By Sarita Chaganti Singh and Krishn Kaushik

NEW DELHI (Reuters) – India plans to spend practically $3.7 billion to fence its 1,610-km (1,000-mile) porous border with Myanmar inside a few decade, stated a supply with direct information of the matter, to forestall smuggling and different unlawful actions.

New Delhi stated earlier this 12 months it might fence the border and finish a decades-old visa-free motion coverage with coup-hit Myanmar for border residents for causes of nationwide safety and to take care of the demographic construction of its northeastern area.

A authorities committee earlier this month accepted the price for the fencing, which must be accepted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cupboard, stated the supply who declined to be named as they weren’t authorised to speak to the media.

The prime minister’s workplace and the ministries of house, finance, international affairs and data and broadcasting didn’t instantly reply to an e-mail in search of remark.

Myanmar has to this point not commented on India’s fencing plans.

Since a navy coup in Myanmar in 2021, 1000’s of civilians and lots of of troops have fled from there to Indian states the place individuals on each side share ethnic and familial ties. This has fearful New Delhi due to threat of communal tensions spreading to India.

Some members of the Indian authorities have additionally blamed the porous border for abetting the tense scenario within the restive northeastern Indian state of Manipur, abutting Myanmar. For practically a 12 months, Manipur has been engulfed by a civil war-like scenario between two ethnic teams, considered one of which shares lineage with Myanmar’s Chin tribe.

The committee of senior Indian officers additionally agreed to construct parallel roads alongside the fence and 1,700 km (1,050 miles) of feeder roads connecting navy bases to the border, the supply stated.

The fence and the adjoining highway will price practically 125 million rupees per km, greater than double that of the 55 million per km price for the border fence with Bangladesh inbuilt 2020, the supply stated, due to the tough hilly terrain and using know-how to forestall intrusion and corrosion.

($1 = 83.3025 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Sarita Chaganti Singh & Krishn Kaushik; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)

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