DEVELOPMENT of Multi Modal Logistic Park (MMLP) at Sindi in neighbouring Wardha district signals start of making Nagpur-Wardha a logistic capital of India, said Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Friday.With introduction of GST, to cut down logistic cost, companies are now vying to establish their depots in heart of country, and Nagpur offering air, land and rail connectivity is emerging hub of the distribution network and hence future here is very bright. MMLP at Sindi would spin into providing employment to about 25,000 persons in a period of five years. Visioning development of industrial cluster in Sindi, Gadkari asked Maharashtra Government to take-up the opportunity as MMLP once completed could offer onestop solution for exportimport of products. Nearly 125 saw mills are working in Nagpur and they should setup a cluster at Sindi and consider exporting finished products world over. Gadkari was speaking at signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between National Highway Logistics Management Limited (NHLML), a subsidiary of National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), and Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust ( JNPT ) for development of MMLP at Sindi Railway.The project is on Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode and the Dry port provides platform for farmers and entrepreneurs to explore world market as all integrated facilities would be available here. Wardha's Guardian Minister Sunil Kedar; Member of Parliament (MP) Ramdas Kadam, MLA Prakash Bhoyar, Zilla Parishad President Sarita Gakhre and officials of JNPT and NHAI and NHLML were also present at the programme along with Mayor Dayashankar Tiwari and legislators, Krishna Khopde and Vikas Kumbhare. The key is curtailing logistic cost that currently in country is around 14 to 15 per cent and Government envisages stabilising it around 10 per cent that would make exports cheaper, said Gadkari while pitching for containarisation. Speaking earlier, Sunil Kedar praised the way Gadkari ensured that project envisioned are taken to their logical conclusion. Normally politicians talks in thin air but not Gadkari who means business and ensures that the project materialises and its benefits the region so that its GDP can grow. At the outset, Prakash Gour, CEO, NHLML, said the project has rail connectivity and road connectivity with National Highway, State highway as well as Samruddhi Highway. NHLML has plans for four more MMLP in Maharashtra about which Gadkari later clarified saying they are in primary stages. One at Jalna is being developed by JNPT, the other ones are planned at Nasik, Solapur and Sangli. The person who is entrusted with full fledged development of MMLP is a Nagpurian, K Sathianathan, a leader in logistic park business in the country. He termed the project as path breaking and said the future for container traffic in region is quite high. Sanjay Sethi, Chairman, JNPT, also spoke on the occasion

 

 

 

Nitin Gadkari made some announcements on sidelines of the main programme, including one about new Expressway from Nagpur to Hyderabad. Also he said that NMC had been asked to explore hydrogen separation during sewage treatment. If that materialises, same can be used as a fuel. Fielding querries about rising fuel prices and future of logistic park, the Union Minister felt that there was need to look at other fuels that are quite cheaper, like LNG, CNG and bio-fuels and said he would be shortly driving a Hydrogen vehicle as same is readied by Toyota. "In past when I talked about cultivation of jathropa every was laughing and now we are cribbing about rising fuel price, he lamented and added till we are averse to taking risks there is not much possible on curbing pollution and protecting environment", he opined.