Event Details
With the economy of state of Odisha growing at a rate higher than the national average, and a major part of this growth being accounted for by the industry and mining sector, there is a growing pressure on the transport infrastructure of the state. This is further accentuated by the fact that the state has a long coastline with three deep ports operating to their capacities whose hinterland extends to the neighboring states.
Odisha has huge opportunity to streamline logistics related movements of minerals, metals, petrochemicals, raw materials and finished goods related to various manufacturing sectors. Most of shipments to the industries involve bulk transportation of goods The need of the hour is to plan and implement a robust infrastructure in the state to support its fast growing economy encompassing in a comprehensive manner all modes of transport like roads, rail, waterways, ports, pipeline, conveyor belt and ancillary structures like warehouses, ICDs, CFSs and logistic parks, cold chain and all of this availed and operated by best practices in logistics and supply chain management.
It is imperative that the transport infrastructure of the state which includes, rail, roads, ports and airports apart from a few installations of pipeline has also to grow to cope with the increasing pressure. It is also imperative that newer modes of transport which are more sustainable as well as cost effective like coastal and inland waterway are explored and developed to mitigate the pressure on conventional infrastructure. It is also necessary to ensure that state provides the most cost effective infrastructure which reduces the share of logistics in the cost of production so that the industries in the state remain competitive in the national and international market. Finally it is necessary to ensure that the lack of infrastructure does not impede the rapid growth of industry and mining in the state.
To achieve all the above objectives, a comprehensive assessment of the capacity of the states infrastructure both existing and under progress is required to be undertaken and evaluated in relation to the growing pressure on such infrastructure that is likely to be generated in the next two decades. It is in this context ICC and RITES Limited, have joined hands to undertake a comprehensive study of "The Transport Logistics Infrastructure of Odisha-Focusing: All Modes of Transport- Road, Rail, Inland Waterways, Slurry Transportation, Public Transportation, Ports, besides Air connectivity for Odisha & adjoining areas" and bring out a Report on the same. The objective of the study is to prepare a Comprehensive research paper on the transport infrastructure of Odisha and to make an assessment of demand and capacity of infrastructure in Odisha so that the stakeholders, both Government and non-Government, can work towards bridging the gap between estimated demand and required capacity. ICC has also signed two MoUs on 8th December 2021, documenting the time frame and modalities of the study, one with Government of Odisha and the other one with RITES Ltd.
Odisha has a long stretch of navigable waterways which comprise of rivers, canals, backwaters, creeks, etc. The State Government is actively working to develop inland waterways as an effective alternative mode of transport in the region. It is with this end in view that Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Odisha in association with Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) , Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, Government of India organizing aone day mega conference with all the stakeholders involved including the major ports of Odishaat 1100 Hrs: 17 February 2022: Bhubaneswar: ICC Virtual Platform at Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
