An Inland Container Depot (ICD) in Rajasthan’s Bhilwara district, which was closed in 2009-10, has been restarted with renovation and expansion for promoting exports from the region. The textile, stone, mineral and other export-oriented industries in and around Bhilwara are set to get a boost with the ICD becoming operational again.
‘Become an exporter’
Under the ‘Mission Niryatak Bano’ (Become an exporter), the dry port has been established through the Rajasthan Small Industries Corporation (RAJSICO) to provide transport facility to the exporters in the region. Industries Minister Shakuntala Rawat said the State government had decided to reoperationalise the ICD in view of the demand raised by the industrial units.
Ms. Rawat flagged off the containers in Bhilwara in the presence of Revenue Minister Ramlal Jat and RAJSICO chairperson Rajiv Arora. With the logistic facility becoming available to the industrial units in the region, there will be a scope for the export trade of 300 to 400 containers every month. It may increase to 500 containers per month in the next three months.
The Industries Minister said the State government had also announced the expansion of the Jodhpur ICD at a cost of ₹95 crore in the 2022-23 budget. A new and modern ICD with rail link was being established over the land measuring 18.6-hectare area near Salawas railway station in Jodhpur, she said.
The operations of the Bhilwara ICD, established by RAJSICO in 1989, were stopped in 2009-10 because of a continuous increase in the customs cost recovery charges and a decrease in the volume of export business in the region. After its reoperationalisation, the ICD will serve the needs of industrial units in Bhilwara and the nearby towns such as Mandalgarh, Vijayanagar, Gulabpura, Shahpura, Bundi and Chittorgarh.
Mr. Arora said the RAJSICO had taken up renovation and modernisation of the ICD at a cost of ₹90 lakh, while a new road had been constructed on the premises and the infrastructure facilities upgraded for the convenience of exporters. Besides, the Customs staff have been posted in the ICD and the handling and transportation work has been allotted to an agency.
