For every business activity associated with the manufacture and movement of tangible products, there is a need for some logistic facility to store, manage, and distribute the products. It might also involve a number of other processes such as quality testing and many others. Similarly, for the movement of ocean freights there are designated Inland Container Depots also known as ICDs. It is a dry port that has been authorized by the customs department and designated under Section 7 of the Customs Act 1962. This place is ideally used to unload the imported goods and load the goods to be exported such that complete adherence with the guidelines of the customs department has been ensured. There are many such ICDs across India that act as a hinterland for the nearby industrial or manufacturing units.

Inland Container Depot ofKhodiyar Port

The ICD of Khodiyar Port is located in the Gandhinagar district of Gujarat. It was inaugurated in the year 2011 after Samarmati ICD experienced heavy growth in EXIM volumes. Gujarat is one of the most prosperous states of India that lies on the Western Coast of India abutting the Arabian Sea. The ICD Khodiyar Port is equipped with the following facilities-

• As per the Container Corporation of India (CONCOR), ICD Khodiyar can handle over 3 lakh TEUs (twenty feet equivalent units) of container cargo per annum and is spread over an area of 31.8 hectares unlike that of 12.8 hectares of Sabarmati where it was previously stationed.
• It has an exclusive warehouse for managing both the export and import facilities. The port consists of 7000 sqm of a warehouse to handle the Full Container Load (FCL) and a 2000 sqm warehouse to handle Less than Container Load (LCL) intended for export purposes. While there is a separate 4500sqm area reserved for the LCL and FCL consignments associated with the imports. The port also harbours 2000 sqm of a separate warehouse for hazardous cargo and a separate 10200sqm warehouse for bonded cargo.
• The IDC Khodiyar port connects with the industrial areas associated with the following main cities of Gujarat i.e., Ahmedabad, Mehsana, Banaskantha, Surendranagar, Kheda, Anand, Rajkot, and others. The port can easily be accessed via NH-8C highway which acts as a lifeline for inland movement of goods through this port to other parts of India via road.
• The port also provides train services by connecting Pipavav with one export train every day and Mundra port with 2 export trains each day. It also connects JNPT/GTIL/NSCT, PPSP, MDCC, Hazina, etc. Moreover, the ICD Khodiyar Port has three rail siding lines of 686 meters each, and also seeing the rising trade activity there are 2 more full-length lines under construction.
• The ICD Khodiyar Port is equipped with the most advanced and prominent equipments to manage the daily cargo operations and their handling. It has 7 Reach Stackers, 12 Forklifts, 13 Trailers, 2 Hydra Cranes, 1 Crane for heavy cargo handling, 3 mechanized cranes, and Weighbridge (up to 60 MT).
• There is a facility for bonded warehousing, bonded trucking, and air cargo services. This makes this port ideal for ensuring uninterrupted services for import and export business operations.
• The port also has a 3000sqm administrative building to facilitate the stakeholders and government agencies to conduct their daily work in coordination with each other.

ICDs are an integral part of the logistics and supply chain for the meticulous flow of business activities associated with the import and activities. They ease the management processes and enable easy compliance with the rules of the land. It acts as an indicator of a country’s flourishing economy. India is poised to become a leading world economy and is investing heavily to develop such necessary infrastructural facilities.