Arunachal Pradesh: The Strategic Significance of Border Roadways Initiatives

 Keywords: Arunachal Pradesh, Frontier Highway, Border, China, Strategic Significance

Date: 06th November,2023

The chief minister of Arunachal Pradesh, Pema Khandu, said recently that his government plans to build a 1,500-kilometer-long road, known as the Frontier Highway, as well as another 1,000 kilometers of roads to connect the state's most distant areas. This highway will be built along the India-Tibet-China-Myanmar border, up to 20 km from the line of actual control (LAC) and international boundaries. 

According to the plan, the Frontier Highway will also connect with the under-construction Trans-Arunachal Highway, a 1,811-kilometer-long two-way national highway standard trunk route connecting Tawang in Arunachal's northwestern tip to Kanubari in the state's southeastern end, and eventually ending on NH 52 near Akajan, close to the Bogibeel bridge near Dibrugarh in Assam. 

The Northeast of India is one of the most crucial geographies for the country. Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, and Myanmar share a 4,500-kilometer international boundary with the region is in question. The 1,080 km boundary with China in the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh is contested, resulting in a conflict between India and China in 1962. While the 1962 war did not grow beyond a border war, the root cause of the conflict, a disputed boundary, remains unresolved. Apart from a contested border, China claims 90,000 square kilometers of territory in the Northeast, including the whole state of Arunachal Pradesh. 

The existing conflict in the region highlights the importance of developing connectivity in the region to bolster a swift response to the quite common Chinese assertiveness in this border. Hence, there is a need to develop strategic border roadways. One of the most significant barriers to road construction in Arunachal Pradesh has been the Indian strategic thinking, which saw the state's lack of roads as a defensive mechanism to prevent Chinese military deployment into India's heartland if China did a replay of 1962. 

This thinking influenced New Delhi's policy toward Arunachal Pradesh until the mid-2000s. However, a more confident India with a strong economy cannot afford to ignore the people of Arunachal Pradesh's desires for greater infrastructure. Arunachal Pradesh has seen an increase in demand for better roads, more effective Indian defense mechanisms, and stronger institutional institutions. In May 2006, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved the development of strategic roads in Arunachal Pradesh, signaling a shift in India's defensive stance toward strategic highways.

Furthermore, India was forced to respond to China's aggressive road construction efforts in neighboring nations such as Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan. Through the Kodari highway, which connects Lhasa and Kathmandu, China developed critical road ties with Nepal. China is linked to Pakistan by the Karakoram Highway. The Chinese presence in Myanmar is made possible by Yunnan's open border. Roads have benefited Chinese commercial activity, while also increasing China's influence in these countries that border India. These developments necessitated India to respond. 

In order to support the operational movement of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) along the India-China border, the Ministry of Home sanctioned Rs.1,934 crore for strategic road projects of about 804 kms on 4 June 2012. This covered a 3,488-kilometer stretch of border from the Karakoram Pass in Ladakh to the Jachep La in Arunachal Pradesh. The Border Roads Organisation (BRO), the Central Public Works Department (CPWD), and the National Projects Construction Corporation were tasked with constructing these roads. 

Notably, infrastructure development was included as one of the state's top priorities in the Arunachal Pradesh Human Development Report from 2005. The 2009 package of Rs. 24,000 crore from the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was the another step towards constructing the ‘Trans-Arunachal Pradesh highway’. 

Coming to more recent times, in January 2023, India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh went on to inaugurate 28 strategically vital projects across the Sino-Indian border, with one of them being the opening of a bridge on the Siyom river in Arunachal Pradesh. The fact that he was present at the bridge’s location to inaugurate these projects highlight the symbolic as well as strategic importance that the frontier state holds with regards to responding to its aggressive northern neighbor.  

This 100-meters long bridge on the Along-Yingkiong Road in Siang district is a class 70 steel arch superstructure bridge which is critical for troops to access the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Arunachal Pradesh's central region, specifically the Tuting subdivision bordering China. One of the other projects is a bridge that connects Kurung Kumey district's Huri hamlet, one of the most isolated communities in India along the LAC, with the Oyong River. 

The Frontier Highway will go from Bomdila to Nafra, Huri, and Monigong, closer to the LAC or the McMahon Line. The road would stop near the India-Myanmar border in Vijaynagar. Tawang, Mago Upper Subansiri, Upper Siang, Mechukha, Tuting, Dibang Valley, Kibithoo, Changlang, and Dong are among the significant areas that will be connected by the route. Hence, this border roadway would be quite crucial, as it would significantly improve road connectivity in Arunachal Pradesh, besides helping troops movements in this sensitive border region. 

The CM stated that once completed, the route will halt outmigration from border areas and bring development to the doorsteps of people living in distant places. In addition, the 1,000 km of highways will be built to connect the district headquarters, important locations, and certain villages, allowing for the smooth transit of army soldiers and equipment to border areas. 

The estimated Rs 40,000 crore highway project will pass close to Yangtse, the site of China's PLA incursion on December 9th last year. Following the PLA troops' entry into Yangste, there was an altercation with the Indian Army that left men wounded on both sides. According to a state government official, the border highway would improve access to the state capital as well as significant locations with large population densities and economic activity, such as the locations of significant hydroelectric power facilities. 

When finished, the Frontier Highway will have enormous strategic worth. The project will significantly improve the state's road connectivity. It would also reduce outmigration from border areas, bringing development to residents living in distant communities. The military and the general public will both benefit from these road enhancements. The project will facilitate the military's and their equipment's smooth deployment to the border regions.

Sagnik Sarkar is a postgraduate student of Political Science and International Relations at Jadavpur University

Disclaimer: The views expressed above and the information available  are those of the author/s and can therefore in no way be taken to reflect the position of Asian Confluence