New Delhi: With the Railway Board approving the first location survey (FLS) for a 223-km railway line from Aizawl in Mizoram to near the Myanmar border, the cost of transportation of goods to India will become cheaper while helping New Delhi to expand its strategic footprint in the Bay of Bengal region.
According to a statement issued by the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR), the Ministry of Railways has decided to undertake the project taking into account the strategic importance of the region. “Considering the strategic importance of the region and vis-à-vis economic development, the Ministry of Railways has decided to take up the project,” it stated.
This will add another mode of transportation to the Kaladan Multimodal Transport Project that connects Sittwe port in Myanmar, which was built by India. Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal and Deputy Prime Minister and Union Minister for Transport and Communications of Myanmar Admiral Tin Aung San jointly inaugurated the Sittwe port in the Rakhine State of Myanmar in May this year.
The Kaladan Multimodal Transport Project connects the port of Haldia in West Bengal with Sittwe in Myanmar by sea. The corridor then links Sittwe with Paletwa in the Chin state of Myanmar via the Kaladan river boat route. Paletwa is then linked with Mizoram by road. All components of the project, including the Sittwe port, have been completed, except the under-construction Zorinpui-Paletwa road.
The new rail line from Sairang in Aizawl to Hbichchuah near the Myanmar border will be an extension of the under-construction 51.38-km rail line connecting Bairabi in north Mizoram with Aizawl. Bairabi is the railhead of Mizoram. “This welcome initiative would help in enhancing connectivity between India and the Southeast Asian countries via the Sittwe port,” Arnab Ganguly, Associate Director of the CUTS International think tank, told ETV Bharat. “Additionally, this will also provide an additional route connecting northeast India with the rest of India.”
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This new initiative has important implications both from the trade point of view as well as from the strategic point of view. Some estimates suggest that the Sittwe port, once fully functional, will be able to handle 20,000-tonne vessels (up from the 2,000 to 3,000-tonne ships it handles at present). As per an earlier Inland Waterway Transport study, the vessel cargo handling would be equivalent to a maximum of 200 trucks per day.
“Now, having a rail link would help in not only diversifying the modal mix, and reduce road congestion, but would also help in reducing the cost of doing trade, since railways are always considered to be cheaper as compared to roads,” Ganguly said. “Furthermore, this would help in bypassing the concerns of the road transport lobby associated with transit vis-a-vis transhipment.”
He said that putting in place additional routes is important from the security perspective as this will help in better connecting the northeastern states with the rest of India avoiding the Siliguri Corridor, popularly known as the Chicken's Neck. “This is even more critical in the present context with a rising China,” Ganguly said. “As of now, on the eastern front, India has access to Chittagong and Mongla Ports and access to Sittwe undoubtedly helps India in enhancing its alternatives in the Bay of Bengal region.”
He further explained that the idea behind the Kaladan Multimodal Transport Project is not confined to connecting Mizoram to Myanmar, but it also encompasses India’s expanded outreach to the prosperous Southeast Asian economies. Additionally, India being a member of the BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation), additional connectivity routes would undoubtedly help India deepen its presence and ties with the prosperous Southeast Asian countries. “Lastly, with the operation of this line, the landlocked northeastern states of India would get better access to the markets in the Southeast Asian countries,” Ganguly signed off.
