Kaladan Multi-modal Transit Transport Project

The 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 Paletwa in Myanmar via Kaladan river boat route and then from Paletwa on to Mizoram by road transport. Originally, the project was scheduled to be completed by 2014,[1] but is expected to be operational only by December 2016.[2]

Route

The project has several sections/legs:[3]

History

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.

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.[5]

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.[6]

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.[7]

The project includes a waterway component of 158 km on Kaladan river from Sittwe to Paletwa in Myanmar and a road component of 109 km from Paletwa to Zorinpui along the India-Myanmar border in Mizoram.

On 19th April 2016 Indian minister General VK Singh informed that 66% of the new 2-lane-per-direction 12-meter-wide 99.83 km National Highway 502A (NH502A) starting from NH-54 at Lawangtalai to Zorinpui in Mizoram on Indian side is done and will be completed by June 2018. Other aspects of the project including the port, waterways and 109 km Zorinpui on the India-Myanmar border to Paletwa will be completed by April 2019.[8] Mr Lalrinngheta, a Project Site Engineer on the India side, also reported the work is ongoing.[9] On 21st April 2016, Chin State Chief Minister Pu Lian Luai in Mayanmar also informed that with INR 20 billion funding from Indian government, Mayanmar is building an arterial highway to connect Paletwa in southern Chin state to 645 km away Chikha sub-town in northern Chin state. This Paletwa-Chikha highway will also be connected to the National Highway 502 (India) at two places on the Indian border, Paletwa to Zochachhuah[10] on NH502A in south-west Mizoram and at Khenman (Mayanmar) to NH502A Behiang in east Mizoram. New roads will be built to connect the Paletwa-Chikha highway to villages and towns in Chin state.[11]

Indian Railway has already converted the current 84 km railline from Katakhal (Assam) to Bairabi 2 km inside Mizoram. Its further 51.38 km Bairabi Sairang Railway extension from Bairabi to Sairang (20 km north of Aizwal) in Mizoram is under construction with target completion date of March 2019 as per status update in March 2016. In August 2015, India railway completed a survey for a possible new route extension from Sairang to Hmawngbuchhuah[12] on Mizoram’s southern tip on the border of Myanmar, where at nearby Zochachhuah[10] village the National Highway 502 (India) (part of Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project) enters Myanmar, leaving a possibility open for yet-unplanned future rail connections to Paletwa.[13][14]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Purushothaman, Vakkom. "Kaladan Multi Modal Transit Transport Project to link sea route in Myanmar with Mizoram". The Northeast Times. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
  2. ↑ http://www.asianage.com/columnists/myanmar-new-balancing-act-336
  3. ↑ Multi-modal project introduction
  4. ↑ Multi-modal route map
  5. ↑ Phukan, Papori. "Kaladan Multi-Modal Project In Myanmar". Manipur Online. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
  6. ↑ "Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project". Arakan Rivers. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
  7. ↑ Dikshit, Sandeep. "India-Myanmar transport project hits roadblock". The Hindu. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
  8. ↑ Kaladan project to be completed by April 2019, Published: April 2016
  9. ↑ <http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/27/india-myanmar-road-mizoram-tribal-areas-modi Title: India’s long highway to Myanmar starts to take shape, Publisher: The Guardian, Published: Sept 2015]
  10. 1 2 Zochachhuah location map
  11. ↑ Construction of Chikha to Paletwa Highway a priority - See more at: http://mizzima.com/news-domestic/construction-chikha-paletwa-highway-priority#sthash.K3tQ6RiS.dpuf, Published: April 2016
  12. ↑ Hmawngbuchhuah location map
  13. ↑ Massive push to railway infrastructure under way in Northeast
  14. ↑ Sanctioned in 2000, broad-gauge train reaches Mizoram after 16 years

External links

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