SITTWE PORT

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Sittwe Port

• Sittwe Port is a deepwater port constructed by India at on Lakadan river mouth, Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine State in Myanmar, on the Bay of Bengal.
• Situated at the mouth of the Kaladan River, the port is being financed by India as a part of the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project.
• The project is aimed at developing transport infrastructure in southwestern Myanmar and northeastern India.

Kaladan Multi Modal Project

• It is a Multimodal Transit project connecting Kolkata Port with Mizoram via the Sittwe port of Myanmar.

Sea-river-road route

• The project has several sections combining multi-modes of transport.

1. 539 km shipping route from seaport of Kolkata in India to Sittwe seaport in Myanmar via Bay of Bengal.

1. 158 km River boat route from Sittwe seaport to Paletwa Inland Water Terminal in Chin State via Kaladan river in Myanmar.

• Four-lane road route from Paletwa (IWT) to Zochawchhuah(India)-Zorinpui(Myanmar) at Indo-Myanmar border.

1. Road route from Indo-Myanmar border at Zochawchhuah-Zorinpui to Aizawl, Mizoram.

Note: On the Indian side, work is on to extend the Aizawl-Saiha National Highway (NH-54) by further 90 km to the international border at Zorinpui. This highway from Myanmar border to Aizawl and further to Dabaka, Assam will ensure the faster movement of goods in the entire NE. NH-54 is a part of the larger East-West Corridor connecting North East India with the rest of India.                                                                                                *Refer Map for better understanding.

Importance of developing alternative routes

• As of now, the only access to NE India is through the Siliguri Corridor in West Bengal.
• Siliguri Corridor is a narrow strip of Indian Territory wedged between Nepal and Bangladesh.
• Routing all cargo destined for the northeast through this corridor causes significant transportation delays and cost overheads.
• Siliguri Corridor, also known as the Chicken's Neck, is a perennial threat to our security.
• It has borders with Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh & hence one of the most sensitive strategic vulnerabilities of India. The corridor is prone to criminal activities.
• Strategically, it is the Achilles heel in the defence of almost 2,000 km of borders in the NE states with China and Myanmar.
• Also, the new route through Sittwe would significantly lower the cost and distance of movement from Kolkata to Mizoram and beyond.

Significance of Kaladan Project

• The Kaladan multi-modal transit transport project is cornerstone of India-Myanmar economic, commercial and strategic ties.
• Apart from boosting the economy of Myanmar, the project will also make for an alternative route for goods from India’s North-East to rest of the country and world.
• It will give sea connectivity and promote economic development in the North-eastern states.
• The Project is also a part of India’s ‘Act East policy’ connecting north eastern States and the ASEAN region.
• Furthermore, the project will help India counterbalance China’s growing influence in Myanmar.

Kaladan River

• Kaladan is a river in eastern Mizoram and in Chin State and Rakhine State of western Myanmar.
• The Kaladan River is called the Chhimtuipui River in India.
• It forms the international border between India and Burma.
• Source: Mount Zinghmuh, Chin State, Myanmar
• Tributary – Tiau River
• Mouth- Sittwe, Bay of Bengal
• Kaladan is the fifth largest river in the world to remain completely unfragmented by dams anywhere in its catchment.
• The first four are Fly, Mamberamo and Sepik in New Guinea and the Pechora in Russia.

Rakhine State

• Formerly known as Arakan, Rakhine is a state in Myanmar.
• Capital: Sittwe
• The Arakan Mountains or Rakhine Yoma separates Rakhine State from central Burma from North to South.
• Part of Delhi Sultanate and Mughal Empire (under Aurangzeb) in the medieval times. It was followed by Mrauk Kingdom period.
• In the Treaty of Yandabo (1826), Burma was forced to cede Arakan to British India.
• In 1948, Arakan became part of the newly independent Union of Burma (later renamed as Myanmar).
• The Rohingya conflict is an ongoing conflict in the northern part of Rakhine State (formerly known as Arakan), characterised by sectarian violence between the Rohingya Muslim and Rakhine Buddhist communities.
• Group active: Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (formerly Harakah al-Yaqin).
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