India contributed to the development of the port on Myanmar’s western Rakhine coast. The port is connected to Zorinpur on the India-Myanmar border in Mizoram via a 109-km highway after a 158-km river route along the Kaladan river. A road network will connect the border town to the entire North-East. The Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport Project (KMMTTP) is the name of the project.
Source: Current Affairs- Adda 247
The work on this project began in 2008, but it has taken a long time to finish due in large part to the unsteady political situation in Myanmar.
The KMMTTP will offer a different route once it is fully operational to connect the North-East through the Sittwe port to the eastern coast of India. Compared to the current route through Siliguri and Kolkata, it will offer better connectivity for trade and business. It will be far less expensive and time-efficient. Currently and in the near future, the main commodities traded through the Sittwe post will be rice, lumber, fish, petroleum products, clothing, cement, and steel.
However, as the economies of the North-Eastern states grow, the commerce will have a different makeup and is anticipated to increase significantly. The connections will also be advantageous for Myanmar. People who reside in the country’s distant border regions face limitations due to limited access to facilities in many locations. These areas will see a significant improvement in health and education.
Source: Business Standard
Bangladesh will also be included in the network’s expanded connectivity. The distance between Agartala in Tripura and the Chittagong port in Bangladesh has recently decreased from 1,600 km through the Siliguri corridor to 450 km as a result of the opening of a bridge over the Feni river.
In order to increase trade and commerce through the North-Eastern area of India using inland water routes, Bhutan and Nepal have also signed MoUs with Bangladesh. Better transport connections between India and Bangladesh may boost national income by 17% in Bangladesh and 8% in India, according to a World Bank study. The KMMTTP has the potential to strengthen economic and trade ties between South-East Asian nations and the North-East of India.
The ‘Act East’ policy has been hampered by the failure of efforts to build a road infrastructure connecting South-East Asia and India. Sea routes can present a fresh chance.
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