Nagpur-Vijayawada eway to make Vidarbha India's logistics hub: Gadkari
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Nagpur: Long seen as a landlocked underdeveloped region, Vidarbha is now emerging as a central hub in India's infrastructure and logistics blueprint, thanks to a slew of initiatives unveiled by Union minister for road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari.
Gadkari announced a game-changing expressway from Nagpur to Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh while speaking at the inauguration of the Confederation of Indian Industry's (CII) new regional office in Nagpur on Sunday.
"Vidarbha's location is strategically advantageous," said Gadkari. "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," he said.
This upcoming expressway will be third major corridor originating from Nagpur, after the Nagpur-Mumbai Samruddhi Mahamarg and the planned Nagpur-Goa Shaktipeeth Expressway, for which land measurement has already begun.
The minister said Samruddhi Mahamarg will eventually connect to the eastern port city of Vizag through Gondia, bringing even backward districts like Gadchiroli and Chandrapur into the national logistics map.
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Gadkari also highlighted the ₹37,000 crore Raipur-Vizag corridor, of which 88% of the work is done. This corridor runs close to Vidarbha's eastern edge, and steel producers in Gadchiroli stand to benefit by gaining direct access to Vizag and Kakinada ports for exports.
Gadkari said, "I met Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu a day ago. The AP govt has developed 12 ports. Much of the development happened when I headed the shipping ministry."
Ports in the east are less congested, and even handling cost in Maharashtra's port like Vadhavan is higher compared to Andhra Pradesh, he said. Gadkari said he plans to reduce the logistics cost to 9% before December this year. This would be lower than the US and Europe, where the costs come to 12%. In China, the logistics cost comes to 8% of the overall price, he said.
Citing a study by IIM Bangalore and IITs in Kanpur and Chennai, he said good roads in India have already reduced the logistics costs to 10% from 16%.
This will go a long way in increasing export viability.
Another important artery being laid is the Raipur-Hyderabad expressway, further strengthening Vidarbha's multi-directional connectivity with south and eastern India.
Among other big-ticket proposals, Gadkari spoke of developing a defence cluster in Nagpur and building an airstrip at Ambhora (70km from Nagpur), a confluence of five rivers in Kuhi tehsil, which is being developed as a tourist attraction.
Hydrogen-run vehicles
Pilot projects worth Rs600 crore have been initiated in association with companies like Tatas, Ashok Leyland, Volvo, IOCL, and HPCL to build 10 corridors for hydrogen-run vehicles. This includes one in Maharashtra, he said. Hydrogen can now be used in petrol and diesel-run engines too, he said.
Boosting orange farming with AI
Gadkari also shared his plans to introduce AI-driven farming to enhance Nagpur's orange cultivation, with support from international players in American farming and agri-data analytics.
# Mining policy reforms to unleash Vidarbha's potential
Nitin Gadkari said he had been asked by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to help in making the new mining policy. Based on his suggestions, mining operations can be started merely in the fourth month, he said. The new system mandates six applications in one day, and approvals from both state and central departments must be granted in three months.
The operator too shall be bound to start mining within a stipulated time, or else the blocks would be taken back and money returned. It should not be like MIDC plots, where people just sit on the land and later transfer it for a premium, he said.
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