Logistics
West Bengal is the 4th largest economy in India with a GSDP of USD 155.32 billion. With a consumer base of over 90 million inhabitants and a strategic-location-gateway to entire east and north-east of India, West Bengal is also the ingress-egress point for business to neighbouring countries as well as ASEAN countries, thereby catering approximately total 300 million consumers. Logistics is a thrust area for any government as it is the key driver for GDP, international trade, FDI and employment generation. Recent endeavour from the Government of West Bengal has transformed the logistics network in West Bengal to an integrated one. As a result, West Bengal has emerged as a Logistics Hub with the potential size of the West Bengal Logistics sector estimated at around US$ 20 billion by 2020.
The state offers state-wise 3rd largest road network as well as leading rail network density including the second largest Metro Rail network in the country. Two international Airports are there in West Bengal at Kolkata & Bagdogra alongwith the first private sector Greenfield airport of India operational at Andal. West Bengal is leading in the country in terms of spread, density & reach of inland waterways. Moreover, with two existing major ports at Kolkata & Haldia, alongwith two upcoming deep sea ports at Tajpur & Kulpi, the state is all geared up for a big push in the maritime sector. West Bengal has the largest warehousing capacity in the eastern part of the country as well as the second largest cold-storage capacity in the country.
In fact West Bengal is one of the states in India with highest spending for infrastructure development. In order to provide institutional support to encourage setting up of new industries with an overall objective of promoting sustainable industrial growth in the state, the Government of West Bengal has been setting up numerous industry-specific and multiproduct growth-centres and industrial parks/estates across the state with plug and play infrastructure available for investments. The State also offers ready industrial infrastructure with 148 industrial parks/estates/growth-centres covering around 27000 acres which would certainly harvest beneficial impact on the performance of overall logistics cum business community of the state, opening up new vistas of investment opportunities. To keep pace with the expected exponential growth in logistics activities and cargo movement, the Government of West Bengal has developed a unique focus on operationalizing specialised Logistics Hubs/Parks throughout the State.
3rd Largest Road
Network state-wise
2nd Largest Metro Rail
Network in the Country
Two International Airports
are in West Bengal
In fact West Bengal is one of the states in India with highest spending for infrastructure development. In order to provide institutional support to encourage setting up of new industries with an overall objective of promoting sustainable industrial growth in the state, the Government of West Bengal has been setting up numerous industry-specific and multiproduct growth-centres and industrial parks/estates across the state with plug and play infrastructure available for investments. The State also offers ready industrial infrastructure with 148 industrial parks/estates/growth-centres covering around 27000 acres which would certainly harvest beneficial impact on the performance of overall logistics cum business community of the state, opening up new vistas of investment opportunities. To keep pace with the expected exponential growth in logistics activities and cargo movement, the Government of West Bengal has developed a unique focus on operationalizing specialised Logistics Hubs/Parks throughout the State.
The efforts of the State Government in setting up such parks/estates/growth-centres are largely channelized through the West Bengal industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC), West Bengal Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (WBIIDC) and West Bengal Small Industries Development Corporation (WBSIDC) under the Industries, Commerce & Enterprises department and the MSME & Textiles Department respectively. Besides, the Department of Urban Development & Municipal Affairs also has been creating different estates conducive for industries – both large and small. Moreover, in order to motivate private investors also in setting up industrial parks on their own land, the Scheme of Approved Industrial Parks (SAIP) was introduced by the State Government in 2014 notifying the supports/incentive which will be provided by Government for such private parks.
Government of West Bengal, with active involvement of WBIDC (West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation) Limited, released “Logistics Park Development and Promotion Policy of West Bengal, 2018” to ease the path for the interested stakeholders in the arena of logistics. With a view to systemising and accelerating the work on the basis of aforesaid logistics park policy so adopted, a dedicated “Logistics Cell” has also been constituted by the WBIDC within its premises. A comprehensive framework for evaluation of logistics project proposals in West Bengal alongwith the proposed structure for “Logistics Project Proposals Evaluation Committee” as sanctioning authority has been arranged to be devised by WBIDC very recently.
The East Coast Economic Corridor (ECEC) has already come up through ADB (Asian Development Bank) assistance and the project has fructified from Chennai to Vishakhapatnam. ADB is now studying the feasibility through Deloitte for extension of the Corridor from Vishakhapatnam to Kolkata. Again the Amritsar Kolkata Industrial Corridor (AKIC) along with the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC) is coming up in West Bengal with 2483 acres of Industrial land at Raghunathpur for development of Industrial Manufacturing Cluster (IMC) under AKIC project. In the Ganga basin, the eastern rail freight corridor will link up with the highways, in addition to the proposed Ganga waterway, enabling goods to switch seamlessly from rail to road on one hand and from barge to ship on other hand in an uninterrupted continuum.