Telangana explores new dry ports amidst the rising logistics industry
The govt has planned major projects such as Bharatmala which aims for road connectivity across the country while the Sagarmala Project aims for the development of modernised ports along the coastline, Vishnu Vardhan Reddy
image for illustrative purpose
Hyderabad: The Federation of Telangana Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FTCCI) with the support of the MSME Department of the Govt of India hosted a second edition of the International Conference on Shipping and Logistics (ICSL) at HICC in Madhapur on Friday.
Dr Vishnu Vardhan Reddy, IFS, Special Secy (Investment Promotion & External Engagement), VC & MD Telangana State Industries Infrastructure Corporation (TSIIC), Government of Telangana; Mr. Sanjay Swarup, IRTS, Chairman & Managing Director, Container Corporation of India Limited; Mr. Pradeep Panicker, Chief Executive Officer, GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd; Mr. Meela Jayadev, President, FTCCI; Mr Suresh Singhal, Senior Vice President of FTCCI and Kamal Jain Chairman of the Shipping & Logistics Committee of FTCCI graced the inaugural function.
Giving his keynote address Dr Vishnu Vardhan Reddy said cities and civilisations rise, grow, and fall because of one thing that controls global trade. And Logistics is a lifeline of global trade. New centres of power are emerging. In the complex world of supply chain management, the geo-political situations are creating disruption, causing ripples across industries. These shifts are affecting the availability, cost, and reliability of essential goods and services, he said. Besides this, he spoke about two other disruptions, the impact of Technology and Climate Change on the sector.
He further said the Government of India is focusing on reducing the cost of logistics from double digits to 8 to 9% to be globally competitive. Accordingly, the government has planned major projects such as Bharatmala which aims for road connectivity across the country while the other hand Sagarmala Project aims for the development of modernised ports along the coastline. And still, there is a lot to be done.
The industry must support the adaptation of technology and encourage startups in Logistics. Startups play a crucial role in logistics, Dr Vishnuvardhan said. Speaking about the status of the sector in Telangana, he said besides facing the above three challenges, Telangana also faces the challenge of being a landlocked state. We are focusing on infrastructure while closely working with the union government. Being a landlocked state, Telangana is coming out with a Dry Port in the northern corridor of the state. The land required for it is procured. We are also working on two to three additional dry ports to come up in future.
We are also coming out with Integrated Industrial Township. Hyderabad has the huge advantage of having an Outer Ring Road and similarly, the state will have The Regional Ring Road which is a 340-km long one that has four lanes and an access-controlled design. MSMEs play a huge role in logistics. The conference's theme is appropriately chosen, said Dr Vishnu Vardhan Reddy.
Mr. Sanjay Swarup, IRTS Chairman & Managing Director, Container Corporation of India (CCI) Limited said we have introduced LNG trucks for the first and last-mile movement of containers and EVs (Electric Vehicles) for internal movement in terminals. Telangana doesn’t have an LNG pump. Once LNG pumps come up, we will deploy LNG vehicles in Telangana. We are keen to be part of Telangana's growth story and will increase our presence.
Pradeep Panicker Chief Executive Officer, of GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd, said an aerotropolis is a new phenomenon. GMR Airport is developing that concept, he said. The second cargo terminal is coming up at GMR, he said and shared that its capacity would be 50, 000 to 1 lakh tonnes. Meela Jayadev, President of FTCCI, welcomed the gathering and said logistics are the backbone for the success of any product.
The conference had four sessions. One session was on the Changing landscape of logistics, the second was on Managing the Supply chain in a disrupted geopolitical environment, the third was on Navigating the Future and embracing opportunities and the last session was on Facilitating Trade through Infrastructure development.
The world today has 68 conflict zones said a panellist, participating in a panel discussion. More than 400 delegates participated from across India.
