ARO4280 | URBAN & REGIONAL PLANNING

KALADAN MULTI MODAL

TRANSIT TRANSPORT
PROJECT
UNDER GUIDANCE:
MR. KHAN AMAD UR RAHMAN

SAQIB KALEEM
18ARB553 | ALISHA KHAN
18ARB554 | HAFSA HAIDRY
18ARB567 | AREEBA SAFA
18ARB575
TABLE OF CONTENT

01 INTRODUCTION 08 CONSTRUCTION STAGES

02 KALADAN RIVER 09 FINANCES
03 ROUTE 10 USERS

04 HISTORY 11 POSITIVE IMPACT

05 INDIA-BURMA RELATION 12 CONCERNS

06 SUMMARY 13 PROGRESS OF THE PROJECT

07 DEVELOPMENT OVERVIEW 14 RELATED PROJECTS
LOCATION
 INTRODUCTION
o The Kaladan River - a river in eastern Mizoram
State of India, and in Chin State and Rakhine
State of western Myanmar.

o It forms the international border between

India and Burma between 22° 47′ 10" N and
22° 11′ 06" N.
LOCATION
Country Myanmar, India

State Chin State, Rakhine State, Mizoram

Coordinates 22°49′28″N 93°31′57″E

20°06′00″N 92°54′09″E

Tributaries • Left - Twe River, Mi River,

Kalabon River,
Kyegu River

• Right - Chal River, Tio River,

Tuichang, Mat River,
Kawrthingdeng River
 ABOUT
The Kaladan project connects Sittwe Port in
Myanmar to the India-Myanmar border. The
project was jointly initiated by India and
Myanmar to create a multi-modal platform
for cargo shipments from the eastern ports
to Myanmar and to the North-eastern parts
of the country through Myanmar.
 SIGNIFICANCE
It is expected to open sea routes and promote economic
development in the North-eastern states, and add value to
the economic, commercial and strategic ties between
India and Myanmar.

This project will reduce distance from Kolkata to Sittwe

by approximately 1328 km and will reduce the need to
transport goods through the narrow Siliguri corridor, also
known as Chicken’s Neck.
ROUTES
SHIPPING ROUTE
539 km shipping route from seaport of Kolkata
in India to Sittwe seaport in Myanmar via Bay of
Bengal.

RIVER BOAT ROUTE

158 km river boat route from Sittwe seaport to

Inland Water Terminal (IWT) at Paletwa jetty.

ROAD ROUTE
110 km road route from IWT Paletwa to Indo-
Myanmar border in Myanmar and via NH54 its
129 km to the Indo-Myanmar border.
HISTORY
• Kaladan was an entry point to Mizoram from the seaport of Sittwe in 1904. Kaladan is Mizoram's largest river, and
it flows through its southeastern region.

• Initially India had tried to persuade Bangladesh to offer transport and transit rights to the northeastern states.
Bangladesh has consistently refused to grant such rights, including access to its Chittagong port, which is less
than 200 km away from Agartala, the capital of Tripura.

• The project is being piloted and funded by the Ministry of External Affairs (India).

• Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project initially faced problems such as underestimation of the road length
in Myanmar and coordination issues.
“India has two main reasons for this project:
one is to connect with ASEAN and the other
is to compete with China”

— Kim, a long-term observer of Indo - Burma relations and author of “Unfair Deal”
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

o On April 2nd 2008, the Indian government signed an agreement with the Burmese military junta for the
Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project.

o Connect the landlocked area of Northeast India with the sea via Western Burma (Myanmar) and open up trade
routes to Southeast Asia.

o Link eastern Indian seaport of Kolkata with Sittwe port in Myanmar by sea and link Sittwe to Mizoram via
Kaladan River and highway.

o The waterway transportation in the river Kaladan is underutilised and the economy and the livelihood of the
people in the towns around the river have huge potential to improve.

o Rakhine and Chin states - lack of connectivity and infrastructure in inland water transportation, rendered the
region poverty stricken and backward in terms of social, educational and economic parameters.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

o The project construction had commenced in 2010 prior to

the passing of Environmental Conservation Law in 2012 in
Myanmar that stipulates the submission of an
Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (EIA/SIA) of
the project prior to start of construction to Environmental
Conservation Department (ECD) of Myanmar.

