Arunachal Frontier Highway (AFH), officially notified as the National Highway NH-913 and also called Bomdila-Vijaynagar Highway (BVH), connecting Bomdila Airstrip ALG & HQ in northwest to Vijaynagar Airstrip ALG & HQ in southeast via Nafra HQ-Sarli HQ-Huri Helipad ALG & HQ-Nacho HQ-Mechuka Airstrip ALG & HQ-Monigong HQ-Jido (Tuting Airstrip ALG & HQ)-Hunli HQ-Hayuliang Airstrip ALG HQ-Chenquenty-Hawai HQ-Miao HQ (with Miao-Kharsang HQ spur) including 800 km greenfield section and network of new tunnels & bridges, is a 2-lane paved-shoulder under-construction national highway along the India-ChinaLAC-McMahon Line border in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. The 1,748 km-long (1,086 mi) highway itself will cost ₹27,000 crore (equivalent to ₹290 billion or US$3.4 billion in 2023) and total cost including 6 additional inter-corridors is ₹40,000 crore (equivalent to ₹420 billion or US$5.1 billion in 2023). In some places, this highway will run as close as 20 km from the LAC. To be constructed by MoRTH in 9 packages, all packages will be approved by the end of FY 2024-25 (March 2025) and construction will be completed in 2 years by 31 March 2027.[1][2][3][4][5][6] Of the total route, 800km is greenfield, rest brownfield will be upgraded and tunnels will be built.[7] This highway in the north & east Arunachal along the China border would complement the Trans-Arunachal Highway (through the middle of Arunachal) and the Arunachal East-West Corridor (in south Arunachal in foothills along the Assam border) as major highways spanning the whole state, pursuing the Look East connectivity policy.[8][9]
History
In 2016, empowered committee on border infrastructure asked the MoRTH to prepare the detailed project reports (DPR) as per the alignment agreed by the home ministry, defence ministry & Arunachal state government. In 2018, Home ministry enhanced the alignment for the additional connectivity.[1][2] MoRTH identifies the highway as one of the 29 corridors close to the 3,600 km international border, to be undertaken as a NHDP (which has been subsumed by the Bharatmala project), though there is "little habitation" along the proposed route and only "small stretches of minor roads".[4]
Highway will generate employment and increase tourism in these hard-to-reach areas.
Highway will check Chinese incursions into Indian territory. China has built an extensive road and railway network on its side, posing a security risk to India as the region is relatively inaccessible on the Indian side.
Construction
It will be constructed in the following nine packages,[11] all approvals and land acquisition will be progressively completed by March 2025, and the construction will be progressively completed by March 2027[1][2] in fully government-funded "engineering procure and construct" (EPC) mode.[12]
Package-1 Nafra–Lada, 141 km (Nafra–Dibrick–Sachung–Lada):[11] full budget approved in 2023.
Package-2 Lada–Sarli, 200 km:[11] for 106 km budget of ₹ 2,249 crore approved in Feb 2024.[12]
Package-3 Sarli-Tali, 201 km (Sarli-Huri–Parsi Parlo–Tali):[11]
Sarli-Huri: for 35 km a budget of ₹626.92 crore approved in Feb 2024.[12]
Package-4 Tali–Mechuka, 225 km (Tali–Taliha–Siyum–Mechuka):[11]
Package-5 Mechuka–Bile, 183 km (Mechuka–Tato–Monigong–Tato–Bile):[11]
Package-6 Bile–Hunli, 230 km (Bile–Migging–Tuting–Singa–Anelye–Hunli):[11]
Also proposed is a 100 km long western spur from Tawang to Yongphulla Airport in Bhutan (upgraded by India and jointly used by the Indian Army and Bhutan Army)[15] in eastern Bhutan via Lumla-Yabab in India and Trashigang in Bhutan.
To providing missing interconnectivity between three horizontal national highways across Arunachal Pradesh - Frontier Highway, Trans-Arunachal Highway and East-West Industrial Corridor Highway - following six vertical and diagonal national highway corridors of total 2178 km length will be built, which will also provide faster access to geostrategically important areas on India-China LAC.[16][17]
Swadesh Darshan Tourist Circuits along the highways in Arunachal: In 2015 under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme, the Indian approved the funds to develop the following two tourist circuits in Arunachal Pradesh:[18]
"Bhalukpong-Bomdila-Tawang Tourist Circuit" along the Arunachal Frontier Highway at the cost of ₹49.77 crore: The "facilities like accommodation, cafeteria, wayside amenities, last mile connectivity, pathways, toilet were built at Sorang Monastery, Lumpo, Zemithang, Bumla Pass, Gritsang, TSO lake, PTSO Lake, Thingbu and Grenkha Hot Spring, Lumla, Sela Lake." A multipurpose hall was built at Jang.[18]
"Nafra-Seppa-Pappu-Pasa-Pakke Valleys-Sangdupota-New Sagalee-Ziro-Yomcha Tourist Circuit" along the Trans-Arunachal Highway at the cost of ₹97.14 crores: The "helipad, wayside amenities, trekking trails, rafting centre, log huts, craft bazaar, eco park, tourist facilitation centres, parking, multipurpose Hall, festival ground etc." were built.[18]
2016 Dec: Govt asked MoRTH to undertake route survey and prepare the DPR.[1][2]
2022 Nov-Dec: Construction already commenced on 192 km and the whole highway route notified as the National Highway NH-913. MoRTH announced that all approvals and land acquisition will be progressively completed by March 2025, and the construction will be progressively completed by March 2027 in the overlapping phases.[1][2]
2024 Feb: So far the budget for nearly 500 km of the total 1,748 km has been approved after completion of DPR.[12]
