The road linking Kalay in Sagaing Region to Chin State’s Falam and Hakha townships will undergo changes with loans from the World Bank, according to Chin State’s chief minister.

Chief Minister Salai Lian Luai revealed the potential upgrades to the road at a meeting in Hakha’s Carson Hall on Monday.

The Chin State transportation minister, Sui Thio, explained how data would be collected for environmental and social impact assessments (EIA and SIA): a survey team will reportedly gather information from 30 villages in three townships along the route.

Chin State will receive a US$200 million loan from World Bank, which the road construction department said it would use toward improving roads in the state.

The EIA and SIA will be carried out by global firm Cardno before June, Sui Thio said.

“I expect that implementation of the road upgrade process will start in October, but I cannot say exactly what the schedule is,” the transportation minister said. The Kalay-Falam-Hakha road is 124 miles long.