After embarking on better road links to the Chinese border, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs has turned its attention to Nepal with an ambitious plan for a road running right along the border to strengthen border surveillance. The 1,600-km “garland road” will also cover stretches along the Bhutan border.

The proposal will be placed before the Union Cabinet for approval soon, said official sources. Besides, new road links and upgrades are also being planned as part of the Border Area Development Plan (BADP).

While the estimated project cost of about Rs 1,000 crore will be borne by the Union Home Ministry under its non-Plan security expenditure, the states through which the “garland road” will run — Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh — have been asked to work out the modalities of the project.

“We will provide the funds, but the states will have to take care of the actual construction, land acquisition, environmental clearance and maintenance. Most states have agreed, but Assam wants a central agency to construct the road,” said an official.

The original plan was for a single-lane road within four-five kilometres of the border. But the road width is now likely to extend to one-and-a-half or two lanes, following a suggestion by some states. The project includes upgrading existing village roads in some areas of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Construction is expected to take three to four years after the Cabinet approves the project.

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