Frontier Highway along LAC in Arunachal planned; it has huge strategic value: Pema Khandu

Tawang: The Arunachal Pradesh government is planning to construct a 1,500 km-long road, to be known as Frontier Highway, and an additional 1,000 km road to link the remotest parts of the state, Chief Minister Pema Khandu has said.

This "futuristic highway" will be constructed along the "India-Tibet-China-Myanmar" border and it will be as close as 20 km from the Line of Actual Control and the international borders.

"The frontier highway has a huge strategic value. It will bring transformational changes in road connectivity in Arunachal Pradesh. This will be beneficial for the Army too," Khandu told PTI.

The frontier highway will start from Bomdila and pass through Nafra, Huri, and Monigong, which is closer to the LAC or the McMahon Line. The road will end in Vijaynagar, near the India-Myanmar border.

Some of the important places that will be linked through the road are Tawang, Mago Upper Subansiri, Upper Siang, Mechuka, Tuting, Dibang Valley, Kibithoo, Changlang, and Dong.

As per the plan, the road will also connect with the under construction Trans-Arunachal Highway, a two-way national highway standard trunk route of about 1,811 km in length linking Tawang in north-western tip of Arunachal Pradesh to Kanubari in south-eastern end of the state and finally ending on the NH-52 near Akajan, close to Bogibeel bridge near Dibrugarh in Assam.

The CM said the road upon completion will stop migration from border areas and bring development to the doorsteps of the people living in remote areas.

In addition, 1,000 km of roads will be constructed to connect the district headquarters, places of importance, and some villages for a seamless movement of the armed forces and equipment to the border areas.

"The entire project will cost around Rs 40,000 crore," Khandu said.

The frontier highway will come up adjacent to Yangtse, where China's PLA troops intruded on December 9 last year.

After the PLA troops had entered Yangste, a clash took place with the Indian Army resulting in injuries to soldiers on both sides.

The frontier highway will provide improved connectivity to the state capital, and important places with high density population and economic activities, including the sites of major hydroelectric power projects, a state government official said.