India is preparing a major push to strengthen connectivity along its land and maritime frontiers, with plans to build more than 5,000 kilometres of highways in border regions over the next three to five years at a potential investment of over ₹2 trillion.
The programme, covering strategic stretches along the China, Pakistan and other borders, will complement Sagarmala’s effort to improve road and rail links to ports. The larger objective is to use transport infrastructure not only to strengthen defence mobility but also to bring remote regions into India’s trade and economic network.
Mint explains how and why the government is strengthening its connectivity along India’s land and coastal borders.
Why is the government stepping up highway construction in border areas?
The proposed 5,000-km programme is expected to focus on strategic stretches along India’s borders with China, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar. Better roads would enable faster movement of troops, equipment, and supplies while improving access to markets, healthcare, and education for communities living in remote districts.
The scale of the existing programme illustrates the infrastructure gap. According to the road transport ministry, 3,318 km of highway projects aimed at improving border connectivity were awarded over the past five years, of which 1,301 km have been constructed.
Arunachal Pradesh accounted for the largest share of projects awarded at 740 km, followed by Jammu and Kashmir at 355 km, Uttarakhand at 266 km, West Bengal at 265 km and Manipur at 241 km.
How important are highways along the China and Pakistan borders?
The strategic importance is particularly high along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China and India’s western frontier with Pakistan. Reliable, all-weather roads can reduce the time required to move personnel and logistics to forward areas and provide alternative access routes during emergencies.
The 1,748-km Arunachal Frontier Highway, which runs broadly parallel to the LAC, is an example of the dual role these roads can play. Sanjay Kumar Sinha, founder and managing director of Chaitanya Projects Consultancy, described the proposed programme as a “visionary and strategically imperative move”, saying it would reduce the “road head differential” with neighbouring countries and facilitate faster troop mobilization.
Such roads can also connect villages with markets, supporting tourism, trade and local economic activity.
What could the programme mean for the North-East and other remote regions?
For the North-East, connectivity is closely linked to economic opportunity. Projects are already being developed across Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Meghalaya and Tripura, among other states.
Bhavik Vora, partner at Grant Thornton Bharat, said road transport accounts for nearly 65% of India’s freight movement and around 90% of passenger traffic. Better border connectivity could therefore have benefits extending well beyond defence.
These include improved supply chain efficiency, tourism, local entrepreneurship, and access to healthcare, education, and financial services. All-weather roads can also strengthen disaster response and create opportunities for private investment in warehousing, logistics and related economic activities.
Why could tolling be difficult on strategic border highways?
Unlike high-traffic expressways, many border roads have relatively low commercial traffic. A significant share of users could also comprise defence and government vehicles, making conventional toll-based PPP models difficult to sustain.
Kuljit Singh, partner and national infrastructure leader at EY India, said engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) or hybrid annuity model (HAM) contracts may be more appropriate for infrastructure with high strategic value but relatively low tolling potential.
A differentiated approach could allow commercially viable stretches to levy user charges while exempting defence vehicles, emergency services and local residents. Sinha suggested that commercial freight and tourist traffic could potentially be charged through GNSS or FASTag-based systems, allowing seamless travel without impeding defence movements.
How is India strengthening connectivity along its coastline?
The government’s strategy extends beyond land borders to India’s maritime frontier. Under Sagarmala, port connectivity is a key focus, with road and rail projects intended to improve cargo movement between ports and their hinterlands.
The government has identified 294 road and rail connectivity projects for ports. Of these, 84 have been completed, 66 are under implementation, and 144 are at the planning stage. The programme is intended to ensure that growing port capacity is matched by efficient evacuation infrastructure.
Sagarmala’s completed connectivity projects have already helped improve cargo evacuation. Better road links to ports can reduce transit times, improve supply chain reliability and strengthen the country's integration with global trade routes.
How do border and coastal connectivity fit into the larger infrastructure strategy?
Although border highways and port connectivity serve different immediate objectives, both are increasingly part of an integrated national logistics strategy.
The government is using the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan to prioritize highway projects based on traffic density, connectivity requirements, road conditions and strategic importance. This approach allows infrastructure planning to consider economic, defence and multimodal requirements together.
At present, 1,191 national highway projects covering about 25,917 km and costing ₹7.15 trillion are under construction, including around 3,100 km of development works in border areas.
The broader objective is therefore not simply to add road kilometres but to create reliable, resilient and strategically important corridors that connect India’s frontiers to the domestic economy.
If executed effectively, the investment could deliver a triple dividend: greater defence preparedness, stronger economic integration of remote regions and more efficient movement of goods and people. The key challenge will be timely execution, resilient all-weather construction and coordination among multiple agencies.