Speaking at the
bhoomipujan ceremony of the project at Sindi Railway, Gadkari said the facility
would enable direct exports of cotton, cotton lint, yarn, textiles, oranges and
vegetables from Vidarbha to international markets through Jawaharlal Nehru Port
Authority (JNPA). The project is
being jointly developed by National Highways Logistics Management Limited (NHLML),
a special purpose vehicle of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI),
and JNPA across 150 acres of land near Sindi Railway station. AMARA TRANZ
Solution is associated with its development.
Gadkari said the logistics park would significantly improve cargo
movement from the Vidarbha region by providing better multimodal connectivity
and reducing dependence on conventional routes through Mumbai. The facility is
also expected to improve transportation efficiency along trade routes
connecting Mumbai, Colombo and Dhaka.
Highlighting the cost benefits, Gadkari said the proposed dry port would
facilitate the movement of cotton, cotton lint, textiles and oranges from
Vidarbha to Bangladesh through Haldia in Kolkata, without requiring cargo to be
transported to Mumbai. This is expected to bring down transportation costs per
container from around ₹1.5 lakh to ₹1 lakh, offering considerable savings to
exporters and farmers. He also
revealed that the first rake carrying Maruti Suzuki cars had already commenced
operations from the project site, marking an important step towards
establishing Sindi Railway as a regional logistics hub. The MMLP, coming up on the Nagpur–Wardha
district border with funding support from the Central and State Governments,
will be connected to the dry port facility. It will house supporting
infrastructure, including cold storage facilities and warehouses, to facilitate
cargo consolidation and improve supply chain efficiency. The project will also focus on developing
exporter clusters and bringing together major industries from Nagpur and
Wardha, enabling them to access domestic and international markets more
efficiently. A customs office is also
proposed at Sindi Railway, allowing the facility to handle export and import
containers from across India and overseas markets. The integrated
infrastructure is expected to strengthen the region’s multimodal connectivity,
enhance export competitiveness and create new opportunities for farmers,
manufacturers and logistics service providers.
The bhoomipujan
ceremony was attended by Guardian Minister Dr. Pankaj Bhoyar, MLA Sameer
Kunawar, District Collector Vanmathi C, former MP Ramdas Tadas and Sindi
Railway Municipal Council President Rani Kalode, among other dignitaries.