India-Bhutan Border Infrastructure Hopes for Assam

India inaugurating an Immigration Check Post (ICP) at Darranga Land Port in the Tamulpur district close to the India-Bhutan border on Thursday has unlocked new opportunities of trade and tourism for Assam. The two neighbouring countries had agreed in November 2023 to designate Darranga (Assam)/Samdrup Jongkhar (Bhutan) as an immigration checkpoint between Bhutan and India to facilitate the entry and exit of third country nationals by land route. Till the inauguration of this ICP, third country nationals were permitted to enter or exit Bhutan only via the Paro International Airport or the Jaigaon-Phuentsholing land border in West Bengal. This speaks volumes about the prominence that Assam has gained in bilateral relations between India and Bhutan. The presence of Bhutanese Prime Minister Lyonchhen Dasho Tshering Tobgay at the inauguration of the ICP by Assam Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya is reflective of Bhutan’s commitment to boost trade, tourism, and infrastructure development across the Assam-Bhutan border. Darranga, which connects with Samdrup Jongkhar, the gateway to Eastern Bhutan, is a growing trade hub. Apart from trade between India and Bhutan, the land port also facilitates a substantial volume of Bhutan-Bangladesh bilateral trade. Yet, the Jaigaon-Phuentsholing land border accounts for more than 70% of trade volume. Highway expansion in Assam and in Samdrup Jongkhar will strengthen cross-border trade and commerce towards optimal potential. Darranga is well connected to National Highway 27 and Lokapriya Gopinath Bardoloi international airport, due to which the ICP will be a key destination for traders and global tourists. The improvement of the highway connecting Samdrup Jongkhar and Trashigang inside Bhutan, which is under progress, will ensure seamless connectivity to deep inside the Himalayan kingdom through Darranga ICP across the international border. Bhutan has launched an Integrated Tourism Action Plan that aims at increasing tourist arrivals in Samdrup Jongkhar by 20% and increasing the average length of their stay in the border district over the next five years. The action plan seeks to protect the natural landscape and cultural heritage while creating jobs and boosting the local economy through the involvement of local communities in tourism activities. The Bodoland Territorial Council Authorities in Assam undertaking a similar action plan focused on boosting tourism in the Bodoland Territorial Region bordering Bhutan will help it tap the new tourism potential created by Bhutan’s initiatives and India facilitating smooth cross-border movement for regional and international tourists through the Darranga ICP. Bhutan has also launched a tourism destination brand “Samjong” for tourism promotion in Samdrup Jongkhar through revamped marketing efforts. BTC authorities have already formed Bodoland Tourism Development Corporation Limited (BTDCL) on the line of Assam Tourism Development Corporation (ATDC). BTDCL authorities building their destination brand will help increase the arrival of more domestic and international tourists. BTR having iconic tourist destinations like Manas National Park, a world heritage site; Raimona National Park; and Sikhna Jwhwlao National Park provide great advantages for tour operators in the state, including local tour operators in the border districts, to innovate new marketing strategies to take advantage of tourist arrivals in Bhutan through Assam. The inauguration of the ICP brings new opportunities for creating new tourism circuits on both sides of the international border. Bhutan initiating an ambitious plan of building the Gelephu Mindfulness city at its border town Gelephu that connects to Dadgiri in Kokrajhar across the border too has brought new hopes for Assam to new trade and tourism potential through BTR. The ATDC and BTDCL drawing up implementable action plans with an eye on infrastructure and tourism development in Bhutan will be critical to ensuring that BTR areas do not remain mere transit spaces for cross-border trade and tourism but are key stakeholders in the emerging economic opportunities in the entire region. Expediting the railway link project connecting Kokrajhar with Gelephu is crucial to increasing the viability of tourism products to be launched by ATDC and BTDCL targeting visitors to Bhutan and attracting more tourists to the state. BTC authorities imparting skill training on tourism will help create the pool of skilled professionals for the tourism industry across the tourism value chain. Apart from tourism, the Gelephu Mindfulness City will also see expansion in education, health, and other sectors like forestry and energy through global investment and cooperation, which will create huge opportunities for skilled professionals in Assam. Assam Skill University at Mangaldai can play an important role in conducting in-depth research to identify the opportunities and quantify the demands for skilled professionals so that the state government and BTC authorities draw pragmatic plans for required skill training. Once the development of infrastructure planned by Bhutan for its border districts becomes a reality, the demand for skilled professionals will grow exponentially. The ICP at Darranga has unlocked a new window of opportunity for Assam. If Assam fails to cater to the demand and take timely initiatives to seize the opportunity, skilled professionals and workers from outside the northeastern region will fill the gap.