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‘Milestone for Regional Connectivity’: India-Funded Sittwe Port in Myanmar Begins Operations

© Photo : Twitter/ @MEAIndiaIndia’s Minister of State (MoS) for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Shantanu Thakur falgs off the first shipment bound for newly-built Sittwe port in Myanmar from Kolkata
India’s Minister of State (MoS) for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Shantanu Thakur falgs off the first shipment bound for newly-built Sittwe port in Myanmar from Kolkata - Sputnik India, 1920, 04.05.2023
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Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi has described the operationalising of the Sittwe port as a “milestone for regional connectivity”. New Delhi says that the port will enhance trade and commerce between India and Myanmar and the wider region.
India’s Minister of State (MoS) for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Shantanu Thakur on Thursday flagged off the first shipment bound for newly-built Sittwe port in Myanmar from Kolkata, as per an official statement.
The shipment, comprising 20,000 bags containing 1,000 metric tonnes of cement, will reach Sittwe Port on May 9, it said.

The deep-water Sittwe port, located in the Rakhine state, has been built under a grant assistance from India as part of Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport Project (KMTTP), a network of roads and waterways to connect India’s northeastern states to its eastern seaboard through Myanmar.

The $391 million connectivity project, formally approved in 2008, is being developed under a framework agreement between India and Myanmar.
The KMTTP aims to create an inland waterway route along the Kaladan river from Sittwe to Paletwa (158 kilometers) and a road route from Paletwa to the India-Myanmar border, from where an onward highway will lead to Zorunpui in India’s northeastern Mizoram state.
“Once fully operationalised, KMTTP will provide alternate connectivity from eastern coast of India to the north-eastern states through the Sittwe port,” as per a statement from India’s Ports, Shipping and Waterways ministry.
The work on the port and the inland waterways components of the connectivity project has been completed by the Inland Waterways Authority of India, a government agency.
While the work on the Sittwe port was completed way back in 2018, it couldn’t be operationalised due to the fragile political situation in Myanmar and owing to lack of regulatory clearances from the Myanmar authorities.
Myanmar military officers leave the venue during a parade to commemorate Myanmar's 78th Armed Forces Day in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, Monday, March 27, 2023. - Sputnik India, 1920, 24.04.2023
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Both the Sittwe and the Paletwa ports will be operated, maintained and operated by A to Z EXIM Limited, a subsidiary of Mumbai-based Bharat Freight Group,
At present, the Siliguri Corridor is the only means of connectivity between India’s seven north-eastern states and the rest of the country.

”In the absence of an alternate route, the development of this project not only serves the economic, commercial and strategic interests of India, but also contributes to the development of Myanmar, and its economic integration with India,” as per a brief about the project with the Indian Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

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