Planning for developing trade facilities: a case study of border trade town, Moreh

Abstract

Border trade has become a key to regional development in today’s globalized world. It helps in reducing regional disparities, brings economic prosperity to the town leading to its spatial functional growth. It connects the town to the neighbouring -country market as well as the global market and generates opportunities for the residents to fortify their economic fortune. In order to boost up border trade, numerous infrastructures need to be built up. Planning for a border town is thus a pressing imperative and a very few studies have so far been carried out in this context. The Indo - Myanmar Border trade occurs in two places only: (a) Moreh in India (Manipur State) and Tamu in Myanmar (b) Champhai in India (Mizoram State) and Hri in Myanmar The Champhai station has not become functional till date and all formal and informal Indo-Myanmar border trade has been taking place through the Moreh- Tamu route only. Moreh market is the only market which is performing very actively in Indo- Myanmar Trade. If Look East Policy is implemented in letter and spirit, it is expected that there will be a sudden boom in the trade activity in Moreh town. In order to manage the sudden spurt in the growth, Moreh needs to grow as a planned trading town with all the physical, social and economic capabilities and infrastructure so that it is able to absorb gains from trade as well as contribute to the growth of international trade. The trade infrastructures in Moreh town are lagging behind and the trend of formal trade is declining while the trend of informal trade is swelling. The study includes an extensive analysis of Indo- Myanmar cross-border trade. Certain issues impeding the development of Moreh town has been identified and an attempt has been made to solve those issues with some planning interventions which include planning for physical infrastructure as well as connectivity. The proposals include spatial location of the trade infrastructures identified on the basis of slope analysis and land suitability analysis besides identifying new and alternative linkages to the town and bypassing the town.