Draft submitted for Cabinet approval
*Major step towards accelerated economic growth
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Nov 18: In a major step towards transforming the logistics landscape of the Union Territory, a high-level committee has formulated J&K Logistics Policy and City Logistics Plans for Jammu and Srinagar and the draft prepared after months of interdepartmental consultations and field assessments has been forwarded to the Government for placement before the Cabinet for approval.
The exercise was undertaken by the Logistic Coordination Committee, constituted by the J&K Government on May 20, 2025, specifically to frame the Union Territory’s Logistics Policy and Logistics Plans in line with the National Logistics Policy and PM Gati Shakti guidelines.
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The committee was entrusted with a wide-ranging mandate to overhaul logistics planning and execution across the UT. Its Terms of Reference included finalizing the UT Logistics Policy and City Logistics Plans for the capital cities, facilitating ease of cargo movement through green channels, minimizing delays and paperwork for freight carriers, developing Transport Nagar as a hub for logistics service providers and transport operators, establishing logistics and warehousing hubs/dry ports to streamline freight handling.
Further, the mandate of the committee was to identify infrastructure gaps in current logistics systems and promote multimodal integration to improve efficiency for domestic and EXIM trade, formulate strategies for new infrastructure creation and upgradation of existing facilities to reduce logistics cost and ensure competitiveness and to explore the adoption of PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan, enabling integrated project planning, inter-agency coordination and improved last-mile connectivity.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that the committee has fully delivered on all terms assigned to it, completing all required studies, assessments, consultations with stakeholders and drafting the final versions of the policy and plans. “Now, the draft has been submitted to the Government for placement before the Cabinet for approval”, they added.
The newly drafted UT Logistics Policy is designed to bring Jammu & Kashmir at par with national logistics benchmarks. It lays down strategies to strengthen multimodal connectivity, build integrated logistics parks, create last-mile linkages to industrial clusters, introduce technology-driven systems for tracking and transit monitoring, reduce turnaround time for freight, streamline regulatory processes and encourage private-sector participation.
The policy envisions J&K as a “high-efficiency, low-cost logistics zone” over the next decade, leveraging its unique geographic position as the gateway to major markets. “The City Logistics Plans–first of their kind for the two rapidly growing urban centers (Jammu and Srinagar) address long-standing issues of congestion, unorganized freight movement and the absence of structured urban freight corridors”, sources said.
The key elements of these plans include mapping of freight-intensive urban pockets, designated loading and unloading zones, night-time freight movement regulations, development of freight consolidation centers, integration of urban logistics with industrial estates and Mandis and digitized freight management through smart permitting systems.
“One of the major thrust areas highlighted by the committee is the development of Transport Nagar as a fully functional logistics service center. In addition, the policy outlines a roadmap for developing logistic hubs, warehousing clusters and dry ports in strategic locations across the UT aimed at improving freight consolidation and reducing transit time for EXIM cargo”, sources informed.
They further said, “a major feature of the policy is its alignment with the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan, which provides a digital platform for integrated infrastructure planning. Once approved, the UT will use the Gati Shakti platform to coordinate among departments, plan logistics corridors and ensure seamless connectivity between highways, railheads, industrial estates, mandis and airports”, adding “the inter-agency coordination will help reduce duplication of infrastructure, cut delays and improve last-mile connectivity, which otherwise is a challenge for the mountainous regions of J&K”.
According to the sources, the Logistics Policy and City Logistics Plans promise transformative benefits for the UT like low logistics costs, boost to agriculture & horticulture, faster movement of goods, investment & industrial growth, growth of e-commerce & startups and employment generation.
Officials described the development as a “major economic milestone”, adding that the policy will pave the way for efficient trade, urban transformation and accelerated economic growth across J&K.
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