The edge within

One must change facts on the ground to suit ones theories on paper. Notwithstanding its vision for the subcontinental neighbourhood and beyond,or its infusion of geopolitical calculations into the emphasis on trade and growth,India has done little on the ground to match the ambition of its Look East policy and plans to integrate the region. It is,therefore,not really the lack of the big idea but of political will thats confined those self-same ideas to the incubator. As a result,Indias neighbours are beginning to set the pace of development,infrastructural development to be precise that which must precede trade and growth around its borders.

It was always a question of political will in ensuring Indias bor-der infrastructure was even marginally comparable to Chinas Herculean efforts. While everybody talks about how India is being encircled by China,whats the status of the Bhutan-India rail link vis-a-vis the Beijing-Lhasa railway that China is now set to expand to the strategic Chumbi valley area near Sikkim? Given its record,there is little reason to doubt China will meet its deadline. And once the Tibet railway comes within 500 km of the Siliguri corridor by 2017,Bangladesh too may demand connectivity to the Chinese market through India. There will be a sister line to the Nepal border,and eventually Kathmandu perhaps. Meanwhile,the Kumming-Singapore railway project is making rapid progress,with the blessings of the Thai government. Add to that Chinas

Stilwell Road project,and the picture is near-complete.

Although the benchmark has been set,and too high for Indias comfort,ultimately this isnt about China. Its about Indias capacity to develop its border areas economic integration of the Northeast and development of Arunachal Pradesh,where the environment ministry has unwisely chosen to obstruct projects. Better connectivity,roads,airports and railways are as much about trade and growth as the need to mobilise and dispatch troops if the necessity arises. At the moment,India has little in terms of such border infrastructure to sleep peacefully over,although sleeping is what it seems to be doing best.