Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project

The Kaladan Road Project () is a US$484 million project connecting the eastern Indian seaport of

Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...

with

Sittwe Sittwe (, ), formerly Akyab (), is the capital of Rakhine State, Myanmar (Burma). Sittwe is located on an estuarial island created at the confluence of the Kaladan, Mayu, and Lay Mro rivers emptying into the Bay of Bengal. As of 2019 the cit ...

seaport in

Rakhine State Rakhine State ( ; , ; ), formerly known as Arakan State, is a Administrative divisions of Myanmar, state in Myanmar (Burma). Situated on the western coast, it is bordered by Chin State to the north, Magway Region, Bago Region and Ayeyarwady Re ...

, Myanmar by sea. In Myanmar, it will then link Sittwe seaport to Paletwa in Chin State via the

Kaladan river The Kaladan (, ) or Kissapanadi River (, ), also known as the Beino, Bawinu and Kolodyne, is a river in the eastern Mizoram, Mizoram State of India, and in Chin State and Rakhine State of western Myanmar. The Kaladan River is called the Chhimtuip ...

boat route, and then from Paletwa by road to

Mizoram Mizoram is a states and union territories of India, state in northeastern India, with Aizawl as its Capital city, capital and largest city. It shares 722-kilometres (449 miles) of international borders with Bangladesh to the west, and Myanmar t ...

state in Northeast India. All components of the project, including Sittwe port and power, river

dredging Dredging is the excavation of material from a water environment. Possible reasons for dredging include improving existing water features; reshaping land and water features to alter drainage, navigability, and commercial use; constructing d ...

, and Paletwa jetty, have been completed,Still under construction
''The Statesman'', 13 May 2018.India starts construction of ₹1,600-cr Mizoram-Myanmar Kaladan road
''Business Line'', 17 April 2018. except the under construction Zorinpui-Paletwa road.110-km road is final challenge for long-delayed India-Myanmar Kaladan connectivity project
The Print, 29 March, 2021. Originally, the project was scheduled to be completed by 2014, but end-to-end project is expected to be fully operational only by December 2023 as per November 2023 update. Paletwa is less than from the Bangladesh border.

History

This project will reduce the distance from

by approximately and will reduce the need to transport goods through the narrow

Siliguri Siliguri (, ; ), also known as Shiliguri, is a major Tier ii cities in india, tier-II city in West Bengal. It forms the twin cities, Twin Cities with the neighbouring city of Jalpaiguri. The city spans areas of the Darjeeling district, Darjeel ...

corridor, also known as Chicken's Neck. Initially India had tried to persuade

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

to offer transport and transit rights to the northeastern states. However,

has consistently refused to grant such rights, including access to its

Chittagong Chittagong ( ), officially Chattogram, (, ) (, or ) is the second-largest city in Bangladesh. Home to the Port of Chittagong, it is the busiest port in Bangladesh and the Bay of Bengal. The city is also the business capital of Bangladesh. It ...

port, which is less than away from

Agartala Agartala (, , ) is the capital and the List of cities and towns in Tripura, largest city of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Tripura, situated on the banks of Haora River, Haora/Saidra River, about east of the border ...

, the capital of

Tripura Tripura () is a States and union territories of India, state in northeastern India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, third-smallest state in the country, it covers ; and the seventh-least populous state with a populat ...

. The project is being piloted and funded by the

Ministry of External Affairs (India) The Ministry of External Affairs (abbreviated as MEA; ISO 15919, ISO: ) is India's Ministry of foreign affairs, foreign ministry. The ministry is tasked with formulating and implementing Indian foreign policy, India's foreign policy and repres ...

