Is this an image of the new highway connecting Kolkata and Thailand? Know the truth.

The construction work of the highway connecting Kolkata to Bangkok via Myanmar has already started. The purpose of this highway is to increase tourism, contact between people of these nations, and cultural exchange. 

In the backdrop of this, an image of a highway is going viral on social media. It was claimed that this is an image of the new highway connecting Kolkata and Thailand. 

However, Fact Crescendo found the claim to be misleading. This is an image of a Highway from Bihar and not the one connecting Kolkata and Thailand. 

What’s the claim? 

Sharing the image, social media users are claiming that this is the highway connecting Kolkata and Thailand via Myanmar. This is a 1400km long highway, which will start at Kolkata and pass through Siliguri and Srirampur in West Bengal and will enter Assam and Nagaland, and Imphal, Manipur’s capital. From there it will connect to Moreh in Myanmar. It will pass through a few places in Myanmar before entering Thailand. 

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Fact Check- 

A Google Reverse Image Search on the viral image led us to the same published on the Financial Express website in 2018. According to the report, Adani Groups won a Rs. 1,140 crore project of highway construction in Chattisgarh under Bharatmala Pariyojna.  This project was a 53 km long highway construction connecting Bilaspur and Pathrapali in Chhattisgarh. 

After taking a clue from the above fact, a Google keyword search led us to the same image uploaded on the Bihar government web portal as well. It was mentioned that this road is a project of Bihar which was upgraded to a 4 and 6 lanes highway. 

We also found that the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways released a document on various Highways construction work initiated under Bharatmala Pariyojana. In this document, we found a Financial Express report from 2018 in which the viral image was published saying that the construction work of the Highway had started after the cabinet approved the investment proposal for the development and upgradation of National Highways under Bharatmala Pariyojana Phase-1

We found the above Financial Express report. According to this 2018 report, the cabinet had approved the investment proposal for the umbrella highway sector program Bharatmala Pariyojana Phase 1 for the development of around 35,000 km of Highway with a budget of 5,35,000 crores for over 5-year period from 2017-18 to 2021-22

How far has the Kolkata-Thailand Highway work progressed?

According to The Free Press Journal report, the highway connecting Kolkata and Thailand via Myanmar is likely to open within four years. The aim of this highway is to boost transportation, trade and tourism among these nations. Various sections of the highway are under construction now. According to another report, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said that around 70% of the construction work of the highway has been completed. However, he did not specify any timeline for the completion of this project. 

Conclusion: 

Fact Crescendo found the post to be misleading. This is not an image of a highway connecting Kolkata and Thailand via Myanmar. This is an old image of a highway from Bihar which was constructed under Bharatmala Pariyojana.