Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: The Chamber of Marathwada Industries and Agriculture (CMIA) has called for expanded railway connectivity, greater freight transport capacity and improved logistics infrastructure to accelerate industrial development in the Marathwada region. CMIA presented the industrial sector’s expectations and priorities during high-level discussions with senior railway officials in Hyderabad on Friday.
Iti Pandey, Principal Chief Commercial Manager of South Central Railway; K. Sambasiva Rao, Principal Chief Commercial Manager of South Coast Railway; and senior officials from the Railway Board, South Central Railway and various divisional railway offices attended the discussions. The participants included officials associated with commercial operations and divisional railway management.
CMIA President Atharveshraj Nandawat strongly advocated railway development, noting that industrial investment and manufacturing capacity were increasing in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, AURIC City, Shendra, Bidkin, Waluj and Jalna. Against this backdrop, he said, a robust railway network was essential to facilitate the inward movement of raw materials and the outward transportation of finished goods to domestic markets and ports.
Greater use of railway freight services would reduce transportation costs for industries, strengthen supply chains and enhance the competitiveness of businesses in Marathwada in national and international markets. CMIA emphasised the need to plan railway infrastructure before or alongside industrial development rather than waiting for demand to rise.
The major demands put forward by CMIA included doubling existing railway lines, extending railway connectivity to AURIC City, Shendra and Bidkin, establishing a dedicated goods terminal at Bidkin and developing a cargo terminal at Potul. The chamber also called for an integrated railway network connecting the Jalna Dry Port to a seaport and the development of the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar-Ahilyanagar railway route.
