Nagpur has the full potential of becoming the logistics capital : Nitin Gadkari

NAGPUR : “The city of Nagpur is a place of zero mile and is in the heart of the country. Therefore, the city has the full  potential of becoming a logistics capital and the journey towards setting up a multi-modal logistics park (MMLP) at Wardha’s Dryport  has started,” said Union Road Transport and Highways Minister, Shri Nitin Gadkari in Nagpur on Friday, 22nd October. He was speaking at the occasion of signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU)  between the National Highways Authority and Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) to set up a multi-modal logistics park at Dryport in Wardha’s Sindhi (Railway).

Through this multi-model park, export opportunities worldwide will be  made available from the Sindhi (Railway) Dry Port of Wardha. Gadkari also expected that the park would provide employment opportunities to 50,000 people in the next five years.  For this project, the National Highways Authority has established  National Highway Logistics Management Limited (NHLML),a  Special Purpose Vehicle-S.P.V.  and soon JNPT will start working with this S.P.V.  Gadkari said that the multi-modal logistics park would help in reducing the logistic cost for exports in our country.

Gadkari informed that , The multi-modal logistic park would be connected to the railway and Samruddhi highway as well as the Nagpur-Hyderabad National Highway. This park would have a facility of  cold storage containers  which would enable perishable fruits and vegetables to last longer and farm produce and other goods could be exported at affordable logistic cost. Gadkari also suggested that all the associations in Vidarbha like  Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Laghu Udyog Bharti and Vidarbha Industries Association should come together and hold a seminar on the issue to take advantage of this export facility.

Gadkari also suggested that the Government of Maharashtra should set up an industrial zone next to Sindhi Railway Dryport. Maharashtra Housing And Area Development Authority-MHADA, Maharashtra Industrial Investment Corporation-SICOM should make Sindi a smart city and provide employment facilities to the local youth in this multi-model park.

The dry port will also provide good export opportunities to saltwater and freshwater fish production in East Vidarbha.  He also said that the Department of Animal Husbandry and Fisheries of Maharashtra should take initiative in this regard.  Mihan has a cargo facility for lightweight cargo and Sindhi Railway has a facility of a cargo hub for heavy logistics now.It will now be possible to  transport oranges to countries like Bangladesh through the dry port of Wardha and it will  benefit orange producing  districts of Vidarbha like Varud, Morshi and Katol.  He also said that there is a need to train the farmers from these villages in terms of packaging and improving the quality of oranges.