Nashik container depot to kick off operations by July

The inland container depot (ICD), jointly built by Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) and Container Corporation of India (Concor) near Mohadi village, Nashik, will be operational by the end of July this year.

The depot will provide customs clearance and export facilities for farmers and industrialists in the region.

HAL, Nashik division and Concor had signed an MoU for the Rs 8 crore project which will be built on 15-acre land owned by HAL, six kms away from NH 3. The project will be jointly funded by both HAL and CCI.

The work has already begun and an approach road to the depot has also been built.

M B Suresh Kumar, CEO of the Nashik ICD project and deputy GM, Concor, said, "The proposed container depot will include a cargo complex and will have a capacity of 500 teu. In other words, it can handle 500 twenty-foot containers. Initially, the ICD will be connected only by road."

Rail and air connectivity will be offered later. The depot will include customs bonded stores and cold storage facilities. The contract for the project has been given to a Sangali-based construction firm, Kaulgud Constructions.

The Central government has declared Nashik an agricultural export zone (AEZ) for five crops, including grapes & wines, onions, kesar mango, pomegranates and flowers. All of which are perishable crops.

The etting up of an inland container depot is expected to boost their export.

The Sinnar-Ambad-Satpur industrial belt is well developed and has many exporting units. Currently, about 1,500 containers from Nashik are sent to Mumbai daily for customs clearance.

Now, all customs clearance formalities will be completed at ICD premises here.