Last Updated on August 14, 2023 by HBW2
India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral highway (IMT Highway), a 1360 km long route, is a highway construction project under India’s ‘Look East Policy’. This highway will connect Moreh of India with Sot of Thailand via Myanmar. The highway is expected to boost trade and commerce in ASEAN–India Free Trade Area, as well as with rest of Southeast Asia.
Sketch of IMT Trilateral Highway on Map
It was first envisioned by former Prime Minster of India, Atal Bihari Vajpayee. It was approved at ministerial level meeting between India, Myanmar and Thailand in 2002. The construction work of this highway began in 2012 and is being implemented in several phases. In December 2020, Bangladesh showed interest towards joining this highway project in order to boost connectivity from Dhaka.
India and ASEAN have plans to extend this route to Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam as this connectivity will generate annually, an estimated US$70 billion in incremental GDP and 20 million in incremental aggregate employment by 2025. India has offered US$1 billion line-of-credit for the India-ASEAN connectivity projects.
Around 70% construction work done on this project, according to Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister Road Transport & Highways, Government of India.
India’s contribution in IMT Highway Project
Apart from giving financial assistance, India has undertaken the construction of two sections of the highway in Myanmar. The Border Roads Organisation (BRO), a wing of the Indian Army has constructed some sections of the project.
Upgraded the construction of 121 km Kalewa-Yagyi road section.
Funding and technical support of 69 bridges along with the approach road on the 150 km Tamu-Kyigone-Kalewa (TKK) road section.
India also provided funding for the renovation of 73 bridges along the route in Myanmar that were originally built during World War II
The strategic advantages of India from this project:
* It will help to improve connectivity between India’s remote Northeastern part and Southeast. The trilateral highway will improve India’s connectivity with Myanmar and Thailand, and in the future there are plans to connect it with pre-existing roads and take it all the way to Vietnam.
*With the construction of this road, which started as the India-Myanmar friendship road way back in 2001, the recent non-attendance by India at China’s Belt and Road Forum in Beijing seems to have injected a new measure of earnestness among Indian policy planners when it comes to executing such road projects.
*Northeast India has been under developed than other parts of the country when it comes to infrastructure. When it will be completed, the IMT highway will also give easy access to the Northeastern states to the sea.