. The preliminary feasibility studies were carried out by Rail India Technical and Economic Services (RITES). Construction work on

port and the boat jetty in Paletwa, as well as the dredging work, will be executed by the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), with Essar Projects Ltd, a division of the

Essar Group Essar Group is an Indian Multinational company, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate company, founded by Shashi and Ravi Ruia, Shashi Ruia and Ravi Ruia in 1969. The company, known as Essar Global Fund Limited (EGFL), owns a vari ...

appointed in May 2010 as the main contractor. Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project initially faced problems such as underestimation of the road length in

Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...

and plans to construct hydro-electric projects — Chhimtuipui River and Lungleng River — on two tributaries of the

Kaladan River The Kaladan (, ) or Kissapanadi River (, ), also known as the Beino, Bawinu and Kolodyne, is a river in the eastern Mizoram, Mizoram State of India, and in Chin State and Rakhine State of western Myanmar. The Kaladan River is called the Chhimtuip ...

followed by another project downstream. That the first two projects are being built by one public sector undertaking and the third is being constructed by another PSU (Public Sector Unit) has also led to coordination issues. Due to construction of this hydro electrical projects, navigation of boats could be effected. In April 2017, the Sittwe port and IWT Paletwa jetty were ready and operational. In April 2017, India handed over the operation of completed Sittwe port and Inland Water Terminal at Paletwa to Myanmar. In June 2017, India handed six gas tanker cargo vessels worth US$81.29 million (K110.08 billion) to the Myanmar government to transport gas to north-east India via

Manipur Manipur () is a state in northeastern India with Imphal as its capital. It borders the Indian states of Assam to the west, Mizoram to the south, and Nagaland to the north and shares the international border with Myanmar, specifically t ...

. Work on the port in Sittwe and the IWT in Paletwa, Chin State, is in its final stages, and the six cargo vessels are meant to facilitate transportation of goods from Sittwe to Paletwa. The $81.29 million cost of the vessels was met through a grant from India. The construction work was assigned to IWT in October 2012, the keels were laid in March 2013 and the vessels were launched between April and December 2016. On completion of the tests and trials at Yangon, the vessels reached Sittwe in March 2017. Acceptance trials were completed in April 2017 in Sittwe.vessels handed over to Myanmar by India
Mizzima, 2 June 2017. In June 2017, after several upward budget revisions and troubles in finding contractors, the INR1,600-crore (US$250 million) contract has been finally awarded to an Indian company C&C construction for building 109-km road connecting IWT Paletwa river terminal to Zorinpui in Mizoram border. The contractor would open offices at Sittwe, Paletwa and Yangon in Myanmar, mobilise men and machine during the monsoon and start construction after the monsoon in October. In 2019, India and Myanmar launched Operation Sunrise, a joint military effort to dismantle insurgent group camps, especially the Arakan Army, threatening the Kaladan Project.

Route

Sea–river–road route

The project has several sections combining multi-modes of transport: * Kolkata-Sittwe shipping route - from seaport of

in India to

seaport in

via

Bay of Bengal The Bay of Bengal is the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. Geographically it is positioned between the Indian subcontinent and the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese peninsula, located below the Bengal region. Many South Asian and Southe ...

. This sea route has been operational for several decades. Port upgrade, from 20,000 ton vessels to 40,000 ton capacity vessels, has been completed. * Sittwe seaport to Paletwa inland jettyriver boat route - ' from

seaport to Inland Water Terminal (IWT) and hydro power project at Paletwa jetty via

. River dredging and jetty upgrade completed in June 2017. There is at least one river lock for navigation.. Six barges of 300 ton capacity each were handed over to Myanmar by the government of India.Delay in Kaladan project
''Business Standard'', 2018. Completed.
Sittwe Special Economic Zone at Ponnagyun town north from Sittwe upstream of

at Ponnagyun town is being built by India on 1000 acres. * Paletwa inland jetty to Zorinpui road route in Myanmar - two-lane in each direction (4 lanes total) road route from IWT Paletwa to Zochawchhuah(India)–Zorinpui (Myanmar) at Indo-Myanmar border in

. Construction contract of INR1600 crore (16 billion) was awarded to Ircon in June 2017, and construction commenced in April 2018,Road to Mandalay
''Indian Express'', June 2018. after all the necessary approvals were granted by the Myanmar govt in January 2018. Mizoram to get connected with Sittwe port
Integrated Customs & Immigration Checkpost at Zochawchhuah-Zorinpui has been operational since 2017. ** Package-I: Paletwa inland jetty to Kaletwa road route in Myanmar - is Complete as per March 2024 update. ** Package-II: Kaletwa to Zorinpui road route in Myanmar - is under construction as per March 2024 update, militants in control of the area have assured cooperation and security for the completion of the road.Preserving Indian Interests during Ongoing Disturbances in Myanmar
Centre for Joint Warfare Studies. Manshi Suhag. July 9, 2024. The Kaladan Transport Project Amidst the Civil War in Myanmar
IDSA, 22 July 2024. * Zorinpui to Aizawl road route in India - from Indo-Myanmar border at Zorinpui to Aizawl. From Aizawl it connect to Aizawl-Saiha National Highway at Lawngtlai in

