Govt plans to link Korba-Raipur stretch with Nagpur industrial corridor

The Chhattisgarh government is planning to link the Korba-Bilaspur-Raipur stretch with the proposed Nagpur industrial corridor to accelerate economic growth in the state.

Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai last week met Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal and discussed various projects that the state was looking forward to expediting.

Sai and Goyal discussed key developmental initiatives for the state, focusing on the industrial corridor, international air cargo facilities, and various other projects.

The proposed National Industrial Development Corporation (NIDC) link with the state was prominent among other issues.

“Union Minister Piyush Goyal assured us that the proposal would be reviewed and acted upon promptly,” a state government spokesperson said.

Goyal also directed the officials to take necessary action in this regard.

The chief minister told the Union minister that linking Korba-Bilaspur-Raipur in Chhattisgarh with the Nagpur industrial corridor would enhance industrial activities in the state significantly and create employment opportunities.

The move will help the state get a prominent place on the national industrial map, he added.

The NIDC had proposed a 1,080-km fast route between Delhi and Nagpur for the industrial corridor. Besides, another corridor between Nagpur and Hyderabad had been proposed. Chhattisgarh is desperately looking forward to linking the two corridors to boost industrial development and activities.

The chief minister also stressed the need for international air cargo facilities in Raipur. He said that this would boost export of agricultural and food processing products from the state.

He proposed utilising existing facilities of the old terminal for this purpose. This facility will help industries of the state to compete in the global markets.

Establishment of an Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) certification office was also discussed in the meeting.

The chief minister said that the office would give global recognition to agricultural products from Chhattisgarh, which will benefit farmers and industrialists.