Project Stilwell

The Stilwell Road connecting Assam to Myanmar hasnt opened yet,and reportedly Myanmar is merely considering reopening it. Nevertheless,the very idea and possibility of this road opening some day in the near future as the Union governments Department of North Eastern Region apparently believes is welcome. The Ledo Road as it was initially called,after Ledo in Assam is laden with history. And it is a harbinger of hope for Indias landlocked,and neglected,Northeast. Myanmars reluctance to open the road,ostensibly because of the course it charts through insurgent territory,has stood in the way of repairing and reusing this existing infrastructure. But Indias efforts to develop Myanmars Sitwe port on the Bay of Bengal,to accommodate goods traffic,will soon bring the Northeast closer to a commercial sea route via the Kaladan river and a highway ultimately connected to Indias NH 54.

So,whether or not the Stilwell Road is reopened,India has an alternative worked out. But it goes without saying that if this road built by General Stilwell during World War II to outflank the advancing Japanese and establish a land supply route to China were reopened and the damaged or disappeared sections rebuilt,it would be the Northeasts easiest gateway to the rest of South Asia.

Apart from bringing trade and infrastructure to a part of India that has traditionally been kept out of the developmental loop,the Stilwell Road has two other purposes to serve: first,it can bolster Indias Look East policy and help further trade facilitation by opening up border points. Second,itll be a dent in Chinas spreading influence in the region whereby,through commerce and infrastructural projects such as building ports,China has been encircling India from the Bay of Bengal to the Arabian Sea. India must remain in pursuit of the cause; cross-border projects that promote connectivity can go a long way.