, India by road on National Highway 54 (India) (NH-54), which then continues further to Dabaka in

Assam Assam (, , ) is a state in Northeast India, northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra Valley, Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . It is the second largest state in Northeast India, nor ...

via long NH-54 which in turn is part of the larger East–West Corridor connecting North East India with the rest of India.India awards road contract to complete Kaladan project in Myanmar
''Business Line'', 9 June 2017. Complete as per March 2024 update.Mizoram MP meets Myanmar militants in push to speed up work on key connectivity project
The Print, 1 Mar 2024.
Note: The 2-lane route from Indo-Myanmar border at Zochawchhuah-Zorinpui to Tuipang is complete. From Tuipang, the national highway was further upgraded from 2-lane to all-weather 4-lane from NH 54 Lawngtlai to

Aizawl Aizawl (, American English, US: , British English, UK: ; Mizo language, Mizo: ), formerly known as Aijal, is the capital city and the most populous city of Mizoram, India. It is also the third largest city in northeast India. It is situated ato ...

. INR6000 crore (60 billion) was approved to further improve this Zochawchhuah–Zorinpui–Aizawl national highway. Lomasu to Lawngtlai is a two-lane highway in each direction (total four lanes) and Lawngtlai to

–

Guwahati Guwahati () the largest city of the Indian state of Assam, and also the largest metropolis in northeastern India. Dispur, the capital of Assam, is in the circuit city region located within Guwahati and is the seat of the Government of Assam. Th ...

national highway was widened to 4 lanes in each direction (total 8 lanes).India appoints post operator
''Irrawaddy'' * Shillong-Silchar highway in India - , from Mawlyngkhung near Shillong to Panchgram on NH-6 near

Silchar Silchar is a city and the headquarters of the Cachar district of the state of Assam, India. It is second largest city of Assam after Guwahati in terms of population and GDP. It is also administrative capital of Barak Valley division. It is locate ...

, will cut travel time between the two cities from 8.5 hours to 5 hours and act as a continuation of Kaladan multi-modal transport project offering a new Rs 22,864 crore high-speed highway between the North-East and Kolkata bypassing Bangladesh, executed by the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) and expected to be completed by 2030.New Northeast–Kolkata Sea Route Via Myanmar To Take Shape Through Shillong–Silchar Highway, Bypassing Bangladesh: Report
IE, 18 May 2025.

Complementary railway route

This railway route will complement the river–road route of this project in Myanmar-Mizoram: * Sittwe– Kyaukhtu railway in Myanmar, – exists and operational: This route has been operational since 2011. To integrate with other routes-network in Myanmar, it will be further extended 311 km by 2021–22, from Kyaukhtu in north to Ann in south and then south-east to Minbu where it will connect to Myanmar rail network as well as long Kyaukpyu port–Minbu–Kunming high-speed railway being planned by China. * Kyaukhtu–Zorinpui in Myanmar, – planned but not yet surveyed: India has future yet-unapproved plans to fund and construct this missing link. * Zochawchhuah (Zorinpui)– Sairang railway in India, – being surveyed since Aug-2017: Survey for the rail line from Sairang (Aizawl) to Hmawngbuchhuah on border near Zochawchhuah–Zorinpui was completed in August 2017 and it will be constructed in future phase.India's north east opened up
, PowerUpConstruction.Com

Other projects – alternate route to northeast India

Compared to the long, congested "Chicken's Neck"

Siliguri Corridor The Siliguri Corridor, often dubbed the "Chicken's Neck", is a stretch of land around the city of Siliguri in West Bengal, India. at the narrowest section, this geopolitical and geoeconomical corridor connects the seven states of northeast ...

