ADB is keen on the ambitious project to link West Asia with East Asia by developing existing but blocked road infrastructure, part of which goes through India's north-eastern states.
This was disclosed here by the head of regional co-operation of ADB, Masaaki Nagata.
He was in Kolkata to participate at the tourism meet of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi Sectoral Technical and Economic Co- operation countries - Bangladesh, India, Thailand, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar and Sri Lanka.
The forum of tourism ministers headed by Union minister of state for tourism Renuka Chowdhury has requested ADB to prepare a integrated roadmap for the tourism development in the region.
Nagata said ADB's vision as a bank for the welfare of Asian people is to connect Asia. In the first phase, this will connect west with east through the land route.
"For ADB, Afghanistan is the western most as far as this land route is concerned. The eastern tip will be Bangkok and Hanoi. ADB is actively working on this," he said.
According to him, NE India will play a pivotal role in this corridor as the land linkage between West and East Asia will have to pass through it.
ADB has now started granting credit for development of road infrastructure in NE India as a part of the grand plan. ADB has sanctioned approximately $ 200-300 million for the development of NE roads this year.
Gradually, ADB might increase its sanctions. ADB has sanctioned $400 million for development of road infrastructure in India as a whole.
However, Nakata could not give a time-frame or total fund requirement for the grand west-to-east plan. "It is too early to comment on that. The assessment is on," he added.
Incidentally, CII had organised a car rally last year from Guwahati to Bangkok to explore the road link between India and Asean countries.
There exists a plan to extend the Indian east-west corridor road project upto Moreh in Manipur, which is the border trade point between India and Myanmar. The Indian east-west corridor was initially proposed between Porbandar in Gujarat to Silchar in Assam.
Nakata said ADB is likely to develop an integrated tourism development road map for BIMSTEC countries in a time bound manner once it gets a formal request from BIMSTEC countries.
"ADB has already helped India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan with tourism development plans. The future projects will be bigger," Nagata said.
