NE States to get port link

New Delhi: In a bid to give access to overseas trade to the land-locked northeastern States, the Indian Government is mulling over developing Sittwe seaport in Myanmar at an estimated cost of $103-million. However, this will be done only after making Kaladan River a navigational one, said the Union Minister of State for Commerce, Mr. Jairam Ramesh.

Kaladan River is connecting Mizoram with the Bay of Bengal. Mizoram is one among the eight northeastern States in the country.

'In principle, the government has taken a decision to develop the port. Cabinet approval is likely to be given soon,' He told gatherings at the seminar.

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 pointed.

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.