What's new

Moizoram to Connect With BD & Burma

asad71

PROFESSIONAL
Joined
May 24, 2011
Messages
6,863
Reaction score
4
Country
Bangladesh
Location
Canada
$107m WB project to connect Mizoram with BD, Myanmar

Reported on: June 15th, 2014 08:00:47 am

Washington, June 15 (UNB) – The World Bank Board of Executive Director’s approved a $107 million credit for the Mizoram State Roads II — Regional Transport Connectivity Project to improve transport connectivity for the landlocked state of Mizoram and to help open up the potential for regional trade among neighbouring countries.

The project will enhance Mizoram and other northeastern states’ road links with Bangladesh, as well as with Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar, said a World Bank press release on Thursday.

The link to Bangladesh will facilitate greater bilateral trade and access to the Port of Chittagong — the nearest shipping port for the northeastern region of India.

The link to the border with Myanmar will facilitate connectivity to Myanmar and the rest of East Asia and beyond. The impacts on trade and employment will be felt at two levels, intra-state and between Mizoram and neighboring states and countries, namely Bangladesh and Myanmar.

Mizoram’s road network is of poor quality and under developed, and has among the lowest density in all of India. It faces severe constraints in its connectivity with larger markets, the press release said..

According to estimates, annual intra-regional trade in the region can more than double from $16 billion to $38 billion annually, if barriers to trading with neighbors were removed.

According to another estimate, investments in transport infrastructure could reduce trade costs by more than 20 percent in India, and 12.5 percent in Bangladesh.

The project will fund 91 km of roads that are design-ready. Roads that will be widened or strengthened include: a 22 km section of Lunglei – Tlabung – Kawrpuichhuah road on the border with Bangladesh; the 27.5km Champhai-Zokhawthar road on the border with Myanmar; and the 41.7km Chhumkhum-Chawngte North-South alignment connecting to the border roads with Bangladesh to the west and Myanmar to the south.

Another 330 km of road works may be considered for a follow-on project or additional financing when the designs are ready. The current project, approved today, will fund detailed studies and designs for these roads (330 km) mostly in the North-South corridor.

Many of these roads, to be taken up in the next phase, will be greenfield projects and will increase the connectivity both within the state – improving access to transport infrastructure and services for isolated communities – as well as to key international trunk roads and transport corridors that connect to other northeast Indian states, Bangladesh, Chittagong Port and the rest of South Asia, and to Myanmar.

$107m WB project to connect Mizoram with BD, Myanmar | UNB Connect
 

Back
Top Bottom