Sri Vijaya Puram, Sept. 17:The Directorate of Industries, in collaboration with DPIIT and GIZ, successfully organized a one day Kick Off & Stakeholder Orientation Workshop for the preparation of the City Logistics Plan (CLP) for Sri Vijaya Puram, bringing together representatives from various Government Departments, agencies and stakeholders to deliberate on the city’s logistics challenges and opportunities.
The workshop commenced with opening remarks by Ms. Ambika Ratnoo, Director of Industries; Shri Yashasvi Mund, Director, Logistics Division, DPIIT; Shri Raghu Babu, Programme Director, GIZ, and Ms. Sunitha Kumari, Deputy Director (Industries) followed by an introduction to the City Logistics Plan, its alignment with the National Logistics Policy and its potential benefits for the islands.
During the interactive discussions, participants highlighted key logistics challenges, including increasing traffic congestion caused by the concentration of cargo, passenger and tourist movement within the city, absence of dedicated freight corridors and logistics hubs, inadequate warehousing facilities outside urban areas, limited air and maritime connectivity, high freight costs, delays in the movement of essential commodities, e-commerce delivery challenges, and constraints in inter-island transportation. Stakeholders also emphasized the need for streamlined truck movement, improved public transport, dedicated loading and unloading zones, better utilization of airport and port infrastructure, strengthened mainland and inter-island connectivity, and development of logistics infrastructure outside city limits to reduce congestion.
Officials from Departments including Transport, Police, Tourism, Revenue, Fisheries, Civil Supplies, Disaster Management, Health, Labour, APWD and Port Management Board shared valuable insights on sector-specific challenges and their expectations from the City Logistics Plan. The dignitaries expressed their concerns relating to road congestion, rising tourism demand, supply chain reliability, reverse logistics, delays in the supply of essential commodities, high transportation costs etc.
A key outcome of the workshop was the Data Mapping and Action Planning Exercise, where participating departments identified critical datasets required for preparation of the CLP. These included information on land use, transportation networks, ports, warehouses, industrial estates, vehicle registrations, passenger flows, fisheries, health infrastructure, disaster management facilities, supply chain assets, and other socio-economic indicators. The exercise helped establish a clear Data Ownership Matrix and strengthened inter-departmental coordination for the next stages of the planning process.
The workshop concluded with an open discussion on feedback, queries, and next steps for preparation of the City Logistics Plan.
The Directorate of Industries, Sri Vijaya Puram, was appreciated for successfully bringing together diverse stakeholders on a common platform and facilitating meaningful discussions on the future of logistics in the islands. The workshop laid a solid foundation for the development of a comprehensive City Logistics Plan aimed at improving connectivity, enhancing supply chain efficiency, reducing logistics costs, easing congestion, and supporting sustainable economic growth across the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
The participating Departments reaffirmed their commitment to support the City Logistics Plan process and contribute towards building a more efficient, resilient, and future-ready logistics ecosystem for the islands.
