UNI reports that India and Myanmar are set to finalise the Kaladan river project during the five-day visit to India by Myanmar's Foreign Minister U Nyan Win, beginning from Monday.The Myanmar Foreign Minister, who will visit from December 31 till January 4, will have discussions with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on January 2.
Official sources said the visit is primarily aimed at finalising the Kaladan river project which envisages constructing roads and waterway links for easy accessibility for Indian goods from north-eastern states to the Bay of Bengal through Myanmar.
India embarked on the project to connect the North-Eastern States with the rest of the country through Kaladan river in Myanmar.
In an integrated project of the Ministry of External Affairs, Commerce Ministry and the Ministry of Home Affairs, Mizoram will be linked to the crucial port of Settwe in Kaladan river. The river flowing northward is in Myanmar, which has agreed to give access to India for linking the North-Eastern States to the peninsular India.
Railway firm, RITES Ltd has been given the project of developing the Settwe port in three years.
Minister of State for Commerce Jairam Ramesh has said previously, "The idea is to bypass Bangladesh...besides linking the North-East to the peninsular states, the Kaladan river project will also give access to the entire South East Asian markets".
