Sittwe Port opens new transportation opportunities for Northeast India: Sarbananda Sonowal

Northeast India is set to transform its transportation sector with the opening of the Sittwe Port, according to Sarbananda Sonowal, the Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways and Ayush. The port, built under the Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport Project (KMTTP) with grant assistance from the Government of India, will provide an alternate route to international sea routes for the landlocked Northeast India.

During his inspection of India's first International Multimodal Logistics Park in Jogighopa in Bongaigaon district, Sonowal expressed deep satisfaction as cargo operations between Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port in Kolkata and the Sittwe Port in Rakhine state of Myanmar began earlier on May 4. The flagged-off ship, MV-ITT LION (V-273), carrying 20,000 bags containing 1,000 metric tonnes of cement, will be received at the Sittwe Port on May 9, 2023.

Once operationalised, the Sittwe Port is expected to act as a harbinger of transportation for the region of South Asia, enabling multi-modal transit connectivity with Southeast Asia. This port is likely to unlock huge potential for growth and efficient transportation between the two regions for a transformational rise of prosperity and economic development, Sonowal said.

The Jogighopa Project, developed on 317 acres of land along the Brahmaputra, is being constructed by the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited and will be connected by land, rail, air and waterways. The 154 km project connectivity between Jogighopa and Guwahati will have a 4-lane road, a 3 km railway line connecting Jogighopa station with the multimodal logistics park, and another 3 km railway connection to the inland waterway. The project will also have various advanced facilities like a warehouse, railway siding, cold storage, custom clearance house, yard facility, workshop, petrol pump, truck parking, administrative building, boarding lodging, and water treatment plant. The state-of-the-art park, which is being constructed at a cost of Rs 693.97 crore, will provide direct waterway, land, rail and air connectivity.