A deep water port
built in Myanmar’s Sittwe on the Bay of Bengal by India is ready to be
commissioned. An inauguration ceremony for this strategically important
facility will be held soon.
Construction of the
sea port is the first phase of an integrated $500-million project being funded
by a long-term interest-free loan provided by India.
Where is Sittwe
located?
Sittwe is the capital
of Rakhine State (which has been in the news for the plight of Rohingya
Muslims) in south-western Myanmar. It is located at the mouth of the Kaladan
river, which flows into Mizoram in north-eastern India.
Significance of this
port for India:
· India has for years sought transit access through
Bangladesh to ship goods to the landlocked north-eastern States. At present,
the only route to this region from the rest of India is a rather circuitous one
through a narrow strip of Indian territory nicknamed the Chicken’s Neck in West
Bengal, sandwiched between Bhutan and Bangladesh. The new route through Sittwe
would significantly lower the cost and distance of movement from Kolkata to
Mizoram and beyond.
The
link was conceived by the UPA government and work began in 2010. The completion
target of 2013 was missed.
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