Aizawl, February 12 Mizoram's sole Rajya Sabha member, K Vanlalvena, urged the Centre on Thursday to expedite three key road projects, two of which are along the India-Myanmar border, to strengthen national security and boost regional trade, according to an official statement here.
During a discussion during the ongoing Budget session in the Assembly, the MP highlighted two key infrastructure gaps: the lack of high-capacity connectivity to the Myanmar border and increasing congestion between Aizawl and the Sairang railway station.
Vanlalvena urged the Centre to designate two strategic routes connecting Hnahthial to Saisihchhuah in the Lawngtlai district as national highways.
These two vital routes pass through several key villages, including Tarpho, Cherhlun, Thingsai, Sangau, South Vanlaiphai, and Pangkhua, and terminate at the Myanmar border.
Highlighting the significant infrastructure disparity at the border, the MP claimed that the Myanmar government had completed a double-lane highway from Hakha in Chin state to Saisihchhuah on the India-Myanmar border in 2020.
Even though the Ministry of Commerce and Industry has designated Saisihchhuah as an official border market, proper road connectivity was lacking on the Indian side to facilitate large-scale trade, he said.
"Upgrading these routes to national highways is essential to achieve the goals of the country's Act East Policy, strengthen national security, and boost the economic development of Mizoram's tribal population," Vanlalvena was quoted as saying in the statement.
In addition to border connectivity, the MP also raised concerns regarding the 21-km Aizawl-Sairang corridor.
He noted that the recent opening of the Sairang railway station has led to a massive surge in vehicular traffic.
Citing that the existing National Highway-6 (formerly NH-54) is no longer sufficient to handle the increased traffic volume, the MP urged the Centre to upgrade the stretch to a four-lane highway to prevent bottlenecks and support the state's growing logistics needs.