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Context

• Prime Minister, Narendra Modi has hailed the inaugural run of the vessel from Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port to Sittwe Port Myanmar developed under Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project.

KALADAN PROJECT: https://www.iasgyan.in/blogs/sittwe-port

Background

• The Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project was jointly identified by India and Myanmar to create a multi-modal mode of transport for the shipment of cargo from the eastern ports of India to Myanmar as well as to the North-Eastern part of India through Myanmar.

About

• The Kaladan Road Project connects the eastern Indian seaport of Kolkata with Sittwe seaport in Rakhine State, Myanmar by sea.
• In Myanmar, it will then link Sittwe seaport to Paletwa in Chin State via the Kaladan river boat route, and then from Paletwa by road to Mizoram state in Northeast India.
• Paletwa is less than 20 km from the Bangladesh border.

Project Components in a nutshell,

Significance of the Project

• This project will reduce the distance from Kolkata to Sittwe by approximately 1,328 km.
• It will reduce the need to transport goods through the narrow Siliguri corridor, also known as Chicken's Neck.
• It also provides a strategic link to the North-East, thereby reducing pressure on the Siliguri Corridor.
• This project, which will connect Sittwe Port in Myanmar to the India-Myanmar border, is expected to contribute to the economic development of the North-Eastern States of India, by opening up the sea route for the products.
• It was necessary to strengthen land connectivity and integrate the economic development on the Northeast with that of Bangladesh and Myanmar.
• Such linkages would also increase India’s strategic footprints in East Asia and more importantly in our immediate neighborhood.

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