Baddi gets state’s first dry port

Tribune News Service

Solan,October 7

Baddi today got the state’s first dry port with the inauguration of an Inland Container Depot (ICD) set up by the Container Corporation of India (Concor).

The ICD was inaugurated by SL Thakur, Principal Commissioner, Central Excise, Chandigarh. He flagged off a truck carrying industrial cargo to the Pipavav port in Gujarat.

Set up at a cost of Rs 73 crore, the inauguration of the ICD has come as a relief to investors. The services of the local truck union have been roped in to transport the goods from BBN to Ludhiana and Dappar.

Thakur said the Baddi terminal would provide cost-effective and reliable logistic services to the Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh hub. He said it was equipped with modern infrastructure and handling equipment with fully computerised system. It is also linked to other depots of Concor through the V-Sat connectivity thus providing easier transportation of cargo to various ports and destinations.

The depot will also provide domestic services from its Dappar terminal to Chennai, Bangaluru, Hyderabad and Kolkata.

The state government has provided 87 bighas for the facility at Shitalpur at a nominal lease of Re 1 per annum to the Concor.

Anil Gupta, Chairman and Managing Director, Concor, YD Banga, Commissioner, Customs, Ludhiana, SS Katiyar, Additional Commissioner, Customs, P Alli Rani, Director, Finance, Concor, Shushil Kumar Executive Director, North, Concor, were also present on the occasion.