Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project is a project that will connect the eastern Indian seaport of Kolkata with Sittwe seaport in Myanmar by sea; it will then link Sittwe seaport to Lashio in Myanmar via Kaladan river boat route and then from Lashio on to Mizoram in India by road transport. The project was scheduled to be completed by 2014 according to Governor of Mizoram Vakkom Purushothaman.[1]
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Location | Mizoram, India |
| Operation | |
| Work begun | 2 April 2008 |
| Traffic | Motor vehicles and Boat |
| Technical | |
| Length | 287 kilometres (178 mi) |
Route
As seen in this Multi-modal route map, this project has several sections/legs:
- Shipping route from seaport of Kolkata in India to Sittwe seaport in Myanmar via Bay of Bengal
- River boat route from Sittwe seaport to Lashio jetty in Myanmar via Kaladan river
- From Lashio jetty on to Mizoram in India by road transport.
This route must be seen within the wider context of connectivity of North East India and India with Asian neighbour via other projects such as Mekong-Ganga Cooperation map of which can be seen here.
Rationale for the Project
Initially India had tried to persuade Bangladesh to offer transport and transit rights to the northeastern states. However, Bangladesh has consistently refused to grant such rights, including access to its Chittagong port, which is less than 200 km away from Agartala, the capital of Tripura.[2]
Benefits of the Project
This project will reduce distance from Kolkata to Sittwee by approximately 1328 km and will reduce the need to transport good through the narrow Siliguri corridor, also known as Chicken's Neck. This will bring enhanced connectivity, shortened trade routes, reduced logistical end-to-end delivery time, economic prosperity and employment opportunities to the Mizoram and rest of the North East India, as well as Arakan and Shin states of Mayanmar.
Technical Details
The project is being piloted and funded by the Ministry of External Affairs (India). The preliminary feasibility studies were carried out by Rail India Technical and Economic Services (RITES). Construction work on Sittwe port and the boat jetty in Paletwa, as well as the dredging work, will be executed by the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), with Essar Projects Ltd, a division of the Essar Group appointed in May 2010 as the main contractor.[3]
Current Status
Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project is at present facing problems such as underestimation of the road length in Myanmar and plans to construct hydro-electric projects — Chimtuipui River and Lungleng River — on two tributaries of the Kaladan River followed by another project downstream. That the first two projects are being built by one public sector undertaking and the third is being constructed by another PSU (Public Sector Unit) has also led to coordination issues.Due to construction of this hydro electrical projects, Navigation of boats could be effected.[4]
See Also
References
- ^ Purushothaman, Vakkom. "Kaladan Multi Modal Transit Transport Project to link sea route in [[Myanmar]] with Mizoram". The Northeast Times. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
{{cite news}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help) - ^ Phukan, Papori. "Kaladan Multi-Modal Project In Myanmar". Manipur Online. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
- ^ "Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project". Retrieved 11 August 2012.
{{cite web}}:|first=missing|last=(help) - ^ Dikshit, Sandeep. "India-Myanmar transport project hits roadblock". The Hindu. Retrieved 11 August 2012.