Firhad Hakim lays foundation stone of logistic hub in Dankuni

kolkata: Various measures are being taken to reduce the environmental pollution level in the city by 2030, Firhad Hakim, state minister for Urban Development and Municipal Affairs department, said while laying the foundation stone of a logistic hub at Dankuni in Hooghly on Tuesday.

He said once completed, the hub would help reduce environmental pollution in the city. Long chassis trucks from other states would be parked at the hub. Small trucks will be used to ferry the goods to the city, particularly to the wholesale markets. He said this will reduce pollution and traffic jams in Kolkata.

The hub will have restrooms for the drivers, shops selling spares and repairing workshops, and proper parking bay to keep the trucks. There will be cleaning arrangements for the vehicles also. Once a truck enters the hub, the drivers will have all the facilities under one roof.

Hakim said logistic hubs will come up at Siliguri, Durgapur, Tajpur, Malda and Hooghly. He said plans for traffic management in these cities need to be done now. He added once the logistic hub is completed, no trucks will be allowed to park on the service roads.

It may be recalled that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had asked the state administration to take action against trucks that are parked illegally on the service roads of national highways following the road accident of Abhishek Banerjee four years ago.

State government had then written letters to the National Highway Authorities of India ( NHAI) and raised the issue. Black spots had been identified and accident zones spotted but even the NHAI had failed to stop parking of trucks on the service roads.