Maharashtra's Vidarbha set to emerge as logistics hub with infra push
Ports in the east gain focus
By ,
ETInfra
The Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, has announced a set of road, port, and mining-related projects aimed at integrating Maharashtra's Vidarbha into the country's logistics and industrial network, reported The Times of India.The initiatives are expected to connect the region to eastern ports and southern markets, while also fast-tracking mining clearances and transport infrastructure.Speaking at the inauguration of the Confederation of Indian Industry's new regional office in Nagpur on Sunday, Gadkari announced a new expressway linking Nagpur to Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh. This will be the third major corridor originating from Nagpur, following the operational Nagpur-Mumbai Samruddhi Mahamarg and the proposed Nagpur-Goa Shaktipeeth Expressway.'Vidarbha's location is strategically advantageous. The eastern ports in Andhra Pradesh are much closer to Nagpur than Mumbai, and they're less congested too. A direct road link means reduced fuel consumption, shorter travel time, and lower logistics costs — key for making exports viable,' said Gadkari.The minister said that the Samruddhi Mahamarg would eventually extend to Visakhapatnam through Gondia, bringing districts such as Gadchiroli and Chandrapur into the national logistics framework.He also pointed to the ₹37,000 crore Raipur-Visakhapatnam corridor , 88 per cent of which is complete. This corridor, skirting Vidarbha's eastern edge, would allow steel producers in Gadchiroli access to the Visakhapatnam and Kakinada ports.According to Gadkari, eastern ports are less congested and handling costs in Maharashtra ports like Vadhavan remain higher. He said logistics costs had already dropped from 16 per cent to 10 per cent of product value, citing a study by IIM Bangalore and IITs Kanpur and Chennai, and that the government aimed to bring this down to 9 per cent by December. In comparison, logistics costs in China stand at 8 per cent, and 12 per cent in the US and Europe, he said.Additional projects include the Raipur-Hyderabad expressway, a proposed defence cluster in Nagpur, and an airstrip at Ambhora in Kuhi tehsil. Gadkari said pilot projects worth ₹600 crore have been launched with firms such as Tatas, Ashok Leyland, Volvo, IOCL, and HPCL to develop 10 corridors for hydrogen-run vehicles, including one in Maharashtra. Hydrogen can now be used in both petrol and diesel-run engines, he said.
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