On Monday, the East Coast Railway (ECoR), which was developed as part of the Gati Shakti programme of the Center, signalled the departure of the first freight train from its Paradip station.
The Container Corporation of India Limited has officially opened the first Gati Shakti multimodal cargo terminal in the East Coast Railway Region near Paradip station (CONCOR).
Indian Farmer Fertilizer Corporation loaded the initial freight train out of the station (IFFCO).
Fertilizers weighing a combined 3,774 tonnes were shipped from Paradip to Nakaha Jangal in Uttar Pradesh.
Gati Shakti Multi-modal Cargo Terminals have so far been operationalized at 15 locations, and 96 additional sites have been tentatively identified for the construction of GCTs.
2021 GCT Policy
A new “Gati-Shakti Multi-Modal Cargo Terminal” (GCT) policy was introduced on December 15, 2021, in an effort to increase industry investment in the construction of additional terminals for handling rail cargo.
A streamlined application and approval process, the elimination of departmental fees, and the lack of land licence fees on the railway land used for connectivity are the main features of these terminals. Under GCTs, any kind of commodity, including coal and coke, may be transported.
Private parties are developing the GCTs, which may be done whole or partially on railroad property or on non-railroad territory.
The operators will choose the site and build the terminal after receiving the required permits for GCTs to be established on non-Railway land.
The land parcels will be identified by the railroad, and the operator for the construction and operation of the terminal will be chosen through an open tendering process, if GCTs are to be developed fully or partially on railway property.
100 GCTs are planned
In accordance with the new strategy, Indian Railways’ first GCT Terminal was inaugurated on March 2022 in the Eastern Railway’s Asansol Division.
It saw the commissioning of a Maithan Power Limited private siding at Thaparnagar. Each month, this siding handles 120 rakes of coal coming in and 2 to 4 rakes of fly ash going out.
15 GCTs have already been put into operation, and another 96 sites have been tentatively chosen for GCT development.
Within the following three fiscal years, it is planned to commission 100 Gati Shakti Cargo Terminals.
Rail transportation benefits the economy since it is economical and energy efficient.
Prasanta Patnaik