Maritime Connectivity and Northeast India: Issues and Challenges (Chapter) 2021.

 Northeast India is surrounded by international land borders on all sides except the narrow chicken-neck corridor that connects the region with mainland India. This international landlockedness of Northeast India has been a constant feature in the narrative of the region’s under-development. This also essentially brings into focus the importance of India’s maritime connectivity with the Bay of Bengal littoral countries like Bangladesh and Myanmar, which lies in close proximity to Northeast India, thereby providing an alternate avenue of trade and people’s movement necessary for the development of the region. The issue of maritime connectivity has now become a significant factor in India's external diplomacy, whether it is India’s ‘Act East’ or Neighborhood First’ policy, or focus on maritime connectivity in New Delhi’s enthusiasm for multilateral initiatives. In this background, the paper looks at the importance of riverine and oceanic waterways involving the bay littoral nations of Bangladesh and Myanmar in connecting the landlocked northeast to the Bay of Bengal. The study analyses the manner in which the development of waterways will benefit the northeast region, as well as access India’s diplomatic endeavours vis-à-vis Bangladesh and Myanmar in enhancing maritime connectivity. The paper also examines the linkage between security and maritime connectivity, both in the traditional and non-traditional domains and its impact on the Northeast region.