The Hindu Business Line : Highway of opportunity

LIKE THE US and Europe, Asia has decided to have its own version of a transcontinental freeway going from Tokyo to Istanbul. Running through the Koreas, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Armenia and several Central Asian countries, the 140,000-km Asia Highway Network, including a trunk route through St. Petersburg to Russia's border with Finland, besides bringing people together, will open up economic opportunities at their doorstep in the shape of truck stops, hotels, motels and restaurants and gift shops could be built along the planned routes. The potential is enormous.

The agreement on the Asia Highway, signed in Shanghai by the participating nations, is significant for other reasons also. It is UNESCAP's first inter-government agreement since the organisation was set up 57 years ago. Also, many landlocked countries, such as Laos, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Nepal, Bhutan, and Kyrghyzstan, hope to get access to the sea by joining the highway network.

The proposed network, apparently modelled after the ancient Silk Route that wended its way from Persia to China, will extend even further, and opens up possibilities of a globalised transportation system with coordinated ferry and rail connections. For example, island nations like Sri Lanka and the Philippines will have ferry connections. However, signing the agreement does not mean totally `free' borders. A series of bilateral and multilateral negotiations will be needed to sort out the border issues. It must be remembered that the proposal for such a road network has been around since 1959 and only now have the governments of the region got together to sign an agreement. ESCAP was unable to push through the project because of various geo-political hurdles. The proposed highway network will pass through some of the most difficult terrains — vast deserts, high mountains, dense forests, and some virtually uncharted areas of Central Asia.

The preliminary rounds of discussion reveal that the existing road conditions vary substantially from country to country depending on their level of development (or backwardness). The road construction work would have to be standardised and road signs need to be in both English and local languages and such issues as funding, quarantine, auto safety standards, environment impact, road maintenance and a proper road pricing mechanism (in view of the projection of probable exhaustion of fossil fuel in next half a century or so) would need to be addressed. All this calls for detailed planning and meticulous execution with application of modern technology and with participation of a large number of countries with varying levels of progress. Also, the participating nations would need to look at the road's potential for negatives such as flesh trade, and arms and drug smuggling. Certainly, a rough road ahead.