Thaindian News

Agartala, Aug 1 (IANS) State-run logisitics firm Container Corporation (CONCOR) plans to extend its network in eastern and northeastern India, setting up two more Inland Container Depots (ICDs) at Siliguri in West Bengal and Tripura.

“The proposed Siliguri ICD would handle the cargo to and from Nepal, Bhutan and adjoining countries while the Tripura ICD would deal with goods to and from Bangladesh and neighbouring countries,” CONCOR Managing Director Anil Kumar Gupta told reporters here Wednesday.

Gupta said Rs.85-150 crore would be invested to develop each ICD.

A five-member team of CONCOR officials led by him arrived here Tuesday and visited various locations along the Bangladesh border and industrial areas to select the site for the Tripura ICD.

After holding separate meetings with Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar and senior state government officials, Gupta said that currently one ICD is now operational in Guwahati, which annually handled over 5,000 containers, mostly for tea exporting.

“With the setting up of Tripura ICD, the goods to and from northeastern region, other parts of the country and abroad via Bangladesh would be easier. The mountainous northeastern region’s most crucial problem is connectivity and ferrying goods from other parts of the country and abroad.”

Gupta said: “The idea is to take the facility of Ashuganj port in Bangladesh. In near future Chittagong international port can be used to ferry goods to and from northeast India and abroad.”

The Ashugang river port is just 41 km west of Tripura while Chittagong sea port is 75 km away from the border in the northeastern state.

The CONCOR has the largest network of handling international and domestic cargo through 62 ICDs in the country, including nine in eastern India.

The public sector unit is now doing an annual business of over Rs.4,000 crore.