PUNJAB
- Container depot to come up at Attari
- To boost bilateral trade between India and Pakistan, rail-linked Inland Container Depots (ICD) is the top priority at the Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Attari.
- The ICD is already prevalent in Ludhiana and Suranussi near Jalandhar.
- At present, 10,000 trucks of rice per month go to Ludhiana and then to Kandla and Jamnagar ports (both in Gujarat) for export to Pakistan. This entails exorbitant logistic cost. With the coming up of direct rail ICD, there will be no more haulage charges.
- At present, Attari offers six railway lines — three each for passenger and goods trains from Pakistan. The proposal is to extend the Attari rail link to the ICP port — 3.2 km apart by road.
- An Inland Container Depot (ICD) is a dry port or multimodal logistics centre based in a landlocked area.It offers a combination of services of sea custodian, customs department, carriers, freight forwarders and customs brokers carried out at one spot to facilitate exporters and importers for smooth handling of cargo.