Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Friday (Oct 22) said around 35 multi-modal logistics parks will come up in the country under the Bharatmala project.

In a bid to improve the logistics efficiency and enabling reduction in logistics costs in the country, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) led by Gadkari is developing multimodal logistics park (MMLP). Logistics costs in India are a higher proportion of the total value of goods as compared to developed nations. By some estimates, it as as high as 13-14% compared to other developed economies (7– 8%).

In July this year, Gadkari had announced that 35 Multi-Modal Logistics Parks (MMLP) Projects are to be developed under Public-Private Partnership (PPP) across the country. 35 MMLPs being implemented by MoRTH will be developed under Public-Private Partnership (PPP) on Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Transfer (DBFOT) mode.

Speaking occasion of signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) and National Highways Logistics Management Ltd (NHLML), a special purpose vehicle of NHAI, for a multi-modal logistics park (MMLP) at Sindhi in the Wardha district of Maharashtra, Gadkari reiterated his plans.

The minister said that out of the 35 multi-modal logistics parks (MMLPs) will come up in the country under the Bharatmala project, four MMLPs will be developed in Maharashtra, including Jalna, Nasik, Solapur and Sangli.

"These MMLP will give a big boost to our economy and exports," he said.

The Union minister said MMLP Nagpur at Sindhi is a step towards making Nagpur and Wardha, which are centrally located at a logistics capital of India. It is a good opportunity for export and import for businesses in the region, he added.

Nagpur, being centrally located in the country and well-connected through road and rail, provides location advantages to establish industries, warehouses and associated facilities to link to ports.

MoRTH Joint Secretary (Logistics) Suman Prasad Singh said that out of around 35 MMLPs, work on one in the northeastern region has already been completed.

Similarly, an MoU has been signed for starting another MMLP in Chennai and the third is coming up at Sindhi-Wardha.

The statement added that the proposed project site to develop MMLP Nagpur is located at Sindhi in the Wardha district and the total area of the project site is 345.54 acres with an estimated project cost of Rs 780 crore.

The MMLP is planned to be developed in an area of 230 acres, while the balance land might be used for industrial development based on demand. The land acquisition for the dry port is already completed by JNPT.

The statement also said around 10 million tonnes of cargo is estimated to be handled at the MMLP in the horizon year of 2051.

The facilities envisaged in this MMLP are warehouses, cold storage, inter-modal transfers, handling facilities for container terminals, and bulk/ breakbulk cargo terminals, among others.

Gadkari also mentioned the Nagpur-Hyderabad Expressway but did not elaborate further about the project.

Explained: The Significance Of India’s First Multi-Modal Logistics Park Coming Up In Assam

(With Inputs from PTI)