The Home Ministry has given its nod to the reopening of the historic Stilwell Road that links Assam to Old Burma Road and onwards to Kunming in China, signalling a departure of sorts as the road passes through areas earlier part of Delhi’s security concerns.

Sources said the clearance comes alongside a detailed scrutiny of this proposal by the PMO, which earlier this month sought views from the ministries concerned. The proposal to reopen the road came up in February 2000, when the NDA government decided to open the Pangsau pass in Arunachal Pradesh, through which the road runs, for border trade.

While the Ministry of External Affairs is positive on reopening the road, given the impact it will have on relations with East Asia, the Defence Ministry believes additional troops will have to be deployed in the sector. Already, 12 km of the road on the Indian side is known to have been cleared.

The road, built to further the cause of the Allied campaign in China during World War II, was a corridor for supplies reaching Assam from Calcutta onwards to Myanmar and China.

The road has been lying unused since the 60s due to border tension between India and China. The transition in ties now is guided by a healthy trade relationship. Further, Assam has been leading the group of NE states pressing for reopening this road which would boost trade.

Much of the problem in taking the road ahead lies with Myanmar, where the government has little control over Kachin state through which the road passes. A feasibility study by Yangon shows that nearly 30 per cent of the road will have to be re-laid. Myanmar, however, has indicated it will not deploy its resources for rebuilding.

China, on the other hand, is keen to link up with India’s North-East. While funding the reconstruction on the Myanmar stretch may not prove to be a major obstacle, sources said New Delhi and Beijing will look to get a security commitment from Yangon. The effort gathers further significance with External Affairs Minister K. Natwar Singh slated to visit Myanmar next month.