Nagpur Needs 20 More Mega Logistics Parks, Says CM

Nagpur: CM Devendra Fadnavis and Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Sunday inaugurated Godam Logistics Park on Amravati Road, commissioning one of Central India's largest integrated logistics parks. Gadkari said the logistic park will help Nagpur cement its place as the emerging national logistics hub. Fadnavis said Nagpur needed at least 20 more logistics parks, noting every park inaugurated so far was fully booked on inauguration day itself.Highlighting Nagpur's central geographic location, Gadkari said the city emerges as the natural choice for investments in the logistics sector. "Nagpur is the Zero Mile of the country. Now, Nagpur is also the logistics capital. Nagpur is located in the centre of Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai and Kolkata quadrilateral. So, naturally the big companies from across the country are considering Nagpur for their logistics plants," he said.On the logistics sector, Gadkari said India's logistics costs currently stand at 16% of GDP as against 8% for China and 12% for European countries. He cited a joint study by IIM-Bangalore, IIT-Chennai and IIT- Kanpur, which found costs have already dropped by 6%. "I believe our logistics cost has definitely come at par with China," Gadkari said, crediting highway expansion and reduced fuel consumption. Gadkari also advised the Godam team to install fast electric charging stations powered by solar energy at the park. "The environment will be protected, and your cost effectiveness will increase further," he said.Fadnavis said the state govt has drawn a new mega logistics policy aligned with the central Gati Shakti plan, giving Nagpur a prominent position. "The biggest challenge facing our manufacturing sector today is logistics cost," he said, adding that India needed globally competitive logistics to capture the shifting global supply chain. The CM further added that the policy has received a positive response from the investors. "I am very happy that the entrepreneurs accepted this policy well and have started investing in the sector," Fadnavis said.Fadnavis said the Vadhvan Port being built in Konkan would be three times larger than JNPT. It is expected to open its first terminal by 2028 or early 2029, bringing Nagpur within eight hours of a world-class port. Godam Logistics directors Mahavir Jain, KK Gupta and Rajan Agarwal said the facility was more than a warehousing cluster. "Warehouse logistics is not just a group of warehouses, but also an important link in the supply chain. The Integrated Logistics Policy and Single Window System not only made our entire work easier but also created an important ecosystem for the industrial development of entire Maharashtra," Jain said.