First dry port in samba to boostindustrial sector, export in J&K

Jammu: Aiming to boost the industrial sector under new Industrial Policy, a dry port is coming up in Samba district of Jammu region as a part of Rs 50,000 crore investments.
Dry Ports, known as Inland Container Depots, are equipped for handling and temporary storage of containerized cargo as well as empties.
“Under the new industrial policy initiated by the Central Government for Jammu and Kashmir, an Inland Container Depot (ICD) is going to be established in the Samba district,” official sources said.
Sources said that with the setting up of this ICD, new avenues of export as well as import will open for industrialists and the sector will get a huge boost.
“Once Dry Port will be operational, the cheap import and export will pace up the industrial pace in Jammu and Kashmir and will help in fulfilling the goal of the Modi government to make the Union Territory a major industrial center of the country,” sources revealed.
They said that till now industrialists from Jammu and Kashmir had to import and export by road, which costs them heavy, but with the help of dry port, the goods from this depot will be exported to every part of the country via rail route and abroad through sea route and similarly, the import will be done.
“Due to the reduced transport cost, the industrialists from Jammu and Kashmir will also be able to enter the global market,” they expressed.
The first inland container depot in J&K is going to be set up at Samba by Associated Container Terminals Limited (ACTL), sources revealed.
RR Joshi established ACTL in 1997. It is the first company in India to set up a dry port in the private sector and in a short span of time this company has become the most experienced to set up a dry port in North India.
The company has dry ports in many cities of North India including Delhi-Mumbai.
“ICD or dry-port is a port usually set up near a rail line to avoid the heavy cost of shipping goods by road. This saves money as well as time,” they said.
Generally, the business of import-export gets a boost by becoming a dry port. This makes it easy to send the products abroad, adding, “delivery time is less. Custom and export related papers are also readied at the dry port.”
“The upcoming dry port at Samba will not only cater the import-export service but generate thousands of job opportunities for the youth. Smaller units like loading, packing, handling storage will open avenues for the unemployed youth and logistic hub and many small businesses are also expected to grow,” said an official.
The process of establishing a dry port was started in 2017.
In the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the then Finance Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Dr Haseeb Drabu signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Chairman and CEO of Dubai Port Group in Dubai on February 11, 2018.
The target was to complete the project within 18 to 24 months and for this, the then government had identified a place in Samba and in Budgam in Kashmir.
In Samba, 100 acres of land was identified and the government had to give 400 acres in addition. Delegation from Dubai Port also came to Jammu from Dubai to review the identified site but the experts expressed dissatisfaction with the identified site in Samba.
After this, the important project was shelved under the lax functioning of the previous government.
In the year 2020, the Central Government afresh started work on this scheme and entrusted the responsibility to the indigenous company.

Updated On 9/14/2021 10:46:20 AM