World Bank has approved funding of a road project in Mizoram, which will connect the state to Myanmar and Bangladesh.

The World Bank board has approved a soft loan of $107 million (approx Rs 650 crore) for the ‘Mizoram State Roads-II, Regional Transport Connectivity Project’.

This road project will be funded by a credit from World Bank’s concessionary lending arm, International Development Association, which provides interest-free loans with 25 years to maturity and a grace period of five years. 

The funding will be received for 91 km of roads, whose designs have already been prepared.

The road project includes strengthening and widening of a 22 km section of Lunglei-Tlabung-Kawrpuichhuah road on the border with Bangladesh, and the 27.5 km Champhai-Zokhawthar road on the border with Myanmar.

It will also include the 41.7 km Chhumkhum-Chawngte North-South alignment connecting the border roads with Bangladesh to the west and Myanmar to the south.

Another project includes 330 km of road work, which may be considered for a follow-on project or additional financing when the designs are ready.

The current project will fund detailed studies and designs for these roads.