The Government of India has started the construction of a new dry port at Sindi in Wardha, Maharashtra.
The port is being developed by Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) with an aim to provide logistics services to industries in the Vidarbha region, as well as improve cargo throughput at the port.
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Construction of the port is scheduled to be carried out in several phases over an area of 350 acres, requiring a total investment of Rs5bn ($76m).
The first phase of development is set to include approximately 25ha of area and an investment of approximately Rs1.8bn ($27m), including a sum of Rs790m ($12m) from private parties.
A ground breaking ceremony was organised in the presence of India’s Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and other dignitaries in order to mark the beginning of the Wardha dry port's construction.
Gadkari was quoted by Press trust of India as saying: “A container arriving in Mumbai can be transported to the Sindi dry port directly by rail, which will help traders save the money they spend on road transport.
“It will also enhance export capabilities of the region.”
Wardha dry port is expected to handle around 7,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) to 9,000TEUs of traffic over the next five to seven years following the facility's completion.
The traffic is expected to increase to around 30,000 TEUs by 2030 due to the site's geographical location and upcoming road and railway connectivity advancements, as well as an increased focus on warehousing and other auxiliary industries across the region.
Around 1,000 personnel are expected to be directly employed at the finished port, which will feature customs clearance facilities, container freight station, warehousing space, cold storage, liquid storage, truck terminals and other facilities.
