Mizoram government told Mizzima
correspondent that a 35-km stretch covering Champhai (Mizoram of India)
to Tiddim (Chin State of Burma) would be completed in the first phase,
while the construction work of the second phase from Champhai to Falam
(in Burma) would commence right after the completion of the first phase.

Tiddim and Falam fall within Burma’s borders and the Chin people inhabit
these areas. The Chin community of Burma has good relations with the
Mizo people.  To keep the relations intact, the Mizoram government has
been demanding that the Indian government carries out developmental
activities in the bordering areas of Mizoram, so that the Chin people
can take advantage of it.

”The survey on the road, carried out by the Indian engineers, has been
completed in the last month and construction will be taken up very
soon”, the sources said.

It may be recalled that the Indian government has given priority on the
construction along the international border in order to develop the
border township between the countries, and to uplift the people living
along the border. Another aspect of the road is the growing drug
trafficking along the international border and with the current poor
road conditions it has affected the anti-drug operation along the
border.

The sources further stated that once the road is completed, the border
trade between the two countries would be increased to a large volume.
“India and Burma have taken a lot of initiatives to increase the volume
of trade through Champhai border and hence this road is likely to play a
key role in near future”, they added.

The Indian government had earlier constructed a road from Moreh (Manipur
State of India) to Tamu (Sagaing Division of Burma), which has been
helping Burma in removing the communication bottleneck.



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