Indian Defence Review

India is at a significant crusade on determining how the Asian Century will look like, and the world is keenly watching, if Asia will have two poles of power play or whether China will continue to expand, dominate and contain, while India remains a mere regional power. Situated in a tough geopolitical neighborhood, the greatest challenge for India even after 67 years of Independence is that of security across its 3.2 million sq km of landmass.  Yet it faces a far more complex challenge of connecting to International markets via road, rail and Sea, which has blocked India’s ambition of becoming a key player in world politics. This article examines weather greater connectivity especially via India’s north-eastern states can help India climb prosperity ladder and possible challenges in International connectivity projects.

The Geostrategic Convergence of Northeast

Numerous studies have been conducted and the results have always been clear that construction of road, rail and ports will bring development and increase to the prosperity in South Asia and Southeast Asia. Infact Adam Smith realized back in the 18th century,

“Good roads, canals, and navigable rivers, by diminishing the expense of carriage, put the remote parts of the country more nearly upon a level with those in the neighborhood of the town. They are upon that account the greatest of all improvements”

These words hold true even today. A study conducted by Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI) showed that improved physical connectivity would foster closer economic ties between South Asia and South East Asia[i]. As there is huge trade taking place, and at the same time the potential for the trade that can grow remains untapped, connecting these two sub-regions is an important and challenging task.

The Look East policy, which later became Act East crafted in 1991 by 9th Prime Minister P.V. NarshimmaRao realizing that India was South Asia’s largest economy and greater economic cooperation and integration between the two regions would be of mutual interest. A necessary condition for achieving this is improved connectivity between the two regions.

Bangladesh and Myanmar are the only two options for India, if India were to connect the East via the Indian Northeast Region (NER). Both these countries suffer from several problems and therefore it is difficult for India to pave way through these countries and connect to ASEAN and rest of Asia.

In 2010 the Act East got its first kick-start on connecting the NER with the release of Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity, adopted at the 17th ASEAN Summit, which aims at building physical infrastructure to bring closer India and the ASEAN States[ii]. Other initiatives taken to connect with Southeast Asia include the India-Myanmar Friendship Road link part of the greater India–Myanmar–Thailand Trilateral Highway, the Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport Project, the Mekong-India Corridor – an initiative of India to connect with the CMLV (Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos , Vietnam,) states,Sittwe port in southwestern part of Myanmar[iii] .

Problems in Connectivity

Despite progress and variety of initiatives taken, the road and rail links between India, Myanmar, Bangladesh are patchy, the quality of roads below standards and highways partially constructed with missing links[iv]. Whereas maritime transportation is suffering from operational efficiency and deficiencies of draft, air infrastructure has improved in the recent years;, but trading via air routes is much costlier. Moreover air connectivity is just about average when it comes to connecting to secondary town and lesser for small towns.

Increase in trade and lower cost of transportation can be achieved if the ASEAN leaders come together and form a fast track board that can work on these problems, which will increase efficiency while both the regions grow economically. For development of this grand sort, prioritization of projects is required, along with larger pervasive regional outlook for the South Asia and Southeast Asia region. India needs to fast track and expedite its projects undertaken, so that India’s image and goodwill as a credible investor remains intact especially in times when India has missed several deadlines and India’s investee countries are looking at China, as a more efficient partner whose recent first-ever cargo train to Tehran in September 2016 paved way for China-Afghanistan-Iran rail and road project.

While better physical infrastructure will certainly bring prosperity and development to the region, it must be taken into account that even with overall benefit of trade and development, there will be certain sections in India as well as India’s investee countries that will be at loss and this may increase regional inequalities[v]. Also, as India tries to connect with the less developed regions of South East Asia, India has challenges before her of environmental degradation, immigration problems, terrorist insurgencies along the border, petty crimes, spread of diseases, ethnic tensions and other security related fears.

Another concern that needs attention in the Indian governance is unswerving commitment of other states actors in constructions of these proposed projects. Recently, Bhutan went sour on the proposed BBIN Motor Highway initiative citing environmental reasons[vi].

Building of such huge cross border projects requires political will, mutual trust amongst the states and suitable institutional arrangements, and working via these constraints can not always be in the greater national interest of India. Regional institutions (such as ASEAN, SAARC, SASEC or BIMSTEC) and international lending agencies (such as the ADB) can play an important proactive role.

Conclusion

Connecting diverse arrays of geographical landmasses throughout South and Southeast Asia is arduous and a multi–faceted tasks that first requires execution of strong policy initiative.

India and China are actively competing to gain hold of strategic points of economic and geopolitical interest throughout South and Southeast Asia, as well as in the Middle East. In times when China is getting more assertive, and Xi Jingping announced “Great rejuvenation of the Chinese Nation” as he took office in 2013, the foremost thing India can do is work and chart outr India’s National Interest Plan for the diverse range of period ranging from 5 – 50 years, start working on priority basis especially with countries like Vietnam, Thailand in the Southeast, and Iran in West Asia, and India would be well on the way of realizing full potential of being a superpower.

The lesson for India, time and again remains the same ;, to have influence in Asia and influence in the larger geopolitical theater, India first and foremost needs to assert its place in the immediate neighborhood. “If you cannot integrate with your region, you cannot integrate with other regions,” former Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran said at the 2016 Raisina Dialogues. 

Courtesy: http://www.claws.in/1718/the-problems-in-india%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%98connectivity%E2%80%99-projects-neha-surwade.html