Nagpur will soon become ‘Logistics Capital’ of India : Nitin Gadkari

The Union Minister Shri Nitin Gadkari on Thursday said that although Sindi Railway is geographically a part of Wardha district, it is not considered separate from Nagpur. Therefore efforts will be made to bring about industrial development on a large scale by connecting industries in Nagpur with Sindi Dry Port. “Nagpur will be known as the ‘logistics capital’ of the country in the coming time,” Gadkari asserted.

Gadkari was speaking after inaugurating the much awaited Multi-Modal Logistics Park (MMLP) at Sindi in Wardha district on Thursday. He also flagged off the trial of the Sindi Railway Terminal Service at this time. The project is the dream project of the Union Minister Gadkari. The event was organized in association with National Highways Authority of India and National Highways Logistics Management Limited (NHLML) under the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.

On this occasion, MP Ramdas Tadas, MLA Pankaj Bhoyer, MLA Sameer Kunawar, MLA Dadarao Keche, former MP Suresh Waghmare, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) Chairman Unmesh Wagh, NHLML Director K. Satyanathan and others were present prominently.

Gadkari further said that the farmers will benefit from the dry port at Sindi. He said, “Today, if the produce of Vidarbha’s farms or the products manufactured here are to be exported to Bangladesh, they have to be sent by rail to Mumbai and from there by sea to Sri Lanka and from Sri Lanka to Bangladesh. Now from this logistics park, our goods can be exported directly to Haldia (West Bengal) and from there to Bangladesh by rail”.

“Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport and Nagpur-Mumbai Samruddhi Mahamarg are also close by. The project holds promises for farmers by facilitating direct exports, reducing logistics costs, and potentially mitigating agrarian distress. The goods of the farmers will get a good price,” Gadkari said.

Gadkari articulated his vision of integrating Sindi, though geographically part of Wardha district, with Nagpur to stimulate industrial growth on a significant scale. He emphasized plans to establish strong linkages between industries in Nagpur and the Sindi Dry Port, foreseeing Nagpur’s ascension as the foremost “logistics capital” of India in the near future.

The Minister also gave instructions to appoint an advisory board for the dry port. He asked to include project experts, industry persons and public representatives in this. MP Ramdas Tadas said that before 2014 Wardha had only 160 km long roads. Union Minister Gadkari has changed the entire picture in just ten years and now the length of roads has increased by 560 km.

Jobs for locals:

Gadkari expressed the hope that the entrepreneurs of Vidarbha would invest maximum in the logistics park. “Outside industries are bound to come here. But the big entrepreneurs of Vidarbha should also invest. Especially the entrepreneurs of Wardha district need to come forward. Agriculture based industries can also be expanded here. So that large number of employment will be created, adding that priority for employment will be given to locals.

Nagpur-Wardha in just 35 minutes:

Gadkari said that with the commencement of work on the fourth line on the Nagpur to Wardha railway line and the agreement of the Nagpur to Wardha Broad Gauge Metro, it will be possible to cover the Nagpur-Wardha distance in just 35 minutes. He also said that Rs 106 crore have been allocated for cement concreting and four-lane road from Sindi to Seldoh and the work on this road will start soon.

Spread in over 150 acres, the Sindi project entails a total investment of Rs 673 crore. The work was completed within three and a half months of awarding a letter of acceptance to M/s Delta Bulk Shipping Corporation, the private player roped in for developing the MMLP.

Normally, the cargo heading towards Bangladesh first reaches Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) in Mumbai and then taken to Bangladesh through Colombo or other longer sea route. The new route is expected to cut down the logistics cost substantially.

The MMLP is among the 35 locations identified across the country for similar facilities. It is being developed by National Highways Logistics Management (NHLM) Ltd, a subsidiary of National Highways Authority of India.