A new highway is being planned from Shillong in Meghalaya to Silchar in Assam. This highway will connect with a bigger transport project in Myanmar, creating a new way to reach the North-East states from Kolkata by sea, without going through Bangladesh. A senior official from the National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) explained this.
This project comes after a comment made by Bangladesh’s interim government adviser Muhammad Yunus. In March, he said in Beijing that North-East India is “landlocked” and that Bangladesh controls all ocean access for the region. He made this remark while asking for more economic ties with China.
Read More: India Restricts Bangladesh’s Exports Through Land Ports
Later, on April 4, Yunus met India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a BIMSTEC summit in Bangkok. The Ministry of External Affairs said Modi advised him to avoid using harsh words that could harm friendly relations.
The new highway will be 166.8 km long with four lanes, running along National Highway 6 from near Shillong to near Silchar. It is the first high-speed road project in the North-East hills and is expected to be finished by 2030. NHIDCL is managing this project for the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
On the other side, the Kaladan Multi Modal Transit Transport Project in Myanmar, funded by India’s Ministry of External Affairs, links Kolkata port to Sittwe port in Myanmar. From Sittwe, goods travel by river to Paletwa in Myanmar and then by road to Zorinpui in Mizoram, India.
NHIDCL will extend this route from Zorinpui to Lawngtlai and Aizawl in Mizoram. This highway is very important because Silchar is a key entry point to Mizoram, Tripura, Manipur, and parts of Assam. This new route will help develop the entire North-East and support India’s Act East Policy.
With the Kaladan project, cargo can come from ports like Kolkata and Visakhapatnam to the North-East without depending on Bangladesh. The new highway will then transport goods by road, boosting the local economy.
Right now, the only main road link between North-East India and the rest of the country is the Siliguri Corridor, also called the ‘Chicken’s Neck’. The other routes are through Bangladesh and Myanmar. However, Bangladesh has limited sea access for the North-East region. So, India and Myanmar agreed on the Kaladan project as an alternative. This route should be ready when the Shillong-Silchar highway is completed.
Building the Shillong-Silchar highway is tough because it passes through hilly areas prone to landslides. The government approved the project on April 30, costing Rs 22,864 crore. Most of the highway will be in Meghalaya, with some in Assam. Once ready, travel time between Shillong and Silchar will reduce from about 8.5 hours to just 5 hours.
The NHIDCL official said this highway will reduce dependence on the Siliguri Corridor. The terrain is difficult and the current roads are poor, so special efforts are needed. Experts from the National Institute of Rock Mechanics are studying the area’s rock formations to prevent landslides.
Modern technology like LiDAR scanning is being used to map the land. They plan to use methods like rock anchors, wire mesh panels, and protective walls to stabilize slopes.
They will also install special devices to monitor the hills and detect any movement or risk of landslides. These devices include rain gauges, vibration sensors, and instruments to measure ground pressure.
The highway project will be done in a Public-Private Partnership called Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM). It will include 19 major bridges, 153 minor bridges, 326 culverts (small tunnels for water), 22 underpasses, 26 overpasses, 8 small tunnels, and 34 viaducts (long bridges).
