New Delhi, Feb 03: The Centre is contemplating a
move to aid the development of Myanmar's Sittwe Port at a cost
of 103 million dollars to give the land-locked Northeastern
states access to the sea for trade and commerce.
This will be done after developing Kaladan river, which
connects the Northeastern state of Mizoram with the Bay of
Bengal, as a waterway, Union Minister of State for Commerce
Jairam Ramesh has said.
"In principle, the government has taken a decision to
develop the port. Cabinet approval is likely to be given
soon," Ramesh told a seminar here earlier this week.
By developing the port in Myanmar and making the Kaladan
river navigational, India wants to give the Northeast access
to the sea and international trade, he said.
Sittwe, formerly known as Akyab, is situated in Rakhine
state, a long narrow coastal region in western Myanmar, and is
separated from the mainland by the Rakhine Yoma mountain
range.
It is the capital of the state and a seaport with a rich
hinterland producing crops and fish.
The government's move assumes significance in view of
Bangladesh's reported reluctance to give India access to
Chittagong port and its refusal to let a gas pipeline
connecting Myanmar with India to pass through its territory.
"We can also bring goods from Sittwe to any Indian port
by using sea routes," Ramesh said. When the project is
completed, Mizoram would become a hub of international trade,
he said.
Bureau Report
First Published: Saturday, February 03, 2007, 00:00