27-3-2024 (NEW DELHI) In a decisive move to bolster national security and curb illicit activities, India has unveiled an ambitious plan to erect a formidable fence along its porous 1,610-kilometer border with Myanmar, a project expected to cost a staggering $3.7 billion and take nearly a decade to complete, according to a government source with direct knowledge of the matter.
The long-awaited initiative, which requires final approval from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet, comes in the wake of New Delhi’s decision earlier this year to terminate the decades-old visa-free movement policy for border citizens between the two nations. Citing national security concerns and the need to maintain the demographic integrity of India’s northeastern region, the government has taken a resolute stance on fortifying its borders with the coup-stricken Myanmar.
“A government committee earlier this month approved the cost for the fence project,” revealed the source, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the matter. The source further disclosed that the ambitious undertaking would involve the construction of parallel roads along the fence, as well as a network of 1,700 kilometers of feeder roads connecting military bases to the border.
The scale of the endeavor is staggering, with each kilometer of the fence and adjoining road estimated to cost a whopping 125 million rupees – more than double the 55-million-rupee cost per kilometer of the fence erected along the Bangladesh border in 2020. The source attributed the steep price tag to the challenging hilly terrain and the integration of cutting-edge technology designed to prevent intrusion and mitigate corrosion.
While Myanmar has remained silent on India’s border fortification plans thus far, the move is widely perceived as a direct response to the turmoil unleashed by the 2021 military coup. Since the violent upheaval, thousands of civilians and hundreds of troops have sought refuge in neighboring Indian states, raising concerns in New Delhi about the potential spillover of communal tensions into its northeastern territories, where ethnic and familial ties transcend borders.
The looming shadow of the unrest has cast a pall over the northeastern state of Manipur, which shares a border with Myanmar. For nearly a year, Manipur has been engulfed in a civil war-like situation between two ethnic groups, one of which traces its lineage to Myanmar’s Chin tribe. Some officials within the Indian government have pointed an accusatory finger at the porous border, blaming it for exacerbating the volatile situation in the restive state.
