India's Border Fence With Myanmar: A $3.7 Billion Strategy Against Cross Border Smuggling, Illicit Activities, Here's All About It

India is planning to invest approximately $3.7 billion in fencing its 1,610-km (1,000-mile) border with Myanmar over the next decade to curb smuggling and other illicit activities, as per a report by The Economic Times.

Earlier this year, New Delhi announced its intention to fence the border and terminate a longstanding visa-free movement policy with Myanmar for border residents, citing national security concerns and the need to preserve the demographic composition of its northeastern region.

According to the same report, a government committee recently approved the fencing project's cost, which now awaits approval from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's cabinet.

Myanmar has not yet commented on India's fencing plans.

Following a military coup in Myanmar in 2021, thousands of civilians and troops have fled to Indian states where people from both sides share ethnic and familial ties. This has raised concerns in New Delhi about the potential for communal tensions to spill over into India.

Certain members of the Indian government have also attributed the tense situation in Manipur, a restive northeastern state bordering Myanmar, to the porous border.

The committee of senior Indian officials has also approved the construction of parallel roads alongside the fence and 1,700 km (1,050 miles) of feeder roads connecting military barracks to the border, the source added.

The cost of the fence and the accompanying road infrastructure is estimated at nearly 125 million rupees per km, more than double the cost of the 55 million per km border fence with Bangladesh built in 2020.

This higher cost is attributed to the challenging hilly terrain and the implementation of technology to deter intrusion and corrosion.