News Brief
New Northeast–Kolkata Sea Route Via Myanmar To Take Shape Through Shillong–Silchar Highway, Bypassing Bangladesh: Report
India's Kaladan multi-modal project is pivotal to unlock the economic potential of the North East. (File Photo)
The proposed Shillong-Silchar highway will reportedly act as a continuation of a key multi-modal transport project in Myanmar, offering a new sea-based route between the North-East and Kolkata, bypassing Bangladesh, the Indian Express reported.
The Central government had last month approved the first high-speed highway project in the North-East, a 166.8-km four-lane expressway from Mawlyngkhung near Shillong to Panchgram near Silchar along NH-6.
Approved by the Union Cabinet for Rs 22,864 crore, the project is being executed by the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) for the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and is expected to be completed by 2030.
This corridor will link to the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project in Myanmar, creating a sea route from Kolkata to the North-East, eliminating dependence on access through Bangladesh.
The Kaladan Multi Modal Transit Transport Project in Myanmar is being funded by the Ministry of External Affairs — and connects the Kolkata seaport to the Sittwe port on the Kaladan river in Myanmar's Rakhine state.
The Sittwe port connects to Paletwa in Myanmar through an inland waterway and to Zorinpui in Mizoram through a road section.
The NHIDCL officials are now planning to take the project further from Zorinpui to Lawngtlai to Aizawl in Mizoram.
"Shillong-Silchar is significant as Silchar is the entry point for connecting Mizoram, Tripura and Manipur as well as the Barak Valley region of Assam. Thus, it will become a major connectivity link for the entire North-East and an important milestone for developing the region as a gateway for India’s Act East Policy,” an NHIDCL official was quoted as saying by IE.
Currently, the Siliguri Corridor is the only overland connection to the region from the rest of India.
Once operational, the Shillong-Silchar highway will cut travel time between the two cities from 8.5 hours to 5 hours.
The route passes through challenging hilly terrain, requiring major engineering interventions like slope stabilisation and landslide prediction.
NHIDCL will use advanced technologies, including LiDAR surveys, geophones, inclinometers, and piezometers, to monitor geological conditions and ensure all-weather connectivity.
The project will be implemented under the Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM) and will feature 19 major bridges, 153 minor bridges, 326 culverts, 22 underpasses, 26 overpasses, eight limited-height subways, and 34 viaducts.
By developing this alternative sea route via Myanmar (Sittwe Port), India aims to reduce dependency on Bangladesh for access to the Northeaster region, countering the idea that Dhaka controls regional maritime access.
This comes as Bangladesh interim government chief adviser Muhammad Yunus’s has remarked in Beijing this March that North-East India is “landlocked” and Dhaka is the “only guardian of the ocean for all this region.
