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The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways will develop 35 such parks across the country.
New Delhi: The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has initiated several steps to develop a strong network of Multimodal Logistics Parks (MMLP) across the country to reduce logistics costs, which in turn will accelerate economic growth in a big way. Currently, logistics costs in India are 13-14% of GDP. However, in developed countries it is about 8%. Therefore, the special focus of the government is to minimize this cost of logistics and bring it closer to the level of developed countries.
Under the ‘Bharatmala Pariioyana’, approved by the Cabinet for Economic Affairs (CCEA), MORTH has been entrusted to develop 35 Multimodal Logistics Parks (MMLP) across the country. MMLP will be connected to at least two modes of transport. It operates as an intermodal cargo handling facility with mechanized material handling containing warehouses, specialized cold chain facilities, cargo/container terminals and bulk terminals.
Typically, MMLPs include intermodal connectivity such as a dedicated rail line, access from prominent highways or expressways to allow commercial vehicle movement, and connectivity to an airport or seaport (or inland waterway terminal).
Construction work on India’s first MMLP at Jogigopa (Assam) is nearing completion. Earlier this month, the Ministry awarded the Multimodal Logistics Park (MMLP), a project in Chennai, to Reliance Industries Limited. The estimated value of the project is 1,424 million dinars. On the other hand, financial sanction has already been issued for the development of two more MMLPs in Bengaluru and Nagpur, while the financial sanction for Indore MMLP will be issued soon.
To have a focused approach to its implementation, MoRTH has formed a dedicated SPV named “National Highway Logistics Management Limited” (NHLML), a company wholly owned by NHAI. This SPV will also implement other related highway infrastructure such as roadside amenities, cable cars, etc. The Ministry has also finalized the “Model Concession Agreement (MCA)” on PPP for MMLP after stakeholder consultation and due deliberations, discussions and recommendations through the Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC). The MCA includes market-friendly measures such as a longer concession period of 45 years, a revenue-sharing concept, provision of external connectivity (road, rail, etc.) and utilities (electricity, water supply, etc.). Statutory approvals should be provided by the Government, in accordance with the MCA.
The Chennai project is being developed in Mapped (Thiruvallur district), Tamil Nadu, on an area of ββ184 hectares. The location is about 52 km from Chennai port, 80 km from Ennore port and 87 km from Kattupally port and 44 km from Chennai airport. MMLP Chennai is the first MMLP project of MoRTH, which will be developed on PPP basis, under ‘Bharatmala Pariioyana’.
Interestingly, the foundation stone for the Chennai MMLP was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 26 this year. The development of MMLP is also a key component of the National Master Plan ‘PM Gati Shakti’, which has been a major focus area of ββthe Narendra Modi government.
MMLPs are planned to have multiple value-added logistics services in one place, including large-scale storage and cold storage, railway terminal and container yard, mechanized inter-carting facilities, customs windows, assembly and packaging chains, open yard storage, terminals for trucks, ICT enabled access to cargo trucks, digital scales, benefits for truck drivers etc.
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