Representative image : The Economic Times

MODIFICATIONS TO THE PROJECT

o In the initial design, the waterway in the Kaladan River

was planned to be from Sittwe port till Kaletwa
(Sitpitpyin) that is 225 km of which the 68km stretch
between Kaletwa and Paletwa requires dredging and rock
blasting to make it navigable throughout the year for the
barges.

o Design changed to have the waterway only till Paletwa

which is already under regular navigation. In the revised
design of the project till Paletwa, the dredging and
conservatory measures were reduced by 95%.
CONSTRUCTION STAGES

PHASE 1 PHASE 2 PHASE 3

Redevelopment & Dredging of 225 km Construction of a 62 km
Expansion of Sittwe of the Kaladan highway between
Port - Dec 2009 River- 2013 Setpyitpyin (Kaletwa)
and the Mizoram border
 INDIA-BURMA RELATIONS
Inconsistent, various issues have caused problems, such as a brief dispute
over Coco Island, in the Andaman Sea.

Recent years, Indo-Burmese relations have improved significantly as trade

has increased.

1992, the Indian government launched its “Look East Policy” - “a strategic
shift in India's vision of the world and India's place in the evolving global
economy".

2000, India was the largest buyer of Burmese exports.

2001, the Indo-Myanmar Friendship Road
COMPANIES AND AUTHORITIES
 COMPANIES AND AUTHORITIES

• The project is being funded by the

Indian Ministry of External Affairs.

• The preliminary feasibility studies (hydrographic

surveys, etc.) were carried out by the state-run
Rail India Technical and Economic Services
(RITES).

• A decision is expected in November 2009 so

that construction can begin in December.
 COMPANIES AND AUTHORITIES
Five companies have been shortlisted

 Essar Construction (India) Ltd., Mumbai.

 ITD Cementations India Ltd., Kolkata.

 Afcons Infrastructure Ltd., Mumbai.

 M/s Simplex Infrastructure Ltd., Kolkata.

 RDS POSCO JV, New Delhi.

 PROJECT STAGES
Phase 1 & 2
The developments in Sitetway, river
dredging and the IWT at Kaletwa are
being primarily executed by the state-run
Inland Waterways Authority of India, who
are currently seeking sub-contractors from
India to carry out the work.

Phase 3
Construction of the highway is being
headed by the Burmese Ministry of
Transport, though it has yet to confirm
which company will be given the
construction contract .
FINANCE
 FINANCE INVOLVED
• The development of Site-tway port and the Kaladan Inland
Waterway.
( US $68.24 million )

• The highway between Kaletwa and the Indian border.

( US $49.14 million.)

According to the framework agreement signed in 2008

• the Government of the Union of Myanmar (Burma) will

provide the required land and security for all Indian workers
for free.

• The Indian government will pay US $110 million and loan a

further US $10 million to the Government of the Union of
Burma to cover the remaining expenses.
PROJECT USERS

According to the framework agreement:
• “On completion, the project will be handed
over to the Government of the Union of
Myanmar on terms and conditions mutually
agreed upon.”
• These terms are supposedly documented in
“The Protocol on Facilitation of
Transit Transport” and “The Protocol
on Maintenance and Transport”.
PROJECT USERS
• It is clear, however, that the transport
system will be primarily used by Indian
companies to increase trade with Southeast
Asia and to link the landlocked area of
Northeast India to the sea.
• It is inevitable that the river will be used less
by local citizens as they will not be able to
afford the tolls imposed by the Burmese
government or the unofficial “taxes” extorted
by the military along the river.
POSITIVE IMPACTS
 POSITIVE IMPACTS OF THE PROJECT
The Kaladan Multimodal transit transport project
has many positive impacts such as

 Road link between Mizoram and Myanmar will pave way for
enhanced cultural and social integration at the regional
level.

 New avenues for enhanced trade and commerce across the

border between North East India and Myanmar and even
with other ASEAN Countries are expected to emerge over
the years.

