To improve the connectivity by road in South East Asian region and to sensitize the stakeholders of India Myanmar and Thailand Motor Vehicle Agreement regarding potential benefits of such a regulatory regime, a Friendship Motor Car Rally from Delhi to Bangkok is being organized from 13th November to 3rd December, 2016. The Rally will be flagged off by Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways, Shipping and Chemical Fertilizers Shri Mansukh Lal Mandaviya from India Gate lawns in New Delhi on 13th November, 2016. His Excellency Chalit Manityakul, Ambassador of Thailand to India and other dignitaries will also attend the flagging-off ceremony.
The rally caravan will cover a distance of 5,722 KMs along the IMT Trilateral Highway with about 80 participants from all the three countries, in 20 Indian made vehicles on a journey from Delhi to Bangkok over 19 days. Ceremonial flag off will also be held in other cities and state capitals enroute like Sarnath, Bodhgaya, Patna, Siliguri, Guwahati, Shillong, Kohima and Imphal and in cities in Myanmar and Thailand.
The rally that will conclude at Bangkok on 2nd December, 2016, will further cement cultural and economic ties among the three nations and highlight the potential benefits of connectivity and integration in the region and in keeping with India’s focus on its close neighborhood.
A trial run of passenger vehicles on the IMT Trilateral Highway up to Naypitaw in Myanmar was carried out during 9-14 November, 2015 in which Indian vehicles travelled to Myanmar on Imphal -Mandalay -Bagan- Naypitaw route and back and Myanmar vehicles joined the Indian vehicles on the return journey from Naypitaw to Imphal and returning to Myanmar.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Government of India had initiated a significant step for negotiating a Trilateral Motor Vehicle Agreement (MVA) among India, Myanmar and Thailand (IMT). This Trilateral Motor Vehicle Agreement will regulate seamless movement of both passenger and cargo vehicles among these three countries by providing a regulatory regime for mutual recognition of documents and harmonisation of procedures and related standards. The implementation of the IMT Trilateral Highway, along with regulatory framework in the proposed IMT MVA for movement of vehicles of the 3 countries on this route, would form part of an important element of India’s “Act East Policy”.