Chennai and Coimbatore City Logistics Plans in Progress

The Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO) is in the process of developing city logistics plans for Coimbatore and Chennai, says Sandeep Nanduri, Managing Director, TIDCO. In a State Logistics Policy session, jointly organized by TIDCO and the Madras Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI), Nanduri enumerated some of the major developments in the logistics infrastructure in the region.

One of the key projects is the multi-modal logistics park (MMLP) at Mappedu, a Chennai suburb. The first phase of the park will be operational by 2027. Nanduri further observed that land acquisition for the Coimbatore MMLP is in the advanced stages.

In other developments, Container Corporation of India Ltd (CONCOR) will set up a net-zero ambient cold storage warehouse in Sriperumbudur, a strategic area near Chennai. G. Gayatri, the Area Head of CONCOR, said that the firm has tied up 1.30 lakh square feet of warehouse space within the zone, which is a key electronics hub. The project, involving an investment of about ₹60 crore, is set to become operational by the following April, for which tenders will be floated shortly. Gayatri added that there were also discussions happening with local multinational corporations (MNCs).

Tamil Nadu’s industries secretary, V. Arun Roy, admitted that although the state’s logistics infrastructure is acceptable, much needs to be improved. Some of the main issues are solving road congestion, minimizing transit times between industrial clusters and ports, developing ports, and filling gaps in cold chain logistics.

In the aviation industry, Ramkumar Shankar, President of MCCI and Managing Director, Chemplast Sanmar Ltd, said the MCCI has commissioned a study of the current position of Chennai Airport, in terms of passenger and cargo handling. The report will be handed over to the government within four weeks.

I. Jeyakumar, Member Secretary of CUMTA, spoke of air cargo transportation challenges, specifically congestion from light commercial vehicles and delivery vans at peak hours times. He suggested using the metro rail system as one way to reduce congestion.