In a major move, the government has finally begun work on the country’s most challenging and strategic project right next to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) – the Frontier Highway in Arunachal Pradesh. The first tenders for construction of the project have been invited by the government on Thursday, with an aim to complete it by 2027.
The first tenders invited by the government, which have been reviewed by News18, are worth nearly Rs 2,200 crore. They are constructing an important highway stretch of nearly 121 km between Hunli and Hayuliang adjacent to the LAC, a 17 km-long strategic bridge between Hunli and Ithun, and a 13 km road from Tutin to Zido. The nearly 1,700 km-long Frontier Highway project in Arunachal Pradesh will be a major strategic project that will help in military movement to the LAC besides keeping a hawk eye on China’s activities across the border. China in the past had objected to this project when it was first conceived around 2016, hence, this is India’s major answer to China’s moves.
The Arunachal Frontier Highway will connect Dirang-Tawang road, Nafra, Lada, Bameng, Chayangtajo, Sarli, Damin, Parsi Parlo, Tali, Taliha, Siyum, Mechuka, Tato, Payum, Tuting, Singa, Dibang Valley and Anjaw onwards up to Vijaynagar. Once fully ready, it will offer connectivity from Bomdila near Tawang, next to the LAC, to Vijaynagar near the Myanmar border. The entire cost of the project will be Rs 27,000 crore. Arunachal MP and Union minister Kiren Rijiju said earlier: “One of my biggest dream projects to connect all the remote border locations of Arunachal Pradesh is approved. This will be one of the toughest and biggest border road projects in Independent India”.
Big Infra Push in Arunachal Pradesh
The Frontier Highway is part of a big road infrastructure push in Arunachal Pradesh by the Narendra Modi government in recent years in an effort to counter the designs of China along the LAC.
Recently, ahead of his retirement on December 31, Eastern Army Commander Lt General Rana Pratap Kalita had told News18 India was late to development along LAC especially in Arunachal Pradesh but had made giant strides in the last 10 years. “The PLA (People’s Liberation Army of China) is little ahead of us in some areas because they started early and we were late. Now, huge emphasis has been given and I am sure we will do well within a year. It’s not a race, but we will do well is what I can say based on the massive efforts being put in,” Kalita had told News18.
The Frontier Highway in the north and east part of Arunachal Pradesh along the China border would be in addition to the Trans-Arunachal Highway running through the middle of the state and the Arunachal East-West Corridor.
The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has also been on an overdrive in Arunachal Pradesh and had last year rolled out plans to build four key border roads in Arunachal Pradesh totalling nearly 300 km, and sought Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) on them.
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