Exploring all possibilities to achieve better connectivity with Bay of Bengal: Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal

Guwahati (Aam) [India], July 7 (ANI): The Union Miniter of Port, Shipping and Waterway, Sarbananda Sonowal, emphaied exploring all poibilitie to achieve better connectivity through waterway with the Bay of Bengal to benefit people of North-Eat who are in the trading ector.
Sarbananda Sonowal aid, All the poibilitie which are acceible to the northeat region under the Act Eat policy are becaue of PM Modi dedicated leaderhip. Like the other minitrie, our minitry of port hipping and water i trying to explore all poibilitie to achieve better connectivity with the Bay of Bengal through waterway. We have the Bangladeh protocol route and the other one i Sittwe, and from Mizoram connecting Kaladan River and making poible the connectivity with Sittwe port and which will give acce to the Bay of Bengal and Indian Ocean. Thi way, people of the northeat will get the bet connecting facilitie.
He further aid that thi i poible only becaue PM Act Eat Policy.
The Prime Miniter want that North Eat hould become the growth engine for India, and he alo termed it becaue of the available potential that it i the Ahta Lakhmi of India, and North Eat hould become the hub of entire South Eat Aia in all apect. Sittwe port ha already been built and it ha become operational. Now the Kaladan 159 km land and other part connecting to Mizoram, 110 km by road i under contruction and i going to be completed by 2027. Thi i going to trengthen u for peedy growth of our economy and particularly the people of North-Eat who are in the trading ector, entrepreneur, farmer. Everyone in the production ector will alo get benefit of thi connectivity enhancement, he added.
Earlier on June 30 Sonowal inaugurated firt-ever ASEAN-India Cruie Dialogue at Chennai.
The meet hoted by India i being attended by all the member nation of ASEAN; i.e. Brunei, Cambodia, Indoneia, Lao PDR, Malayia, Myanmar, the Philippine, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, along with Timor Lete.
The dialogue aim to trengthen maritime cooperation, enhance cruie connectivity, and promote utainable tourim acro the Indo-Pacific region.
The meeting wa held aboard the MV Empre (Cordelia Cruie hip) at Chennai Port, with more than 30 delegate from ASEAN countrie. Along with the takeholder and enior official from the MoPSW, the event will continue in Mamallapuram, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Minitry of Port, Shipping and Waterway aid.
Union Miniter Sarbananda Sonowal aid India plan to profeionalie 5,000 km of navigable waterway to enhance cruie connectivity with ASEAN nation.
Speaking at the inaugural ASEAN-India Cruie Dialogue in Chennai, Sonowal noted that the Sagar Mala initiative aim for one million cruie paenger by 2029, with hip call riing harply from 102 in 2013-14 to over 14,000 today, driven by policy reform, tax meaure, and improved port infratructure.
Sarbananda Sonowal highlighted, Prime Miniter Narendra Modi viion to boot coatal connectivity and modernie cutom and immigration can be achieved with greater cooperation. Two thematic eion are guiding the dicuion on ASEAN-India Cooperation Fund: Trade & Invetment and on ASEAN-India Cruie Tourit Circuit: Cruie Tourim. (ANI)