Guwahati, Dec. 28: The Assam government is holding consultations with the Union ministry of highways, road transport and shipping to draw up a roadmap to construct an international highway connecting India with Bhutan through the Bodoland Territorial Areas District (BTAD).

Already two rounds of talks have been held between the Centre and the state government for strengthening road connectivity between the two nations, Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal revealed while laying the foundation stone for a bridge over the Bharola river along the Tamulpur-Udalguri Road in the Udalguri Legislative Assembly Constituency today.

The chief minister also laid the foundation stone of the Suklai river bridge and the Kala-Nanoi river bridge in neighbouring Paneri LAC in the BTAD.

Of India's 699km border with Bhutan, Assam shares 267km, Arunachal Pradesh 217km, Bengal 183km and Sikkim 32km. In Assam, the BTAD's Kokrajhar, Udalguri, Baksa and Chirang districts share the border with Bhutan. "The proposed highway will improve trade and commerce between the two nations," Sonowal said.

The bridges are part of a road project, under the North Eastern States Road Investment Project, to improve and upgrade roads from Tamulpur to Paneri and Paneri to Udalguri in the BTAD.

Sonowal also said the state cabinet had recently approved the Mukhyamantir Path Nirman Achoni, under which Rs 2,000 crore would be released to the districts within March 31 for construction of roads within three years.