CWC to start work on railside cargo complex

Kolkata: Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC) is to start work shortly on the railside cargo complex it proposes to construct at Dankuni, near Kolkata, on the land provided by Eastern Railway (ER). This follows finalisation of agreement between CWC and ER recently. The proposed complex is to serve both rail and road traffic, it is learnt.

The entire complex is to come up over an estimated area of 20,000 sq metres of which the covered storage space will occupy about 8,500 sq metres and the balance common users’ facilities. The total capacity of the proposed complex is estimated at 12,000 tonnes. The project, estimated to cost more than Rs 30 crore, will be ready for operation within a year or so. Once commissioned, the Dankuni cargo complex, it is felt, is to ease the road congestion within the city.

CWC will share with ER five per cent of the annual gross earnings plus pay a nominal lease rental of Re 1 one per sq metre.

CWC, it might be noted, has entered into an agreement with Indian Railways for setting up as many as 22 railside cargo complexes all over the country. Two of them will be under Eastern Railway: one at the Dankuni and the other at Burdwan. The work on the one at Burdwan too will be taken up before long to make it ready for operation from the 2009-10 fiscal, it is learnt.