Guwahati: Flagged off a cargo ship on Thursday at Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port in Kolkata onway to Sittwe port of Rakhine State in Myanmar marks the beginning of a new era of international trade sea routes between the two neighbouring countries which is expected to benefit Northeast extensively. The ship MV-ITT LION (V-273) carrying 20,000 bags containing 1,000 metric ton of cement is scheduled to arrive at Sittwe port on 9 May next.
“Today, we mark the beginning of a new route between India & Myanmar which has been specifically aimed at providing alternate access to international sea routes for the landlocked northeast India,” said Union ports, shipping & waterways and Ayush minister Sarbananda Sonowal adding that under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi it emerges as a true reflection of Act East policy.
Sonowal revealed that Sittwe port in the Bay of Bengal has been built under grant assistance from the Union government in New Delhi as part of the Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport Project (KMTTP). Inland Waterways Authority of India as a project development consultant has successfully completed the port work.
Once operationalised, the Sittwe port will act as a harbinger of transportation for the south and southeast Asian region enabling multi modal transit connectivity with many countries, stated Sonowal. KMTTP will provide alternate connectivity from India’s eastern coast to Northeast through the Sittwe port. He also observed, with the immense potential of the region it would unlock a huge potential of growth and efficient transportation between the two regions for a transformational rise of prosperity & economic development.