Vizag’s port and shipping fraternity has yet again stressed the need for enhancing the Visakhapatnam and greater Visakhapatnam’s Road infrastructure in order to seamlessly transport and evacuate cargo.
In a recent conference organized by the CII Andhra Pradesh Conference on Ports & Multimodal Transportation, themed “Aiming Towards First & Last Mile Connectivity,” industry experts, government officials, and stakeholders discussed the critical role infrastructure plays in cargo evacuation.
Recognizing Andhra Pradesh’s leading status in ease of doing business, Mr. K V Mahidhar, Executive Director & Head of CII – Institute of Logistics, outlined structural factors, including GDP composition, coastline strength, and competitive policies, positioning the state as a pivotal player in the logistics arena.
Additionally, he shed light on potential bottlenecks arising from the expansion of industrial corridors and the exponential increase in cargo traffic.
Mr. G Sambasiva Rao, Convenor, Infrastructure & Logistics Panel at CII Andhra Pradesh, noted the importance of road widening, elevated corridors, and the establishment of suitable parking facilities. He highlighted these measures as critical to address current demands and future growth in the logistics sector.
Mr. Rajesh Grandhi, Vice Chairman, CII Visakhapatnam, cited that Gujarat with the second largest coastline has 42 functional ports while AP with the second largest coastline has only 5. ‘AP way under utilized in this sector’ he said however hailed the state government for coming up with 4 new greenfield ports.
He emphasized the need for a holistic approach to logistics development, considering sustainability and stakeholder interests when formulating policies related to ports and multimodal transportation initiatives.
Addressing the opportunity for the state government to leverage the central government’s road infrastructure, Mr. M Muralidhar, COO, Kakinada Seaports Ltd, stressed the importance of land acquisition and parallel rail connectivity.
He highlighted that delays in land acquisition hinder the expansion of existing roads, leading to delays in cargo movement and an increase in logistics costs.
Mr Muralidhar also emphasized the importance of parallel rail connectivity along the 6-lane road between Visakhapatnam to Vijayawada.
He underscored the need for a comprehensive approach to logistics development that considers road, rail, and inland waterways to ensure efficient and sustainable cargo movement.
In a later session Dr GC Raja Ratnam, deputy transport commissioner, Visakhapatnam too spoke on the need for improving and enhancing road quality while decongesting traffic on the roads.
Dedicated Flyover from CONCOR to Port Road
Mr KVSRK Kishore, IRTS, general manager, CONCOR informed that as part of the Bharatmala initiative NHAI is implementing a dedicated flyover for CONCOR bypassing NH-16 which will connect CONCOR premises in Vizag to port road directly.
‘This will be an exclusive 2 lane road for CONCOR customers and shall be completed in 2 years’ said Mr Kishore.
He further informed that CONCOR offers customized solutions for its customers and brings them a mix of both road and rail connectivity.
Mr Kishore also highlighted the high degree of digitisation at the company for customer ease such as e filing of claims, e-payments, know your container location etc.
