ITANAGAR: Arunachal Pradesh Governor J J Singh has stressed the need to reopen the historic Stillwell Road and border trade with Myanmar through Pangasu Pass in Changlang district.
Singh said this when Union Minister of State for DoNER Pawan Singh Ghatowar called on him at Raj Bhawan here on Friday night, official sources informed on Saturday. Highlighting the importance of reopening of the historic Second World War road, the Governor said that the border trade agreement between India and Myanmar was signed on January 21, 1994.
Border trade has been officially going on at Moreh in Manipur and Nampong in Changlang district of Arunachal near the Pangsau Pass where a border trade centre (BTC) was inaugurated by the then Union MoS for Commerce Jairam Ramesh in November 1997.
The BTC at Nampong was practically lying defunct, Singh told the minister.
“Most imports from Myanmar and China are currently being channelled through the Kolkata dock, a much longer sea-route than the Stillwell Road,” he said.
He added that reopening of this road would reduce transportation costs between China and India by more than 30 per cent.
Underscoring the significance of border trade with the neighbouring south eastern countries, the Governor pointed out that teak would be the major item of import from Myanmar, which in turn would help preserve the state’s valuable forest reserves and also transform the economy of the under-developed and insurgency affected North Eastern region by making it a production hub for feeding the Myanmarese and western Chinese markets. Taking up the cause of air passengers, especially those with medical cases, he requested the minister to move the ministry concerned for introducing daily Boeing service from Lilabari to New Delhi via Guwahati. (PTI)
