A key element of the India Middle East Europe Economic Corridor plan will be to make the movement hassle free and have standardised equipment at all ports and railway yards in India as well as in other countries that are part of the project – UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Israel – so that containers sealed in India can move directly without being opened in any country.
“We will step up our investment in improving connectivity to the eight ports so that we can reach these ports within 36 hours from any part of the country and quickly ship our goods to West Asia and Europe, using the IMEEC,” railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw shared. The Rs 3.5 lakh crore investment includes several projects which are in the pipeline or have been cleared recently, such as the Rs 4,500 Son Nagar-Andal link upgrade. The dedicated freight corridors are going to be a key element of the plan as goods can move faster. While some doubts have been raised over the project moving forward following the tension in West Asia, the government has maintained that there will be no impact. “The IMEEC, which is an India initiative, is for the long term and its significance is long term.
While short-term glitches can have concerns and occupy our minds, we will keep engaging with all stakeholders. This is just not for the immediate future, we have started it with a long-term interest,” FM Nirmala Sitharaman had said.
