Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: CMIA Pushes For Gati Shakti Cargo Terminal In AURIC

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: An Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIM Bangalore) delegation visited the Chamber of Marathwada Industries and Agriculture (CMIA) to hold detailed discussions with industry representatives on strengthening the region's rail freight infrastructure in line with the rapid industrial growth across Marathwada.

During the meeting, CMIA strongly urged that Aurangabad Industrial City (AURIC) be included under the Gati Shakti Multi Modal Cargo Terminal (GCT) project to support the region's expanding industrial base and growing export potential.

The visit was part of a study being undertaken to prepare a rail freight development roadmap for the Railway Board. The IIM Bangalore delegation, comprising Rajeev Tripathi, Prof G Raghuram, Krishna Mohan and Ravishankar from the South Central Railway, interacted with industry representatives to understand the current and future freight requirements, existing railway infrastructure and logistics challenges faced by industries in Marathwada.

CMIA highlighted that the region is attracting industrial investments exceeding ₹1 lakh crore, driven by major companies such as Toyota, JSW, Ather, Piramal and Hyosung. With manufacturing output and domestic and international exports expected to double over the next seven to eight years, CMIA emphasised the urgent need to strengthen rail freight infrastructure. Improved logistics infrastructure would significantly reduce transportation costs and enhance the competitiveness of industries.

The Chamber also sought dedicated railway connectivity and railway sidings for the Shendra MIDC and Bidkin industrial areas. It further stressed the need to develop container handling facilities, warehousing infrastructure, logistics parks and multimodal transport facilities to reduce logistics costs, improve turnaround time and enhance export competitiveness.

The delegation informed participants that, over the past two days, it had interacted with officials of the Jalna Dry Port, railway authorities in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, logistics service providers and industry representatives. It was also scheduled to visit industrial estates on Thursday. Based on these interactions and field visits, a comprehensive report on rail freight infrastructure development will be submitted to the Railway Board.

The meeting was attended by CMIA President Atharveshraj Nandawat, Vice President Mihir Soundalgekar, Honorary Secretary Ajinkya Save, Joint Secretary Saurabh Challani, Treasurer CA Soham Kotak, Rishikesh Jaju, Harshit Modani, Priyank Chopra, Gauri Mirashi, Nikhil Bhalerao and Ravindra Manvatkar.

Published on: Friday, July 10, 2026, 01:57 PM IST