India to Build at an Abandoned Port in Burma

Narinjara News
12/18/2006

Akyab port, which has been abandoned since Burma's independence, will be rebuilt by India in next month. India will spend $100 million to connect northeastern India with East Asia.

The Indian Minister of State for Commerce, Jairam Ramesh, announced Saturday in Argartala, Tripura state, that India will invest Rs 4.5 billion ($100 million) for development of the Akyab port in Arakan, a western Burmese state.

The project is part of the bilateral agreement between the Burmese military government and India. The multi-model project will start next month and will be completed within the next three years, said the Minister.

Akyab port, which was a major port for the export of rice in South Asia before the Second World War, will be connected to Mizoram via the Kaladan river, a major river in Arakan.

India's public sector organization, RITES, is to rebuild the port, which is 160 km from Mizoram state, the most north eastern state of India, close to the Chin state in Burma.

Akyab port, presently known as Sittwe port, was built by the British government in 1844, during the period of British rule in Arakan State.

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