Context: Indian Railways recently commissioned a 51.38 km railway line to Sairang, located near Aizawl, the capital of Mizoram. This is a significant step toward enhancing connectivity in the Northeast and advancing India’s Act East Policy.
Relevance of the Topic : Prelims: About Bairabi-Sairang Railway project; Regional connectivity projects, Act East Policy.
Background of the Project
- Before this project, Mizoram had just 1.5 km of metre-gauge track connecting Bairabi in Kolasib district, Mizoram to Silchar in Assam.
- The gauge conversion and extension project was sanctioned in 2000, and the extension up to Sairang began in 2008-09.
- However, progress was slow due to inclement weather, a difficult and landslide-prone terrain, manpower shortage, and issues with transporting construction materials.
- This project is part of the Indian Railways’ larger goal from the early 2010s to connect all Northeastern state capitals to the National railway network.
Key Features of the Bairabi-Sairang Rail Line:
- The total length is 51.38 km. Includes 48 tunnels with a combined length of 12.85 km.
- Contains 142 bridges, including one with India’s tallest railway pier.
- The total project cost is over ₹5,020 crore.
- Received safety clearance and awaits formal inauguration.
Significance of the Project:
- The Aizawl-Silchar highway via Sairang takes around five hours. Trains from Sairang, including a proposed Rajdhani Express could reduce travel time to 1.5 hours. The project will lower transportation costs and reduce truck dependency
- It is expected to boost tourism, trade, and goods movement.
- Sairang is also expected to be vital for transhipment of goods from the India-funded Sittwe Port in Myanmar.
- Sairang railhead is strategic vis-a-vis the Act East Policy, envisaging rail and road connectivity to improve trade with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and other East Asian countries, deepen diplomatic engagements, and build stronger security cooperation.
What is the Act East Policy?
- The Act East Policy was announced in 2014.
- It was a more ambitious version of the Look East Policy initiated in 1991.
- It is a strategic and diplomatic initiative aimed at enhancing India’s engagement with the ASEAN region and the broader Indo-Pacific.
- Objective: To transform the northeastern region into India’s gateway to the ASEAN bloc.
Infrastructure Push under Act East Policy:
- The Centre has increased the budgetary allocations for the region by 300% from ₹36,108 crore during the 2014-15 fiscal to more than ₹1,00,000 crore during 2024-25.
- More than 10,000 km of highways and 800 km of railway tracks were built, eight new airports established, and several inland waterway projects undertaken during this period.
- Important projects include:
- Dimapur-Zubza (near Kohima) railway project in Nagaland (82.5 km)
- Imphal-Moreh plan in Manipur
- Asian Highway 1 from Assam to Moreh via Kohima and Imphal.
Challenges:
- Ethnic conflicts: The ethnic conflict in Manipur has affected the proposed railway line between Imphal and Moreh.
- Unrest in India’s neighbourhood: The connectivity projects to link the northeast with Southeast Asia have not progressed beyond India’s borders due to the unrest in India’s neighbourhood. E.g., Civil war in Myanmar; Fall of the Sheikh Hasina government in Bangladesh in August 2024.
- Agartala-Akhaura Rail Link Stalled: Agartala-Akhaura railway to connect Tripura to Chittagong Port via Bangladesh is stalled due to the political turmoil and change in government in Bangladesh.
- Kaladan Project Delayed: Kaladan Multi-Modal Project in Myanmar, aimed at reducing distance between Mizoram and Kolkata by 1000 km, is also delayed.