Cargo container movements at the Container Corporation of India's (Concor's) inland container depot (ICD), at Sabarmati, witnessed a 35.95 per cent increase in exports (29,127 containers) and a 36.64 per cent jump in imports (31,876 containers) in 2000-2001.
The free on board (FOB) value of exports from this ICD was Rs 2,184 crore in 2000-2001.
Kapil Rawat, regional general manager, Concor, said the company planned expansion of all its facilities.
He said Concor would invest up to Rs 4 crore in Sabarmati to build two 6,000 sqmt warehouses and a 30,000 sqmt paved area for the stacking of containers.
This year Concor built the Conraj High Speed Container Rake between Ahmedabad and JNPT/NSICT, which has given the business a much needed boost.
As a result, almost all exporters and importers have shifted their activities from Mumbai to Ahmedabad, Rawat added.
He said Concor's facility at Vadodara, which was inaugurated last year, was also doing well.
The company has already received permission from the ministry of commerce to convert this rail transfer facility into full-fledged ICD, which will help exporters and importers in Vadodara.
To handle the needs of domestic customers, a new Rs 12-crore depot is under construction at Khodiyar on the Gandhinagar-Sarkhej highway.
The 32-hectare depot will be completed within a month and will provide comprehensive warehousing, rail transportation, road transportation, distribution services.
The facility will consist of a 9,000 sqmt warehouse, 3 railway lines, 1 lakh sqmt paved area, a weigh bridge, an administrative/service building, canteen, etc.
Rawat added that the depot, once completed, will be the biggest domestic container depot in the country.
Concor is also planning to develop one more ICD at Ankleshwar. Construction of the said depot will start within a month. Plans are also afoot to set up a comprehensive container depot at Gandhidham.
