The central location of Nagpur, which has long been touted as an advantage in the logistics business, is what deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis is focussing on to develop the district as the preferred choice for warehousing sector. During a media interaction on Saturday at his official residence here, Fadnavis made it clear that he now wants to see Nagpur emerge as the “logistics hub”.
Fadnavis’s statement follows on-ground implementation of multiple projects which are enhancing Nagpur’s natural central geographical location.
His dream project, Samruddhi Expressway, has already provided fast road connectivity to Mumbai. He has already made it clear that a high-speed rail network will be built parallel to the expressway, which will help in fast movement of cargo and ultimately passenger traffic. Together, both will provide unprecedented level of smooth travel from Nagpur to the west coast.
The second mega road project of the deputy CM is the greenfield Nagpur-Goa expressway which will connect the Orange City to south-western coast.
Fadnavis said lesser developed districts like Washim and Buldhana will benefit due to Samruddhi. “Travel time is less and land around that area is being developed for future projects,” he said.
The connectivity to southern India will get a boost with Union minister Nitin Gadkari’s plan to construct the Nagpur-Hyderabad-Bengaluru expressway. The proposed eight-lane expressway promises to cut down the travel time by half.
Though there is no proposed expressway for eastern and northern India, the existing highway network is being expanded at various points to make travel faster. One example is the elevated on the Nagpur-Jabalpur road passing through the wildlife corridor. The four-lane highway crossing the ghats has reduced travel time greatly.
Rail connectivity in Nagpur had always been good which further enables cargo movement to all directions of the country. The dry port at Sindhi is considered a game changer as now goods can be transported by rail directly to the shipping port in Navi Mumbai.
Air connectivity, in terms of both passenger and cargo movement, from Nagpur is still to reach the desired level but that’s expected to be taken care of once the airport redevelopment plan is complete. The issue is currently sub-judice due to which no progress has been made. Fadnavis said, “We will see if the hearing (in court) happens in the next one or two months and proceed from there.”
