Event Details
Transportation, warehousing and communication are the main components of the logistics supply chain and a robust infrastructure in these sectors is the key to achieving rapid economic growth. The ongoing economic reforms in Odisha, attach high priority for the development of transport and communication infrastructure.
Odisha stands out as the leading state in the country as far as mining of iron ore, coal, bauxite, chrome ore etc is concerned and the State is the highest producer of steel and aluminium. There are a host of other industries like Oil Refinery, Ferro Chrome, Iron ore pellet, sponge iron and cement plants etc. and besides the above, there is significant production in food grains and marine products as well. All these entail an elaborate network of transportation modes - rail, road, pipelines, ports and inland waterways for meeting the transportation and warehousing needs for both inbound raw material and the outbound finished goods of the Industry.
Although the East Coast Railway is the highest freight revenue generating Railway on Indian Railways, the rail network has not been commensurate with the rapid growth of industry in the state of Odisha. While some new lines and doubling and third line works have been sanctioned and are in various stages of progress, there is need for early completion and further expansion of new alternate alignments which have been surveyed along with expansion of existing rail freight terminals and setting up of new ones.
Paradip Port is today India's second largest major port in cargo handling. Dhamra and Gopalpur are two other important ports of the State. The State has 10 non major ports as well, which require all round development. Both rail and road infrastructure to serve the ports, besides development of container freight stations (CFS) and large sized warehouses and multimodal logistics parks are imperatives.
Slurry pipeline is another area where Odisha has a huge potential. In the recent years the Ministry of Steel has identified 4 projects of slurry pipelines and eastern India in general and Odisha in particular is going to get a major chunk of these slurry pipeline projects.
Transportation through Inland waterways in the State is largely untapped and has a major growth potential.
The Infrastructure & Industrial Logistics Committee of ICC Odisha State Council has been working for sometime on the enormous challenges and pressure the existing infrastructure of the state is going to bear with many more new mines opening up and starting to produce and the mineral based industries getting set up and the existing ones expanding their capacities. It is time to make an estimation of the total movement of cargo necessitated by the industry, mines and other sectors of the economy during the coming years with reference to their present and future capacity and assess the same against the carrying capacity of the existing infrastructure together with its projected expansion. It is also necessary to assess the logistics cost of the industries, which is known to be high and seek ways of reducing the same to competitive levels.
It is with this end in view that ICC Odisha proposes to undertake a comprehensive study of the infrastructure and logistics sector of Odisha encompassing all the modes of transport, both conventional, like road, rail and ports and not so conventional, like inland waterways, slurry pipes and multimodal combinations to arrive at an optimal strategy for the development of this sector, the ultimate objective being to ensure that lack of infrastructure does not become an impediment to growth. A more detailed note on the study is enclosed.
On the above background, we are writing to you regarding this exciting and ambitious Study on "Transport Logistics Infrastructure of Odisha". ICC has engaged RITES to conduct the study with a comprehensive cost attached thereof. RITES have established capabilities to conduct such studies/projects and needs no introduction. The results of which will be shared with all its members and stake holders including the state and central governments.
In this context, Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) would be organizing an Interactive Session with the relevant stakeholders of the White Paper and technical experts from RITES at 11 am on 14 September 2021 via ZOOM Virtual Platform.
