New Delhi
9 September 2006
After expending considerable diplomatic capital on improving her ties
with the United States, India has decided to invest in her neighbourhood, literally, and
with absolutely no strings attached. Incidentally, India's urge to splurge comes amidst
attempts by China to enhance its strategic and economic cooperation with India's
neighbours and in areas traditionally under India's influence.
"Our first order of business is to resume linkages that existed on the eve of India's
Independence and upgrade [road and rail] connectivity to a pre-1947 situation. We want
to go as far as the comfort level of our neighbours allows us [to fund projects but] we do
not want to insist on reciprocity, we want to get away from reciprocity to open-minded
approach," Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran said.
Accordingly, India has drawn up an elaborate plan to fund infrastructure development
projects in Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Pakistan and even China. India will be
willing to extend credit lines too. Projects for improving transportation linkages and
setting up integrated check points at the borders will be undertaken to facilitate "free flow
of peoples, goods and ideas", Mr Saran observed.
"India [hopes] to construct a vision for South Asia as opposed to the ad hoc and reactive
policies of the past. Treating border areas as a buffer zone may have been relevant in
Colonial times but [this] relic of the past must be jettisoned. Border areas must be
developed if we want to build bridges with neighbours," Mr Saran said, delivering an
address on India's neighbourhood policy on Saturday.
India has proposed launch of cross-Line of Control bus services between Kargil and
Skardu in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) and between Jammu and Sialkot. The Wagah
check point will be upgraded to have state-of-art warehousing and medical facilities. The
Amritsar-Wagah road will be widened into a four-lane highway. With China, India has
suggested opening of another border trading point at Gumla.
Mr Saran said the highways linking Bahraich (India) with Nepalganj (Nepal), Gorakhpur to
Sonauli, Forbesganj to Biratnagar and New Jalpaiguri (West Bengal) to Panitanki would
be upgraded. The road linking Motihari with Raxaul in Bihar would be widened and the
Jainagar to Jogbani narrow guage railway line will be converted into broad guage. The
check point at the Raxaul-Birganj border will be upgraded.
Similarly, a transportation link between Guwahati and Dhaka (Bangladesh) is "on the
cards", according to Mr Saran. Other projects are also being planned to provide India
with an "alternate access to the North East" without travelling via Bangladesh. Highways
and check points are planned at the Bengal-Bhutan border too. Possibility of railway
linkages with Myanmar were also being considered.
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