rockystone
September 27th, 2011, 10:45 PM
Kaladan Project
http://www.arakanrivers.net/?page_id=135
On April 2nd 2008 the Indian government signed an agreement with the Burmese military junta for the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project. The project will connect the eastern Indian seaport of Kolkata with Site-tway (Sittwe) port in Arakan State by sea; it will then link Site-tway to the land-locked region of Mizoram in northeastern India via river and road transport. The project is divided into three phases, the first and second of which are scheduled to begin in November 2010.
http://img827.imageshack.us/img827/9400/mapcopy21024x569.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/827/mapcopy21024x569.jpg/) Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)
Construction Stages
Phase 1 – The port at Site-tway will be redeveloped to accommodate larger vessels and an increased shipping volume. This will entail dredging the approach channel and the port area (~562,000 cubic metres of material) to facilitate 6000 ton ships, as well as constructing two jetties and extensive loading and storage facilities that will significantly expand Site-tway’s current size and capacity. The larger 219 x 15m port jetty will be capable of handling 20,000 ton ocean freighters, and a 54 x 15m inland waterway terminal (IWT) jetty will cater to the smaller vessels that will ply the river. At present, Site-tway’s port consists of a 78 x 15m jetty and is appropriate for vessels of 2000-3000 tons.
Phase 2 – Dredging 158 km of the Kaladan River between Site-tway and Paletwa in Chin State. Another IWT terminal will be built at Paletwa for transferring cargo from river to road transport.
Phase 3 – Construction of a 129 km highway between Paletwa and the Mizoram border. Initial surveys and feasibility studies for the road were carried out by Indian authorities, concluding that “large-sized experienced construction firms of repute” would have to be hired to successfully implement the project. However in June 2009 it was decided that the highway construction would “be executed by Myanmar government departmentally”.
Companies and Authorities Involved
The project is being piloted and funded by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs.
The preliminary feasibility studies (hydrographic surveys, Detailed Project Reports, etc.) were carried out by Rail India Technical and Economic Services (RITES).
Construction work on Site-tway port and the jetty in Paletwa, as well as the dredging work, will be executed by the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), with Essar Projects Ltd, a division of the Essar Group appointed in May 2010 as the main contractor.
Both RITES and IWAI are state-run Indian companies.
Road construction will be executed by a Myanmar government department.
Finance
Original Projected Costs*
Redevelopment of Site-tway port and dredging the Kaladan waterway to Paletwa (Phases 1 and 2) – US $68.24 million
Construction of highway between Paletwa and the India-Burma border (Phase 3) - US $49.14 million.
*These will now need to be adjusted according to the project changes announced at the end of August 2010 after a review meeting by the MEA and the Ministry for Development of the North-East Region. Revised projections have not yet been released.
Who will pay?
According to the April 2008 Framework Agreement, the Government of the Union of Myanmar will provide the required land and security for the Project, including security for all personnel and technicians, for free. The Indian government will bear the full cost of the project, which was originally estimated at US $120 million. More recently the cost has been estimated as US$134 million. Under previous agreements, the Burmese regime was supposed to contribute US $10 million to the Project; in 2007 the Indian Government extended Burma a minimum interest loan in that amount to cover the costs of the latter’s commitments. The April 2008 agreement does not explicitly mention any financial obligation for the government of Burma regarding the Kaladan Project.
Who will use it?
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.” Those terms and conditions are outlined in two supplementary documents which either have yet to be agreed or simply have not been made public. It is anticipated that the transport system will remain fully owned by the Burmese state, but be primarily used by Indian companies to increase trade with Southeast Asia and link the land-locked Mizoram region to the sea. It is further expected that the Kaladan will be used far less by local citizens, since they will not be able to afford the tolls the Burmese government will impose on vessels using the waterway.
http://www.arakanrivers.net/?page_id=135
On April 2nd 2008 the Indian government signed an agreement with the Burmese military junta for the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project. The project will connect the eastern Indian seaport of Kolkata with Site-tway (Sittwe) port in Arakan State by sea; it will then link Site-tway to the land-locked region of Mizoram in northeastern India via river and road transport. The project is divided into three phases, the first and second of which are scheduled to begin in November 2010.
http://img827.imageshack.us/img827/9400/mapcopy21024x569.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/827/mapcopy21024x569.jpg/) Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)
Construction Stages
Phase 1 – The port at Site-tway will be redeveloped to accommodate larger vessels and an increased shipping volume. This will entail dredging the approach channel and the port area (~562,000 cubic metres of material) to facilitate 6000 ton ships, as well as constructing two jetties and extensive loading and storage facilities that will significantly expand Site-tway’s current size and capacity. The larger 219 x 15m port jetty will be capable of handling 20,000 ton ocean freighters, and a 54 x 15m inland waterway terminal (IWT) jetty will cater to the smaller vessels that will ply the river. At present, Site-tway’s port consists of a 78 x 15m jetty and is appropriate for vessels of 2000-3000 tons.
Phase 2 – Dredging 158 km of the Kaladan River between Site-tway and Paletwa in Chin State. Another IWT terminal will be built at Paletwa for transferring cargo from river to road transport.
Phase 3 – Construction of a 129 km highway between Paletwa and the Mizoram border. Initial surveys and feasibility studies for the road were carried out by Indian authorities, concluding that “large-sized experienced construction firms of repute” would have to be hired to successfully implement the project. However in June 2009 it was decided that the highway construction would “be executed by Myanmar government departmentally”.
Companies and Authorities Involved
The project is being piloted and funded by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs.
The preliminary feasibility studies (hydrographic surveys, Detailed Project Reports, etc.) were carried out by Rail India Technical and Economic Services (RITES).
Construction work on Site-tway port and the jetty in Paletwa, as well as the dredging work, will be executed by the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), with Essar Projects Ltd, a division of the Essar Group appointed in May 2010 as the main contractor.
Both RITES and IWAI are state-run Indian companies.
Road construction will be executed by a Myanmar government department.
Finance
Original Projected Costs*
Redevelopment of Site-tway port and dredging the Kaladan waterway to Paletwa (Phases 1 and 2) – US $68.24 million
Construction of highway between Paletwa and the India-Burma border (Phase 3) - US $49.14 million.
*These will now need to be adjusted according to the project changes announced at the end of August 2010 after a review meeting by the MEA and the Ministry for Development of the North-East Region. Revised projections have not yet been released.
Who will pay?
According to the April 2008 Framework Agreement, the Government of the Union of Myanmar will provide the required land and security for the Project, including security for all personnel and technicians, for free. The Indian government will bear the full cost of the project, which was originally estimated at US $120 million. More recently the cost has been estimated as US$134 million. Under previous agreements, the Burmese regime was supposed to contribute US $10 million to the Project; in 2007 the Indian Government extended Burma a minimum interest loan in that amount to cover the costs of the latter’s commitments. The April 2008 agreement does not explicitly mention any financial obligation for the government of Burma regarding the Kaladan Project.
Who will use it?
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.” Those terms and conditions are outlined in two supplementary documents which either have yet to be agreed or simply have not been made public. It is anticipated that the transport system will remain fully owned by the Burmese state, but be primarily used by Indian companies to increase trade with Southeast Asia and link the land-locked Mizoram region to the sea. It is further expected that the Kaladan will be used far less by local citizens, since they will not be able to afford the tolls the Burmese government will impose on vessels using the waterway.