Table of Contents
INDIA’S GROWING INFLUENCE
- India after Chabahar Port in Iran is all set to take over operations of Myanmar’s Sittwe Port that will enable to counter-balance China’s BRI in the Indo-Pacific region.
- India is developing the Shahid Beheshti terminal at Chabahar over five phases and on completion, the port’s capacity will be around 82 million metric tons (MT) per annum. State-run Indian Ports Global Limited (IPGL) will be responsible for the port’s management for a temporary period of 18 months and if the two sides agree on extending the lease, a 10-year period thereafter.
SITTWE PORT “
- The infrastructure at Sittwe Port in Myanmar, constructed with India’s assistance, is ready for operation”, Minister of State for Shipping and Road Transport Mansukh L. Mandaviya said in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha, the Upper House of Parliament.
SITTWE PORT: WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
- The construction of Sittwe Port is part of the Kaladan multimodal transit transport project and its aim is to build a multimodal sea, river and road transport corridor for shipment of cargo from the eastern ports of India to Myanmar through Sittwe port as well as to north-eastern part of India via Myanmar. The approved construction cost of Sittwe Port and Inland Water Terminals at Sittwe and Paletwa is Rs. 517.29 crore.
THE HIGHWAY
- Paletwa-Mizoram road 1600 crore rupees cost The route of the project around Paletwa and along the Kaladan river is troubled with Chin conflict, Rohingya conflict and militant groups such as Arakan Army and Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA). Among these the ARSA, created by Pakistan’s Lashkar-e-Toiba and has links with Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen in Bangladesh and the Indian Mujahideen in India
KALADAN MULTI-MODAL TRANSIT TRANSPORT PROJECT
- This project will reduce distance from Kolkata to Mizoram by approximately 1000 km and cut travelling time to 3-4 days for transport of goods. It will provide alternative to current route from North East to Kolkata port via chicken neck which faces heavy traffic and transportation of cargo via this route takes many days to reach port.
FURTHER PROJECTS
- India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway can be connected with Kaladan multimodal project
OPPORTUNITIES FOR INDIA
- India’s total trade with the ASEAN countries in 2017-18 was $81.33 billion, which is 10.57% of India’s overall trade. The value of exports was $ 34.20 billion and imports were $ 47.13 billion. As per the Chinese Ministry of Commerce data, China’s exports to ASEAN countries touched $279.1 billion in 2017, while imports stood at $235.7 billion. With the completion of the trilateral highway, the Indian Government expects a big jump in commercial activities and linkages with South-East Asia in the next decade.
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