Centre to spend Rs 20K crore on India-Myanmar border fencing

The Centre will require at least 10 years and Rs 20,264 crore to complete fencing along the India-Myanmar border, including five years of maintenance, according to highly placed sources.

In March 2024, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) gave in-principle approval for the construction of 1,610 km of fencing and associated roadworks. The India-Myanmar border stretches 1,643 km, but as of April 2024, only about 10 km of fencing had been completed.

The 10-year fencing project, covering 1,610 km, will be supported by the construction of 64 border roads over the same period at an additional cost of Rs 10,767 crore. These roads will also have a five-year maintenance cycle. Of the 64 roads, 58 (1,467.5 km) will connect Company Operating Bases (COBs), while six approach roads (78.7 km) will lead directly to the international border.

Together, the fencing and roadworks will involve an estimated total expenditure of Rs 31,031.9 crore over the next decade.