India-ASEAN Connectivity Projects: Kaladan, IMT Trilateral Highway

ASEAN full form: the Association of Southeast Asian Nations — a regional grouping of Southeast Asian countries established on 8 August 1967 through the Bangkok Declaration. India is a Dialogue Partner (since 1996) and a Strategic Partner (since 2012) of ASEAN, and India–ASEAN connectivity projects such as the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project and the India–Myanmar–Thailand (IMT) Trilateral Highway are the physical links that carry India’s Act East Policy into the region.

The 11 ASEAN members are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and Timor-Leste. Timor-Leste’s admission in October 2025 was ASEAN’s first expansion since Cambodia joined in 1999.

India-ASEAN connectivity projects are the physical and procedural arteries through which India’s Act East Policy moves goods, people, and influence across South-East Asia. Two flagship projects in particular — the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project, and the India-Myanmar-Thailand (IMT) Trilateral Highway — represent the substance of land and multi-modal connectivity between the Indian North-East and the ASEAN region. They are anchored by Myanmar geography and complemented by sea, air, and digital corridors.

This guide explains what each project covers, its present status, and how to distinguish projects that link India to ASEAN from those that link India to its immediate neighbour Bangladesh — which is part of South Asia, not ASEAN.

Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project

The Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project is a flagship India-Myanmar connectivity project announced in 2008 and progressively executed in subsequent years. It connects Kolkata port in India by sea to Sittwe port in Rakhine State of Myanmar, then by inland river transport along the Kaladan river to Paletwa in Chin State, and from there by road to Zorinpui on the India-Myanmar border, from where Indian roads carry traffic into Mizoram.

Components

• Sea leg — Kolkata to Sittwe (approximately 539 km)
• Inland water leg — Sittwe to Paletwa along the Kaladan river (approximately 158 km)
• Road leg — Paletwa to Zorinpui on the India-Myanmar border (approximately 109 km), then on Indian highways into Mizoram

Strategic significance

The project gives Mizoram and the wider North-East access to the sea through a corridor that bypasses the long detour through Siliguri. The Sittwe port has been developed by Indian assistance and is operated under an India-Myanmar arrangement. The project is part of India’s Act East and Neighbourhood First policies, and is critical to alternate sea-access for the eastern frontier.

India-Myanmar-Thailand (IMT) Trilateral Highway

The IMT Trilateral Highway is the flagship land-connectivity project linking India directly to ASEAN through Myanmar.

Route

The highway runs from Moreh in Manipur (India), crosses the Indo-Myanmar border at Moreh-Tamu, passes through Mandalay and Yangon in Myanmar, and continues across into Thailand at Mae Sot, ultimately connecting to Bangkok.

Length and significance

The total length is approximately 1,360 km when completed. The Trilateral Highway is conceived as the spine of the future ASEAN-India Connectivity Corridor and is intended to be extended further into Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Vietnam — the so-called IMT-CLV extension.

Status

The highway is in various stages of construction. Several stretches in Myanmar require upgrade of bridges and pavement; sections in Thailand are largely complete; India is upgrading the connecting national highways in Manipur. The recent political situation in Myanmar has added complexity to the timeline.

Diplomatic anchor

The Trilateral Highway is the core deliverable in the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity insofar as land links with India are concerned, and is reaffirmed in the ASEAN-India Summit declarations at regular intervals.

Agartala-Akhaura Rail Link — India-Bangladesh, Not ASEAN

It is important to clearly place the Agartala-Akhaura rail link in the right category. This 15-km cross-border rail link connects Agartala in Tripura with Akhaura junction in Bangladesh, drastically reducing the rail distance between Kolkata and Agartala (currently 1,650 km via the Indian network) to about 550 km via Bangladesh.

The Agartala-Akhaura rail link is an India-Bangladesh connectivity project, not an India-ASEAN project. Bangladesh is part of South Asia, not ASEAN. The link is significant for India’s eastern connectivity to its own North-East and for India-Bangladesh trade, but it should not be confused with India-ASEAN corridors.

Other India-ASEAN Connectivity Initiatives

Sea connectivity

India and ASEAN have built up port-to-port linkages and shipping arrangements. The Chennai-Vladivostok Eastern Maritime Corridor and the development of Sittwe port are part of the maritime side.

Air connectivity

Open-skies arrangements between India and several ASEAN countries — Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia — have expanded direct air links between major Indian and ASEAN cities.

Digital connectivity

The India-ASEAN digital partnership is built on cyber cooperation, payment-system interlinkages (India’s UPI is operational in Singapore, with discussions in other ASEAN countries), and capacity-building programmes.

Economic connectivity

The ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA), under review for upgrade, governs the bulk of India-ASEAN merchandise trade. India-ASEAN trade has crossed USD 100 billion, with significant scope for further expansion as connectivity matures.

Why Connectivity Matters for India-ASEAN

For India, the ASEAN region is a strategic and economic priority. The Act East Policy of 2014 succeeded the Look East Policy of the early 1990s and signalled a more active, deliverables-oriented engagement. Physical connectivity makes Act East tangible. Without working corridors, trade growth, investment, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges remain shallow.

For context on related current-affairs explainers, see Bangladesh Foreign Minister Delhi Visit April 2026, Right to safe travel on highways is part of Article 21, and the Madurai Airport gets international status update.

FAQs

What is the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project?

It is a multi-modal connectivity project connecting Kolkata to Sittwe by sea, Sittwe to Paletwa along the Kaladan river by inland water transport, and Paletwa to Zorinpui on the India-Myanmar border by road, providing North-East India access to the sea via Myanmar.

What countries does the IMT Trilateral Highway connect?

The India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway connects Moreh in Manipur through Myanmar to Mae Sot in Thailand, with planned extensions to Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Vietnam.

Is the Agartala-Akhaura rail link an India-ASEAN project?

No. The Agartala-Akhaura rail link is an India-Bangladesh project. Bangladesh is part of South Asia, not ASEAN.

How long is the IMT Trilateral Highway?

The total length when completed is approximately 1,360 km from Moreh to Mae Sot through Mandalay and Yangon.

Through which Indian state does the Kaladan project enter India?

The Kaladan road component enters India at Zorinpui on the Mizoram border, from where Indian highways carry the traffic forward into Mizoram.

What is the relevance of Sittwe port in the Kaladan project?

Sittwe port in Myanmar’s Rakhine State is the seaward terminus of the Kaladan project, developed with Indian assistance, and is the gateway for sea cargo to reach inland Myanmar and onwards into India’s North-East.

Is the IMT Trilateral Highway operational end-to-end?

Several stretches are operational, but full end-to-end commissioning is pending owing to incomplete sections in Myanmar and ongoing upgrade work. The political situation in Myanmar has added to timelines.

What is the larger framework of India-ASEAN connectivity?

India-ASEAN connectivity is built on physical (road, rail, sea, air), digital, and economic corridors, anchored by the Act East Policy and operationalised through the ASEAN-India Summit and sectoral cooperation mechanisms.