"We already have a rail network till Ledo in upper Assam and from there it is only 150 km to Dali in Myanmar across the Patkai range," Assam Commerce and Industries Minister Pradyut Bordoloi told reporters here.
"If we can be part of the railway link project of ASEAN, it will bring immense benefit to the North East," he said.
He said the decision to extend the ASEAN Highway project to Guwahati boded well as the North East was located in proximity to the ASEAN region.
The highway from Indonesia to Mandalay in Myanmar would now extend till Guwahati via Tamu in Myanmar and Moreh in Manipur.
"This will breach all barriers hindering growth in the region and allow us to break away from dependence on the thin chicken-neck (Siliguri corridor)," he said.
Bordoloi said the Forum of Industries and Commerce Ministers of the North Eastern region has proposed connectivity for better trade links with ASEAN region.
"The Natural Gas Pipeline project of ASEAN could also benefit us if we are connected to the project," he said.
Bordoloi said that Assam government wanted the Stilwell Road, connecting Ledo in upper Assam to Yunnan province of China via Myanmar, to be reopened, despite apprehensions in certain quarters on security.
"We have given a proposal for reopening the road. Some security concerns have been expressed that this might facilitate inflow of arms and narco-terrorism. But we believe that having connectivity will bring more security to the area," he said.
In line with establishing close links with the ASEAN region, Assam government has also proposed to establish road connectivity to Kolkata via the Garo Hills in Meghalaya and Bangladesh.
"This will reduce the time for transporting goods between Kolkata and North East to two days, from the existing seven days," he said.
Bordoloi said the just concluded ASEAN-India car rally played a major role in boosting the connectivity issue.
India and the 10-nation ASEAN yesterday finalised a free trade agreement in services and investments, a key move aimed at strengthening economic engagement between the regions.
