Jammu: The Northern Railway has invited tenders for setting up two warehouses near Anantnag and Pampore railway stations in Kashmir to boost trade, improve storage facilities and facilitate faster transportation of local produce to major markets, officials said.
With these, Jammu and Kashmir will have three such warehouses, including one at Bari Brahmana on the outskirts of Jammu city, they said.
The Jammu railway division has invited private investors to develop and operate the facilities under the Railways’ Cargo Related Facility (CRF) policy for a lease period of 25 years, officials said.
The warehouses are expected to benefit apple growers and saffron traders by providing storage facilities near railway stations, reducing loading and unloading costs and minimising post-harvest losses.
Uchit Singhal, Senior Divisional Commercial Manager, Jammu, said the initiative would strengthen freight transportation and improve storage facilities for perishable agricultural produce.
The tenders are available on the Indian Railways E-Procurement System (IREPS) portal, officials said.
On October 13, the division had also invited tenders for developing a modern warehouse and storage facility at Bari Brahmana near Jammu, making it the first such project under the CRF policy in the division.
The three proposed facilities at Bari Brahmana, Anantnag and Pampore are expected to create employment opportunities and strengthen the region’s logistics infrastructure.
Meanwhile, the Railway Board has introduced a concessional freight scheme offering a 50 percent discount on return trips booked in advance on Joint Parcel Product-Rapid Cargo Service (JPP-RCS) trains to reduce transportation costs for traders and logistics operators, an official spokesperson said.
Under the scheme, traders booking parcel coaches for both directions will pay 1.5 times the normal one-way freight rate, with the facility available on all JPP-RCS routes across the country for one year on a pilot basis, the spokesperson said.
“In a historic decision to make parcel and cargo transportation more affordable, accessible and industry-friendly across the Jammu division and the entire region, the Railway Board has taken a landmark initiative,” the spokesperson said, adding that the facility had been introduced through a freight marketing circular issued by the Board.
The initiative is expected to benefit Kashmir’s fruit growers and traders during the ongoing apple season by reducing logistics costs and facilitating economical transportation to major markets, including Jammu, Delhi and Mumbai.
Uchit Singhal, Senior Divisional Commercial Manager, Jammu, said the scheme would significantly reduce freight expenses, particularly for orchardists, fruit growers and cargo aggregators.
The Jammu division of Northern Railway has urged traders, industry associations and logistics operators to avail themselves of the facility.
