Report By: Ritesh Mohanty:
New Delhi: November 18: The minister of State for Road Transport & Highways, Shipping and Chemicals & Fertilizers, Mansukh L Mandaviya flagged off the India, Myanmar and Thailand (IMT) Friendship Motor Car Rally 2016 in New Delhi on November 13, 2016. Chalit Manityakul, ambassador of Thailand, was also present on the occasion. The rally which is to be ended on the 2nd of December at the Thailand capital, Bangkok, will initiate the beginning of the IMT motor vehicle agreement that will allow free passage of goods and people along the Borders of the 3 countries. The rally is being organised under the aegis of the Indian Chamber of Commerce Kolkata, Kalinga Motor Sports Club Odisha and the Central Road Transport and Highway Ministry. Travel from New Delhi to Bangkok by road would now become a reality.
Addressing the occasion, Mandaviya said that, this rally will play a great role in developing the economic, transport and cultural relations between the three countries. He said that 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 boost to Narendra Modi’s “Act East Policy”. A commemorative stamp for IMT Rally, 2016 was also released on the occasion. The rally will cover about 5722 kms of the newly completed India-Myanmar- Thailand Trilateral Highway in about 19 days with about 80 participants from all the three countries. Ceremonial flag-off will also be held in other cities and state capitals en route like Sarnath, Bodhgaya, Patna, Siliguri, Guwahati, Shillong, Kohima and Imphal and Began and Yangoon in Myanmar and Bangkok in Thailand.
On the morning of Tuesday the 15th November the rally was flagged off from Lucknow by the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav. On the occasion Akhilesh stated that the 1360 KM Highway from Moreh To Mae Sot will not only meet goals, hope it would also promote harmony and brotherhood between the three countries.
The India-Myanmar-Thailand Car Rally reached Sarnath on Tuesday. On the occasion a seminar on ‘peace and its importance in Buddhism’ was held at the Central University of Tibetan Studies, Sarnath, addressed by the vice chancellor of the university Dr. Geshe Ngwang Samten and Debmalya Banerjee, Regional Director, North India, Indian Chamber of Commerce.
On the occasion Mr. Banerjee said, the rally will promote to mutual awareness, discovery and understanding.
