The union government has decided to accelerate the construction of four high priority strategic railway corridors in the Northeast. These are of great importance and are among fourteen strategically crucial lines identified by the army for transporting supplies and troops in emergencies. Indian Railways say they are unable to fork out for the lines and contend that these are not essential for their operational needs. It shows a remarkable apathy about the need for border infrastructure which cannot be measured in terms of commercial viability. The four routes are in the landlocked Northeast which is known for its poor connectivity. Arunachal Pradesh shares a 1,000 Km border with China, which has built a transit infrastructure on the border speeding up movement significantly. Such infrastructure is neither civilian nor military. Railways, roadways and air connectivity should not be delinked, especially in the Northeast. Rail connectivity to Itanagar has recently been extended. That is linked with the development of airports at Imphal and Agartala. A new airport is under construction at Gangtok. It is also necessary to connect the Northeast with Chittagong and Sittwe ports. Manipur is situated at one extreme of NH 39 and NH 53. The prolonged blockades in 2010-11 had totally isolated the state. Arunachal Pradesh has suffered disasters from its poor helicopter service which caused the death of one of its chief ministers. All this puts special emphasis on beefing up permanent transport infrastructure along the border.
Admittedly, geology and geography offer challenges. But India has to face up to these challenges especially as its China policy calls for rethink. The security threats posed by China should not be underestimated. At the same time, all eyes should be on maximizing the gains to be derived from a vision of economic partnership with the giant neighbor.
