New Delhi: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday suggested creating a dedicated rail freight corridor to link ports like the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority and upcoming Vadhvan Port with the Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi Expressway to significantly cut logistics cost.
He maintained port-led development in Maharashtra has so far benefited only 15 percent of the state, but his suggestion, if implemented, would extend that to nearly 75 percent.
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Describing Mumbai and Pune as India's emerging "Quantum Valley", Fadnavis noted that improved connectivity between the two big cities, including a proposed high-speed rail link (bullet train), would create the country's biggest economic corridor for technology and innovation.
Speaking at the inauguration of electronics manufacturing company Jabil's new facility in Pune, he said a dedicated rail freight corridor would connect ports with inland dry ports and industrial hubs across Maharashtra, ultimately integrating a larger part of the state into global supply chains.
"Maharashtra has the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA), which handles around 60 percent of India's container traffic. With the blessings of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we are also building Vadhvan Port near Mumbai, which will be three times bigger than the JNPA and among the world's top 10 biggest ports," he said.
The CM said he discussed the proposal with Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, who was also present at the event.
"We want to create a dedicated rail freight corridor linking JNPA and Vadhvan Port (in Palghar district). The corridor will move along the Samruddhi Highway, where right-of-way for Railway has already been kept aside over nearly 701 km," Fadnavis emphasised.
He maintained the proposed network would connect Jalna (Marathwada) and Wardha (Vidarbha) dry ports before extending to Gadchiroli in eastern Maharashtra, which he described as "the new steel city of India".
"This will actually bring down the cost of logistics to 8 or 7 percent, which we really want to achieve, and it will make us part of the new global supply chain," the CM stated.
According to Fadnavis, port-led development in Maharashtra has so far largely benefited only 15 percent of the state, but the proposed connectivity would extend that advantage to nearly 75 percent.
"Put up industry anywhere and you have a dedicated port connectivity -- that is our dream," he said.
Highlighting Maharashtra's economic significance, Fadnavis noted the state contributes 14 percent to the national GDP and accounts for nearly 20 percent of exports.
He stressed Maharashtra has emerged as a leading hub for electronics manufacturing and data centres, with nearly 60 percent of India's data centre capacity being created in the state.
Praising Jabil's expansion in Maharashtra, he assured the company of government support and ease of doing business.
"We consider industries as our partners. We are here to partner with you and handhold you. Whatever problems you encounter, just let us know," the CM asserted.
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Fadnavis said the proposed Mumbai-Pune bullet train project will reduce travel time between the two cities to just 48 minutes (from around 4 hours now), helping transform them into an integrated economic region and creating India's largest technology and industrial corridor.
He noted enhanced connectivity between Mumbai and Pune, located around 200km apart, would create a new economic ecosystem.
"Very soon, Mumbai and Pune will be connected through a bullet train. This connectivity will integrate the two cities into a single economic region and create India's biggest economic corridor in the technology sector," he stated.
Speaking on the occasion, Vaishnaw said large-scale Railway projects are underway in Maharashtra.
He also spoke about the proposed Pune-Hyderabad high-speed corridor, saying the planned 501 km bullet train project would cut travel time between the two cities to 2 hours and 8 minutes from 9 to 10 hours now.
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