By T.A.B. Barathi, Vice President – Supply Chain, Wheels India Ltd.
The main challenges here relate to road movement, multi-modal transportation, export-import movement and availability of qualified drivers.
Movement of trucks within the city is restricted by timing and routing. The restrictions also impede freight activity. Safe and smooth goods movement in a city can happen only during night. This brings in a new problem of halting trucks from morning to night. There is thus the need to develop “truck halt bays” (in line with container freight stations), with proper safety for goods from pilferage. The designated routes can be identified for freight movement on the outskirts. This would avoid other motorists vying for space. Dedicated clusters like Ambattur and Manali have access difficulty for freight movement.
Large trucks have to be stationed outside the city and goods transhipped by smaller vans / light carriers. The system has to be seriously pursued as it helps in reducing congestion. However, safe locations for hub have to be identified around the city.
The biggest bottleneck relates to movement from and to the Chennai port. Congestion here is due to bad roads, leading to consumption of excess fuel, delays in permission to enter or exit (long queues) and shortage of capacity in container terminals, (leading to containers being shifted away to Minjur or to Thiruverkadu CFS). Further, regular strikes lead to stoppage / suspension of CFS activity.
Multi-modal freight movement
Any free flow of traffic without congestion helps in reducing carbon footprint. As for making Chennai cleaner/greener, even though CONCOR has an expertise in multi-modal movement, it is not effectively utilized. Movement of goods through CONCOR is from places like Jamshedpur. However, return loads are not captured in a big way.
CONCOR has to necessarily create awareness and work for critical mass to be used for return. It can also work towards propagating alternate port destination, as in Tuticorin, whenever Chennai port is heavily congested.
In general any reduction in unnecessary movement reduces carbon footprint.