Every day, around 200 vehicles negotiate one of India’s most strategically important roads: the final overland stretch of the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project (KMMTTP), connecting Mizoram to Myanmar.
But this monsoon, recurring landslides have turned the corridor into a race against time, with local officials and civil society representatives saying emergency clearance works are being carried out using whatever limited resources they can mobilise, as government funds for landslide clearance have yet to be released.
The deteriorating condition of the road has raised concerns not only for residents of Mizoram’s southern border district of Lawngtlai but also for one of India’s flagship Act East Policy projects, which is expected to provide an alternative trade route to the Northeast through Myanmar, reduce dependence on the Siliguri Corridor, and strengthen connectivity with Southeast Asia.
A Corridor Under Strain
The Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project (KMMTTP) is designed to connect Kolkata Port to Sittwe Port in Myanmar by sea, continue along the Kaladan River to Paletwa through inland waterways, and finally reach Zorinpui on the India-Myanmar border by road, where it connects to Mizoram.
Once operational, the corridor is expected to facilitate trade between mainland India and the Northeast through Myanmar while enhancing connectivity with Southeast Asia.
Earlier this year, Chief Minister Lalduhoma said that, based on his discussions with the Myanmar-based company executing the project, the KMMTTP is expected to be completed in 2027.
Speaking at the Pang Zirlai Pawl’s Naumariamlak (Nau Lawm Kut) festival, he said the project would bring significant economic benefits, particularly to Lawngtlai district, while strengthening connectivity across Mizoram and neighbouring states.
The corridor has also assumed increasing importance along the India-Myanmar border. Earlier this year, an EastMojo investigation found that the lesser-known southern border areas of Lawngtlai district have increasingly emerged as routes for cross-border movement of goods.
Officials and residents said hundreds of trucks transport goods through the area, while district authorities have expressed concern over illegal cross-border trade and undocumented migration from Myanmar.
In January, the Lawngtlai district administration convened a consultation meeting involving security agencies, village councils and civil society organisations to discuss measures to address the issue.
It is against this backdrop that recurring landslides along the KMMTTP road have repeatedly disrupted traffic during the monsoon, straining a corridor that is at once an economic lifeline and a security concern.
Paying Out of Pocket to Keep the Road Open
Elvis Lalthangzuala, a prominent journalist from Lawngtlai and a leader of the Central Young Lai Association (CYLA), said residents are bearing the brunt of the disruptions because funds for emergency landslide clearance have not been released by the Mizoram government.
According to Lalthangzuala, 80 to 100 commercial vehicles use the road on an average day, while traffic can increase to nearly 300 vehicles on busier days.
He said landslides have narrowed the road at several locations, and although the Public Works Department’s Multi Modal Division has continued clearing debris, the expenses have often been borne from personal resources because the government has not released funds.
He added that vehicle owners have at times pooled money to hire JCB excavators to clear blocked stretches or rescue stranded vehicles, paying around ₹5,000 to JCB operators to pull out vehicles trapped by landslides.
He said that unless the Mizoram government releases at least ₹10 lakh during the current monsoon for emergency road clearance, the necessary works cannot be carried out, and the hardships faced by the public are likely to worsen.
He said, “The KMMTTP is expected to open next year, but the current monsoon has created numerous challenges. Funds for landslide clearance have not yet been released to the PWD, forcing SDO and PWD officials to use their own limited resources to tackle smaller emergencies. A tender for refurbishment and maintenance has already been floated, but once the contractor begins work, it could take about a month.
“Around 200 vehicles use this road every day, and commuters continue to face severe hardship. Because the government has not yet provided the required funds, officials have had to pool whatever limited resources they have had to keep the road functional.
The main construction work has already been completed and the contractors have left the site, but subsequent landslides have damaged several sections of the road. If the new contractor works efficiently, the situation can be managed. Otherwise, it is doubtful if the KMMTTP can be inaugurated next year as planned,” he added.
The issue was reviewed during a meeting held at the Deputy Commissioner’s Office in Lawngtlai on Monday, chaired by Dr. Lorrain Lalpekliana Chinzah, Adviser to the Chief Minister for Health & Family Welfare and Animal Husbandry & Veterinary and MLA for Lawngtlai East. Lawngtlai Deputy Commissioner Donny Lalruatsanga presided over the meeting.
Addressing the meeting, Dr. Chinzah said repeated landslides had rendered sections of the KMMTTP road impassable on several occasions, causing hardship to commuters. He commended the Public Works Department’s Multi Modal Project Division for its continued landslide clearance work and appreciated the support extended by the Central Young Lai Association.
He urged all stakeholders to continue their efforts, noting that the state government is making every effort towards opening the road in 2027. He said temporary measures would continue until a company appointed through the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) begins repair and maintenance work.
He also said he would take up the matter with the Chief Minister, the PWD Minister and senior PWD officials through official correspondence and personal meetings.
Deputy Commissioner Donny Lalruatsanga said the road is important because it serves as the route through which many villages receive food supplies and as an important commercial transport corridor.
He stressed that it is essential to keep the road open. Speaking in his capacity as Chairman of the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), he said he has frequently visited the affected locations and that the PWD’s Multi Modal Project Division has carried out landslide clearance operations on several occasions.
He added that the district administration would continue to place the matter before the appropriate authorities so that resources are made available for prompt clearance whenever landslides occur.
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