India commemorates Mar 4 as 'Chabahar Day'; Know the details here
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New Delhi, Mar 4: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has stated that, India will commemorate the ‘Chabahar Day’ on Mar 4, 2021 on the margins of the ongoing Maritime India Summit 2021 which is being held in Delhi from Mar 2 to Mar 4. The event is planned to be held virtually, where Ministers from Afghanistan, Armenia, Iran, Kazakhstan, the Russian Federation and Uzbekistan will be participating.
During the event, the ministerial level opening session will be addressed by India's Minister of External Affairs, S Jaishankar, while a keynote address be given by the Minister of State (Independent Charge) Mansukh Mandaviya, for the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways. The ministerial-level opening session would be followed by two webinar sessions titled as the ‘Boosting Business through Trade Promotion and Regional Connectivity’ and ‘Development of Port Infrastructure: Unleashing Opportunities’.
The Chabahar Port is a seaport located in south-eastern Iran, in the Gulf of Oman. The port serves as the only oceanic port of Iran and comprises of two separate ports namely the Shahid Beheshti and Shahid Kalantari. The port was first proposed by last Shah of Iran in the year 1973. The first phase was opened in 1983 during the Iran–Iraq War.
The Chabahar Port is strategically very significant for India and in the same direction, India is also enhancing its relation with Iran. In Jan 2021, India shipped its first tranche of equipment, consisting of two 140 ton mobile harbor cranes for the development of phase 1 of the Shahid Beheshti Port in Iran's Chabahar. According to the Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways, India had supplied a consignment of two Mobile Harbor Cranes to Chabahar port with a total contract value of over USD 25 million, under a contract agreement for the supply of six MHCs.
The Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of India signed the bilateral contract on May 23, 2016 with a total value of USD 85 million for equipping, mechanizing, and starting operations at the Chabahar port for development of Phase I. In order to achieve this, the India Ports Global Limited (IPGL) in Mumbai was incorporated under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways.
India and Iran first agreed to further develop the Shahid Beheshti port in the year 2003. However, the plan did not succeed because of several sanctions against Iran. Both the countries signed a bilateral agreement in May 2016 again and under the agreement, India would refurbish one berth at Shahid Beheshti port, and also reconstruct a 600-meter-long container handling facility at it. The port also seeks to provide an alternative trade route for India in between India and Afghanistan. This is because the port is 800 km closer to the Afghan border than the Karachi port. This port has strategic advantage and high potential of providing connectivity between India, Iran, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and other Commonwealth countries.