Kaladan project between India, Myanmar to be operational by 2027: Sonowal

The ambitious Kaladan project between India and Myanmar is aimed at reducing the Northeast's distance from the rest of the country

Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Monday said the ambitious Kaladan project between India and Myanmar, which is aimed at reducing the Northeast's distance from the rest of the country, will be operational by 2027.

Addressing a press conference here, Sonowal said the distance between Aizawl and Kolkata will be shortened by 700 km once the project is ready.

"The Sittwe port (in Myanmar) is ready. Now work is going on to develop the road connectivity to Aizawl. The entire Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport Project will be operational by 2027," he added.

Sonowal, the minister of ports, shipping and waterways, said that his ministry is investing ₹1,000 crore in developing the waterways of the project, while other agencies are taking care of the rest.

He said that the Northeastern region will play a critical role in reviving the economic prosperity of India.

"PM Narendra Modi said that transformation should be done through transportation. As per his direction, we want to develop Northeast as the business hub of South Asia. For that, waterways will play a crucial role," Sonowal said.

The Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport project was jointly identified by the two countries to create a multi-modal mode of transport for the shipment of cargo from the eastern ports of India to Myanmar, as well as to the Northeast, through the southeast Asian country.