, this Kaladan project will almost half the distance to a mere . As an alternate route (unrelated to the Kaladan Multi-Modal project) to northeast India, India is also developing railway route from Cox's Bazar deep water port to South Tripura district by rehabilitating the railway link from Santirbazar in India to Feni in Bangladesh, where a road and rail bridge is being built to connect the " Belonia, India– Parshuram, Bangladesh road and rail crossing checkposts", this will reduce traffic through Sittwe, but will provide strategically redundancy if there is a war with China.

Travel arrangements

Zorinpui border crossing and visa arrangements

Integrated Customs & Immigration Checkpost at Zorinpui in Lawngtlai district, is already operational since 2017.India opens two border crossing points with Myanmar, Bangladesh
''

Times of India ''The Times of India'' (''TOI'') is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by the Times Group. It is the List of newspapers in India by circulation, third-largest newspaper in India by circulation an ...

'', 1 Oct 2o17. In early 2018, visa agreement were signed for the citizens of two nations to travel by road for education, medical assistance, tourism and other purposes.India ramps up Myanmar ties to gain foothold in ASEAN
, ''Myanmar Times'', May 2018. This agreement was operationalised on 9 August 2018. Indians and Myanma citizens with valid passport and visa can pass through two official Land Border Crossings at Moreh in Manipur ( Tamu in

Sagaing Region Sagaing Region (, ; formerly Sagaing Division) is an administrative divisions of Myanmar, administrative region of Myanmar, located in the north-western part of the country between latitude 21° 30' north and longitude 94° 97' east. It is border ...

of Myanmar) and Zokhawthar in Mizoram ( Rihkhawdar in Chin State of Myanmar).

Motor Vehicle Agreement

In 2015, India proposed a trilateral Motor Vehicle Agreement to facilitate seamless movement of passenger and cargo vehicles among the three countries. In May 2017, during a visit by Thai officials to Manipur, the state's Chief Secretary Oinam Nabakishore declared that the draft of the trilateral agreement had already been prepared. As of May 2018, the signing of Motor vehicle agreement is still pending.

Related projects

Myanmar is key part of India's "Look East" policy and Kaladan project has enabled several other associated projects with ongoing development of growing list of integrated linkages.

Commerce and trade

Sittwe Special Economic Zone

Sittwe Special Economic Zone (Sittwe SEZ) at Ponnagyun town was announced by India's Union Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh at the India-

ASEAN The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, commonly abbreviated as ASEAN, is a regional grouping of 10 states in Southeast Asia "that aims to promote economic and security cooperation among its ten members." Together, its member states r ...

Foreign Ministers meet at Laos in August 2016. The 1000 acre SEZ will be built north from Sittwe upstream of

at Ponnagyun town. China is building a rival Kyaukpyu Special Economic Zone and port south of Sittwe. "India planning to set up SEZ in Myanmar's Sittwe"
''

The Economic Times ''The Economic Times'' is an Indian English-language business-focused daily newspaper. Owned by The Times Group, ''The Economic Times'' began publication in 1961 and it is sold in all major cities in India. As of 2012, it is the world's secon ...

'', 2 August 2016.

Energy

Thathay Chaung Hydropower Project

Thathay Chaung Hydropower Project(TCHP) is an 1800 megawatt, two dam project being built and financed by India on

Chindwin River The Chindwin River (), also known as the Ningthi River (), is a river in Myanmar and is the largest tributary of the Irrawaddy River. Sources The Chindwin originates in the broad Hukawng Valley of Kachin State of Burma, roughly , where the Tanai, ...

of Myanmar, a 1,200 megawatt dam at Thamanthi (Manthi) and 600 megawatt dam at Shwejaye. The electricity produced will be supplied to Manipur state of India.

Sittwe–Gaya gas pipeline

There is also to a proposal to build long Sittwe–Aizawl–Silchar–Guwahati–Siliguri–Gaya gas pipeline to transport gas from Sittwe gas field where ONGC and GAIL hold 30 percent stake in oil and gas exploration.Alexis Rieffel, 2010
"Myanmar/Burma: Inside Challenges, Outside Interests"
Brookings Institution Press, pp139, .

