Govt draft policy for decongesting Delhi by relocating logistics infra to periphery

New Delhi: The Delhi government has come up with a draft policy aiming to decongest the city by setting up a network of freight villages and micro-delivery hubs and relocating logistics infrastructure to the periphery of the national capital, officials said on Saturday.

Around 1.93 lakh vehicles enter Delhi and leave the city every day. Out of these, about 79 per cent vehicles have business inside the city like unloading of goods and carrying finished products and commodities to various parts of the country.

It is estimated that the goods vehicle traffic will increase to about 5.13 lakh trucks by 2042 in the city, according to the policy document.

The ‘City Logistics Policy’ draft has been put in public domain by the Industries department for having feedback of stakeholders like transporters, logistics agencies, traders and industry before finalising and notifying the policy, officials said.

Urban freight delivery is an important aspect for the functioning of a city but at the same time, it causes various challenges like congestion, pollution and safety issues on the road network.

The draft policy recommends setting up three urban consolidation and logistics distribution centers (UCLDCs) or freight villages at the periphery of the city along Delhi-Jaipur, Delhi-Faridabad highways and Delhi-Meerut expressway.

The freight villages will be equipped with all modern facilities for handling, storage, sorting, consolidations, and distribution of goods thereby catering to key commodities arriving and leaving Delhi, at peripheral roads.

It is estimated that about 70-80 hectares of land is required to develop various facilities at the proposed UCLDCs including improved connectivity through at least 6-lane road for access and egress to and from the highways.

The policy suggests the ways to decongest Delhi’s city center and relocate logistics infrastructure to the periphery.The freight hotspots at the city center like wholesale markets, manufacturing areas, industrial areas, and transhipment hubs are critical part of city’s economy but lack adequate facilities for loading-unloading spaces, good quality roads to sustain the operational efficiency of the businesses.

According to the e-way bill data, it has been identified that some areas like Tughlakabad, Sarita Vihar, Chandni Chowk, Paharganj, Daryaganj, Wazirpur, Karol Bagh, Naraina,

Kirti Nagar, Patel Nagar (110015), and Gandhi Nagar in the city have dominant share of freight traffic movement in the city.