Robust logistics for UP: Yogi

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has issued directions for further strengthening of the investor-friendly industrial ecosystem and for building a robust logistics infrastructure in the state.

The chief minister’s response comes in the wake of keen interest evinced by the investors and investments worth several hundred billion rupees being in the pipeline due to the industry-friendly policies of the state.

The state government has nominated Additional Chief Secretary (Infrastructure & Industrial Development) Alok Kumar as state nodal officer for developing the integrated state logistics plan aimed at overall development of logistics sector. Kumar will head a newly created state logistics cell to function in sync with national logistics division for development of supply chains and warehousing facilities for industries.

The officials of state government departments like Planning, Transport, Civil Aviation, Revenue, PWD, Export Promotion Bureau, UP Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) will be the key members on board, and nodal officers from Central agencies like National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), Airports Authority of India (AAI), Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), etc. will be special invitees to the cell.

The state government will also set up a state logistics coordination committee under the chairmanship of the chief secretary to monitor the progress and implementation of the logistics plan.

UP’s Industrial Development Minister Satish Mahana said in a statement here on Sunday that, “In the backdrop of Atmanirbhar Bharat mission for building a self-reliant India and in response to supply chain disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic, such an integrated plan would ensure coordinated action and focused attention towards logistics and supply chain issues in the state.”

Additional Chief Secretary (Infrastructure & Industrial Development) Alok Kumar said that in addition to granting industry status to the logistics sector and drastically reducing cost of  land and operations, the state government had already made numerous new provisions to give impetus to this sector.

As a result, Uttar Pradesh is attracting sizable investments in the warehousing and logistics sector. So far, six proposals worth approximately Rs 438 crores of investment have been received in the sector.

Kumar said the state government would work on six improvement parameters, viz. ease of arranging logistics at competitive rates, quality of logistics infrastructure, quality of logistics service providers, safety and security of cargo movement, efficiency of regulatory procedures and state coordination and facilitation to strengthen the logistics infrastructure in UP.

It is pertinent here to mention that the UP government had launched its incentive policy for warehousing and logistics in 2018. Moreover, recently the Uttar Pradesh government rationalised its land use policy to facilitate land for the logistics sector at lower prices and lower conversion fees.

The development authorities in the state are accordingly amending their zoning regulations, master plans and by-laws to apply industrial land use and industrial land use conversion charges for logistics parks and units besides lowering the eligibility limits from 50 acres to 25 acres for setting up logistics parks across the state.

With a network of expressways and the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC) and the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC) intersecting at Dadri in Greater Noida, it is envisaged to be the largest logistics hub in India. The state is coming up with multi-modal logistics/ transport hubs at Boraki and Varanasi. Uttar Pradesh is one of the pioneering states to come up with a private logistics park policy.

The upcoming Noida International Airport at Jewar in Greater Noida, which will be one of the largest international airports in India, has added to the state’s advantage. Together with the upcoming National Waterways-1 to ferry cargo from the eastern seaport of Haldia to Varanasi, the connectivity web of air, water, road and rail network

created in the state will help the industries and manufacturing units switch seamlessly between different modes of transport as they send their goods to markets in India and abroad.

Being one of the focus states under UDAN Regional Connectivity Scheme, over 25 routes have been identified in the state to strengthen the local air connectivity.