 The Port being developed by India at Sittwe may have

potential to serve as a gateway to serve hinterland in
Myanmar other than the transit route to Mizoram.

 The project has potential for integration with the larger

connectivity map of ASEAN under consideration.
 POSITIVE IMPACTS OF THE PROJECT
• Improvement of the livelihoods of the local population in
terms of direct and indirect employment from port and
waterway operations,

• Improvement of agriculture, trade and commerce in the

region due to better transportation and shipping options,

• Lower prices for the food and commodities due to better

access,

• Creation of an alternate connectivity is expected to

facilitate the beneficiary region (Mizoram and adjoining
states) to realize higher growth in trade, commerce,
tourism and socio-economic spheres
 POSITIVE IMPACTS OF THE PROJECT
• The project is expected to act as a catalyst for
industrialization and new trade opportunities centered
on Sittwe.

• The multi-modal transport project makes optimum use

of naturally available resource like Kaladan River.

• There are no adverse environmental impacts or

displacement of people arising out of the project.

• The Kaladan project once completed is expected to be a

trendsetter for regional and bilateral cooperation in
resolving connectivity problems.
CONCERNS
 DEVASTATION OF LOCAL LIVELIHOODS

• Approximately a million civilians live in townships along the Kaladan River.

• The large majority of these people make a living from fishing and farming and rely
heavily on the river for both

A local fish market- essential source of income A young boy fishing in Kaladan river A local vegetable market- essential source of Typical family trading boat in Kaladan river
income
 HUMAN RIGHTS

• Widespread land confiscation

• Forced Labor
• Militarization
• Extortion
• Forced Conscription

Sign detailing confiscation of 1,000 acres of Development sites in Arakan State An Arakanese woman severely abused by soldiers Navy checkpoints along the Kaladan River
farmland in Ponnagywan Tsp
 ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE

• Destruction of mangrove forests, shrimp farms and essential marine wildlife

• A sharp degradation of water quality due to river dredging
• Rapid deforestation to make way for the river expansion and highway
• For the development of Site-tway port, large areas of the coastline will be dredged
causing degradation of a number of food sources.

The Arakan forest turtle – the rarest and most
unique of Arakan’s many endangered species
One of many victims (dolphin) of the regime’s
Proposed Port area of Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Threatened mangrove forests on the bank of the
disregard for natural habitats
Transport Project along the Strand Road of Site- Kaladan River
tway
PROGRESS OF THE
PROJECT
 CURRENT STATUS
• Kolkata-sittwe, sea route, fully operational
• Sittwe-paletwa, inland waterway in kaladan river, 158kms,
sittwe seaport completed, dredging of kaladan completed
• Six cargo vessels handed over by India to Myanmar in June
2017
• Paletwa-zorinpui at India Myanmar border road, 62kms, work
started from zorinpui southwards
• Zorinpui-lawngtlai, NH502A, 100kms existing road work
started
 WHAT IS IT UPTO ?
Construction of the project began in 2010 with initial deadline
of 2014.

Major hurdles :
• Covid-19
• A company involved going bankrupt
• A Mayanmarese militia group (Arakan army)
• The coup in Myanmar
• China factor
RELATED
PROJECTS
 Mayan 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.

1. BAIRABI-SAIRANG-HMAWNGBUCHHUAH RAILWAY

2. SITTWE SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONE

3. THATHAY CHAUNG HYDROPOWER PROJECT

4. INDIA–MYANMAR–THAILAND TRILATERAL HIGHWAY

5. SITWE-GAYA GAS PIPELINE

6. 4-LANING OF AIZAWL-TUIPANG NATIONAL HIGHWAY

RESOURCES
o https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324007267_ KALADAN_ MULTI-
MODEL_ TRANSIT_ TRANSPORT_ PROJECT

o https://mdoner.gov.in/kaladan-multi-modal-transit-transport-project-inland

o https://www.insightsonindia.com/2019/03/18/kaladan-project/

o https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/infrastructure/kaladan-multi-modal-
transit-transport-project-is-nearing-completion-with-mizoram-
governor/articleshow/87672577.cms
THANK
YOU!