How is Arunachal front & Centre in the Modi government's massive border infra push to counter China?

In a turnaround from its decades-old policy of being wary of strengthening road connectivity along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) for fear of Chinese aggression, India is now in the middle of a massive border infrastructure push. Before 2014, the basic infrastructure of the Northeast received little attention. "At that time, those in the government used to say that there is a security concern to carry out development up to the border area."

But the policy is completely changed now under the Modi government. The idea is to fast-track the ongoing projects and initiate new ones. The Centre has focused on fast-tracking road air connectivity projects and building adequate infrastructure in the country's strategically located state in the extreme northeast corner.

China has been a constant threat to India along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The December 2022 clash between the Indian Army and China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) in the Tawang sector of Arunachal Pradesh has brought the spotlight back on the need to develop infrastructure in Arunachal Pradesh which has been grossly neglected for decades.

There has been a lot of push on the infrastructure development along the LAC, especially in the Northeast. Considering the role of Arunachal Pradesh from the national security perspective, modern infrastructure has been built in the state. As of February 2022, projects worth Rs 14,032 crore were in progress in the state. The much-awaited, much-talked-about Sela Tunnel project, said to be the World's longest bi-lane tunnel at a height of 13,700 feet, is nearing completion. The 100-metre-long steel arch Siyom Bridge over River Siyom, inaugurated in Jan 2023, is of great significance not just for the region's people but also for the defence forces as it would facilitate the movement of heavy artillery and defence forces along the India-China border. The bridge built by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) is on the Along-Yingkiong Road.

The Siyom Bridge has easily transported heavy, long-range weapons like the howitzer and the Bofors gun. Earlier, these heavy guns had to be airlifted. It was extremely cumbersome and exposed the weaponry to the enemy. The bridge has become a boon for the defence forces, making moving forces and heavy artillery more convenient. Constructed by Project Brahmank, part of BRO, the bridge has also improved road communication to the strategically important Upper Siang district and beyond through Along.

The BRO has constructed 64 roads of 3,097 km in Arunachal Pradesh in the last five years, the Modi government informed the Parliament in Dec 2022.
The Sela Tunnel project is one of the very strategically important projects not just for Arunachal Pradesh but for India as a whole. Initiated in 2018, the project is expected to open in January. Being built at a height of 13,700 feet, this strategic project has main and escape tunnels of 1,555 metres long each, besides a shorter tunnel of 980 m and about 1.2 km of road. The tunnel will ensure that the Chinese cannot monitor traffic movement in the area. The tunnel, which is said to be the longest bi-lane tunnel in the World, is expected to be ready by July this year. Along with the Nechiphu tunnel on the 317-km long Balipara-Charduar-Tawang (BCT) road that leads to West Kameng and Tawang districts of Arunachal Pradesh, the project will ensure that both defence and private vehicles will have all-weather connectivity.
Arunachal Frontier Highway is one of the country's biggest and toughest projects. The 2,000-km-long road project would begin from Mago in Arunachal Pradesh, adjacent to Bhutan, and pass through Tawang, Upper Subansiri, Tuting, Mechuka, Upper Siang, Debang Valley, Desali, Chaglagam, Kibithu, Dong, before ending at Vijayanagar near the Myanmar border. The project was envisaged by the Army in 2012.

With this project, Arunachal Pradesh will get three national highways — the Frontier Highway, the Trans-Arunachal Highway, and the East-West Industrial Corridor Highway. Six vertical and diagonal inter-highway corridors totalling 2,178 km will be built to provide missing interconnectivity between the three highways and faster access to border areas.

The corridors include 402 km-long Thelamara-Tawang-Nelia Highway, the 391 km-long Itakhola-Pakke-Kessang-Seppa-Parsi Parlo Highway, 285 km-long Gogamukh-Taliha-Tato Highway, 398 km-long Akajan-Jorging-Pango Highway, 298 km-long Pasighat-Bishing Highway, and the 404 km-long Kanubari-Longding Highway.
The Arunachal Frontier Highway will be a huge capability jump for the military since it will allow seamless and faster movement of men and equipment to the border as and when needed for induction and de-induction.

The Twin Tunnel under the Brahmaputra is another big project that is important for the military and defence forces. The 15.6-km twin tunnel under the mighty Brahmaputra River will cut travel time between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.

Hollongi Airport in 2022 was a landmark year for Arunachal Pradesh as the state got its first greenfield airport, the Donyi Polo Airport, developed by the Airports Authority of India at an estimated cost of Rs 645 crore. Inaugurated by PM Modi, the airport, with eight check-in counters, can accommodate around 200 passengers during peak hours. Spread over a 4,100 sq m area, Donyi Polo Airport is equipped with all modern passenger facilities. The airport has a 2,300-meter-long runway suitable for landing and take-off of Boeing 747.

India's 'first village' Kibithoo in Arunachal Pradesh

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has changed people's approach towards border villages. PM Modi has emphasized that Kibithoo, in Arunachal Pradesh, should not be termed as India's last village but the first village as the Sun's rays fall first in this village in the country.

Now, people visiting the border area know Kibithoo in Arunachal Pradesh not as the last village but as the first village in India. Kibithoo is India's easternmost forward post, along the border with China. Kibithoo is part of a government-approved Vibrant Villages Programme (VVP) as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme on February 15, 2023, for comprehensive development of the select villages in 46 blocks in 19 districts of abutting northern border in the States of Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttarakhand and UT of Ladakh. In the first phase, 662 villages have been identified for priority coverage, which includes 455 villages in Arunachal Pradesh. The programme envisages focused areas of interventions in the select villages to create opportunities for livelihood generation through the promotion of tourism & cultural heritage, skill development & entrepreneurship, and development of cooperative societies, including agriculture/horticulture, cultivation of medicinal plants/herbs, etc.

The interventions also include providing road connectivity to unconnected villages, housing & village infrastructures, renewable energy, television & telecom connectivity. The programme aims to create sufficient incentives for people to stay in the selected villages. The earlier governments never cared about the infrastructure development on the border. After Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister, significant progress has been made in border area infrastructure, and the PM has ensured the transformation of the last village of India into the first village.

Further, to promote exporting agriculture and allied sector products from Arunachal Pradesh, the state Agriculture Marketing Board has inked an MoU with Dubai-based Lulu Hypermarket. The MoU was signed in 2023 to supply oranges and vegetables to Gulf countries. The collaboration will open new avenues for the agricultural community in Arunachal Pradesh, creating opportunities for farmers and producers to expand their reach and showcase their products globally. The collaboration is part of the larger scheme to foster economic growth, boost exports and enhance the overall well-being of the farmers of the Northeast.