Cargo hub on cards in Chhattisgarh to reach international markets

Endowed with rich minerals and forest wealth, the land-locked state of Chhattisgarh is likely to have an international cargo hub at Swami Vivekanand Airport in Raipur.

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel had submitted a proposal for the hub at the 23rd meeting of the central zonal committee, held recently in Bhopal. The meeting was chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

“The proposal of the state government was approved in the meeting and work on the project will start after completing the formalities,” a state government spokesperson said. This will open new doors for development, he added.

The hub would facilitate putting Chhattisgarh’s products on international markets. The artefacts, especially those crafted from bell metal and terracotta, are in great demand abroad. Besides, a good volume of the forest produce in the tribal-predominated Bastar and Sarguja regions is exported.

In terms of forest produce collection, Chhattisgarh is in top spot in the country. The state accounts for 70 per cent of the country’s forest produce collection, and 61 types of minor forest produce — the highest in the country — are purchased at support prices.

The products, confined to local markets, will now travel to the rest of the country and abroad. The spokesperson said with the increase in exports, the revenue of the state will go up, giving a boost to the rural economy and create employment for the people.

An official of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) in Raipur said a domestic cargo terminal existed at Swami Vivekanand Airport. The old terminal building is now used for cargo handling.

Explaining the modalities, the official said compared to international passenger flights, cargo flights from abroad could be operated without much of a problem because it would not require an immigration counter. However, the operation would be viable only if the volumes supported it.

Raipur is well connected with all metro cities; a flight of two hours could take one to any corner of the country.

A logistics hub was proposed in the state capital when Raman Singh was chief minister. The foundation stone for the Rs 300-crore project was laid in 2013.

But the plan did not take shape.