Transport Corporation of India Limited in association with IIM Calcutta unveiled a study report on Operational Efficiency of National Highways for Freight Transportation in India. The report was unveiled by Mr Brahm Dutt secretary ministry of road transport and highways.
The research report was commissioned by TCI to assess the operational efficiency of freight transportation by road vis à vis investments made in national highways. Under the study, data from ten major routes of India was analyzed and weighed against key freight transportation statistics of international countries.
Mr Brahm Dutt said that “Logistics and supply chain forms the backbone of Indian economy and the sector’s efficiency depends on the condition of roads and highways to a large extent. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is aggressively working towards removing bottlenecks and implementing efficient procedures for highway construction. We are optimistic that this will provide the much needed support to the logistics sector, which is poised to grow leaps and bounces in next years.”
The report finds that road freight volume is projected to grow to 1,200 BTKM and goods vehicles requirement will increase to six million in 2011-2012. It has been estimated that approximately INR 225,000 crore would be required as financial outlays for developing and maintaining national and state highways during the 11th Five Year Plan (2007-2012). The report also suggests that construction of more logistics parks, SEZs and transportation hubs will create common shared facilities for logistics providers, ensuring safety and security of people, assets and cargo.
Prof Subrata Mitra said that “In India, we should adopt a system similar to the TIR Carnet system prevailing in Europe that requires no checking of sealed consignments at interstate check posts to facilitate the smooth flow. In developed countries there are no check-posts on highways and vehicles move freely across state borders. The taxes are collected either at the origin or the destination and not en-route which saves a lot of time for passage of high value items. The same system can be adopted at interstate borders in India doing away with check-posts and saving all that delay time for time- sensitive shipments.”