Highways

Agartala–Feni–Chittagong Highway

Indian has decided to build an INR130 crore (US$20 million) bridge over the Feni River at the

-Bangladesh border to connect the existing NH8

– Sabroom on Indian side to

port in Bangladesh from South Tripura. In February 2017, the project was in tendering stage.

Aizawl–Tuipang National Highway 4-laning

In June 2017, to ensure faster movement of goods between Sittwe and Mizoram capital of Aizawl in the North West which is close to the Barak Valley of Assam, India started an INR6,000-crore upgrade of current 2-lane Aizawl–Tuipang national highway to all-weather four-laning of international standard, the tender will be floated in September and construction contract will be awarded by December 2017 after the ongoing land acquisition is complete. The upgrade of 52-km long road from Tuipang to Myanmar border, from 2-lane to all-weather 4-lane highway, is also included in this long National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) project.New Mizoram–Myanmar 352 Km national highway all set to boost trade and economy in the region
''The North East Today'', 21 August 2017.

India–Myanmar–Thailand Trilateral Highway

The India–Myanmar–Thailand (IMT) Trilateral Highway (Friendship Highway) is a highway under construction that will connect Moreh, India with Mae Sot, Thailand via

. The road is expected to boost trade and commerce in the ASEAN–India Free Trade Area, as well as with the rest of Southeast Asia. India has also proposed extending the highway to Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. The proposed approx route from India to Vietnam is known as the East-West Economic Corridor (EWEC).

Paletwa–Cikha–India Highway

Paletwa–Cikha–India Highway Project is a INR 20 billion (US$315 million) long under construction Paletwa– Cikha road highway in Chin State of Myanmar, which will also be connected to the Indian border on two places, Paletwa to NH502 Zochachhuah border village of Lawngtlai district in south-most Mizoram (main road route of Kaladan Multi-modal Transit Transport project) and at Khenman (Myanmar) to NH102B Behiang border village of Churachandpur district in southernmost Manipur. On 21 April 2016, Chin State Chief Minister Pu Lian Luai in Myanmar informed that the project is funded by Indian government, which will connect Paletwa in southern Chin state to Cikha (also misspelt as Chikha in Indian media) sub-town in northern Chin state. New roads will also be built to connect the Paletwa-Chikha highway to villages and towns in Chin state.Construction of Chikha to Paletwa Highway a priority
''Mizzima'', April 2016

Zokhawthar–Rihkhawdar–Kalemyo Highway

India–Myanmar Zokhawthar–Rihkhawdar–Kalemyo Highway will provide second connection to the India–Myanmar–Thailand Trilateral Highway (IMT), between NH102B Zokhawthar Indian border village of Champhai district in east Mizoram to Rihkhawdar border town in Myanmar, connecting it to IMT away at Kalemyo,7,500-crore road network to boost North-East economy
''

The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It was founded as a weekly publication in 1878 by the Triplicane Six, becoming a daily in 1889. It is one of the India ...

'', 24 February 2017. where it will connect to the IMT at Kalemyo.

Railway

Bairabi-Sairang-Hmawngbuchhuah railway

Indian Railways Indian Railways is a state-owned enterprise that is organised as a departmental undertaking of the Ministry of Railways (India), Ministry of Railways of the Government of India and operates India's national railway system. , it manages the fou ...

has already converted to broad gauge the current rail line from Katakhal (Assam) to Bairabi inside Mizoram. Its further Bairabi Sairang Railway extension from Bairabi to Sairang ( north of

) in Mizoram is under construction with target completion date of March 2019 as per status update in March 2016. In August 2015, India railway completed a survey for a possible new route extension from Sairang to Hmawngbuchhuah on Mizoram's southern tip on the border of Myanmar, where at nearby Zochachhuah village the National Highway 502 (part of ''Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project'') enters Myanmar, leaving a possibility open for yet-unplanned future rail connections to Paletwa.

References

External links

Detailed report on Kaladan Project: Project Description with Analysis of Positive and Negative Impact

{{coord missing, Mizoram Proposed transport infrastructure in India Proposed transport infrastructure in Myanmar Proposed infrastructure in Mizoram Buildings and structures in Mizoram Buildings and structures in Rakhine State Sittwe Transport in Mizoram