Shillong, April 9: Union minister of state for external affairs Shashi Tharoor today said the under-construction trilateral highway connecting the country with Myanmar and Thailand, would provide a critical link to Northeast India with South East Asia and pave the way for the region’s progress.

The trilateral highway connects Moreh in Manipur to Mae Sot in Thailand via Bagan in Myanmar.

“Once the road is fully constructed, it would also link the Northeast with the Asian Highway network which is being co-ordinated through the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) office in Bangkok,” Tharoor said at a seminar in North Eastern Hill University (Nehu) today.

The seminar was titled “From land locked to land linked: Northeast India in BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Co-operation).”

“India and Thailand have completed construction of the link roads as part of the project on the other side but some portions of the internal road connectivity in Myanmar needs to be completed and there is a delay in this regard as there is shortage of funds,” Tharoor said.

The Union minister also said once fully functional, the trilateral road project would link India with the East-West Highway running from Vietnam to Myanmar.

He said the Centre was involved in a series of cross-border development projects with Myanmar in the field of roads, railways, telecommunications, information technology and power.

“These initiatives are aimed at improving connectivity between northeastern India and western Myanmar and are expected to give an impetus to the local economies and bilateral trade,” the minister said.

The 160km Tamu-Kalewa-Kalemyo Road in Myanmar across Manipur has been upgraded. Efforts are on to improve infrastructure, particularly road links, at the second India-Myanmar border trade point at Rhi-Zowkhathar in the Mizoram sector.

“Apart from developing road links, efforts are also on to have a rail link from Jiribam in Manipur to Hanoi in Vietnam passing through Myanmar,” Tharoor said.

“The Centre is also working on enhancing digital connectivity with the Northeast through an optical fibre link between Moreh in Manipur and Mandalay in Myanmar,” he said.

Later speaking to reporters, Tharoor said India had a longstanding dispute with China as far the latter’s claims on Arunachal Pradesh were concerned since the 1950s.

“We want tranquillity in the border and various efforts are being made to see how economic co-operation between China and India can reduce tension between both the countries,” he said.

On the twin problems related to the militants and migrants in Bangladesh, Tharoor said only the economic development in the neighbouring nation could reduce the menace.