Kolkata-Mizoram trade route via Myanmar to open soon

A deep water port built in Myanmar’s Sittwe by India is ready to be commissioned. Thus, open Kolkata-Mizoram trade route via Myanmar.
The Sittwe port is starting point for the Kaladan Multi Modal Transit Transport Project in Myanmar.
Once shipments arrive at Sittwe port from Kolkata, they will be transferred to smaller freight carriers which would sail upstream into Mizoram.
Significance

• Provides alternative route to India to ship goods to the landlocked north-eastern States.
• Significantly lower the cost and distance of movement from Kolkata to Mizoram and beyond.
• Reduces dependency on only route narrow strip dubbed as the Chicken’s Neck in West Bengal, sandwiched between Bhutan and Bangladesh.
• India has piped post Chinese endeavour to create a deep-sea berthing infrastructure and SEZ at Kyaukphyu in Rakhine.

Background
Sittwe is the capital of Rakhine State situtated in south-western Myanmar. It is located at the mouth of the Kaladan river, which flows into Mizoram in north-eastern India. The work on Kaladan Multi Modal Transit Transport Project was conceived in 2010. Construction of the sea port is the first phase of an integrated $500-million project being funded by a long-term interest-free loan provided by India.

Month: Current Affairs - December, 2016