BCIM-EC and trade corridor Manipur at stake
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: July 22, 2014 -

Map of North East (NE) India :: Pix - TSE

Slowly and steadily, the Government of India’s Look East Policy is taking a concrete shape.

Since quite a considerable length of time, the North East region, neglected and marginalized for too long, has been in the limelight from the view of New Delhi mandarins and policy planners.

Although the whole idea and concept of Look East Policy were designed by the late Narasimha Rao Government, the present Government led by Narendra Modi seems more enthusiastic to materialize and realize the policy on ground.

Every time Look East Policy is debated, the spotlight invariably falls on the North East in general and Manipur in particular.

In sync with the policy priorities, the Government of India and the Government of Myanmar have been actively engaging each other for introduction of bus service between Imphal and Mandalay, among other bilateral issues and interests.

As stated by the former Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Rajeet Mitter, the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor (BCIM-EC) is an important dimension of India’s Look East Policy.

In the meantime, the Government of India has already selected Haollenphai near the border town of Moreh as one of the 100 sites spread across the country for development of Smart cities.

It was reported that the proposed establishment of BCIM-EC linking Kolkata in India to Kunming in China through Bangladesh and Myanmar is envisaged to bring together the four countries with 40 per cent of world population, 13 per cent of world GDP and 10 per cent surface area for open trade and economic integration.

China has had already been pro-actively rooting for this defining connectivity project linking India and China, two of Asia’s leading economies, with Bangladesh and Myanmar, which are also equally eager to take their place under the Asian sun.

But India, too, despite its baggage of security concerns, is incrementally moving to give the idea a fair shot.

BCIM-EC is being projected as a grand regional project which would foster unhindered flow not only of ideas but also of people, products, services, energy, investments and technology.

It is no longer a matter about roads and transport links only; it is about setting up infrastructure and improving existing environment for new industrial production and new units of service industry etc. that create employment and contribute to visible economic development.

The whole idea and vision of BCIM-EC sounds fabulous but it is not totally free from problems and challenges, if one studies the ambitious initiative from the perspective of India’s North East region.

As far as India is concerned, the biggest stakeholder is the North East region. If the project must see light of the day, the North East region is simply indispensable and if any casualty is involved, it is Manipur which would be hit first.

The North East region is known for its rich biodiversity but one must never commit the blunder of overlooking the region’s fragile ecology.

The grand project of BCIM-EC would certainly involve expansion and extension of roads, establishment of transport facilities, destruction of forests, land acquisition and possibly eviction.

In short, for the North East region, everything is at stake. Notwithstanding all the benefits and prospects the stakeholders expect from the project, they have to face a good number of challenges on different fronts including culture, demographic profile, environmental pollution, social security, economic exploitation, enhanced militarization, et al.

The State Government and the people of Manipur need to study in advance all the components and dimensions of India’s Look East Policy and their likely impacts lest we are caught napping when huge container cargos in hundreds zoom past Imphal for Dimapur, Guwahati and ultimately the final destination Kolkata.

The State Government should put on its thinking cap from now on to avert reducing Manipur to a mere corridor. If Manipur should provide the route, the State should get its fair share of benefits.