By Jaideep Sarin, IANS
Amritsar : International trading through this Sikh holy city promises to hold a good future, with cargo handling starting from the Rajasansi international airport here.
The cargo terminal at the airport is expected to handle up to 1,500 tonnes of cargo from the first month itself. So far, cargo handling through this airport – the fastest growing international airport in India – is a mere 200 tonnes.
Amritsar, which used to be a major trading centre of northern India before the country’s independence in 1947 and the creation of Pakistan, lost much ground in business as partition saw the international border being drawn close to this city.
That tucked Amritsar virtually into a corner of Punjab. Trading from the city used to take place to the present Pakistan, Afghanistan, Central Asia and other countries.
The Airports Authority of India has leased the cargo terminal to a private entrepreneur – JAC Air Services – to handle all cargo-related activities here.
Till now, cargo in huge volumes was not being handled from the airport even though the facility has existed for over five years. The cargo terminal even had a cold store for keeping perishables but was never used.
“We are looking at big business growth from Amritsar in the coming years. From the first month itself (August), we have orders in place. This airport can cater to all north Indian states. Goods need not be taken to Delhi’s cargo terminal to be exported to other countries,” JAC air services managing director Lalit Jobanputra told IANS.
Goods manufactured and produced in states like Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir are now sent by trucks and trains to New Delhi and then sent by air to other countries.
“The passenger traffic, especially international passengers, has grown phenomenally in the last 5-7 years. We are expecting the cargo facility to grow manifold in the coming time,” airport director Arun Talwar said.
Amritsar MP Navjot Singh Sidhu is equally upbeat about the cargo terminal. “This is a historic moment for Amritsar. It will bring trading back to this area,” Sidhu said, when he inaugurated the cargo facility Aug 1.
“We are flooded with enquiries. Once the cargo handling operations here smoothen, more manufacturers will prefer to send their products from here rather than from Delhi,” Jobanputra said.
Ludhiana alone – one of the biggest industrial cities in Asia – has hundreds of manufacturing units that would want to send cargo from Amritsar rather than New Delhi. This is because sending goods to Delhi airport by trucks consumes 10-12 hours. Trucks also get stranded at the Delhi border because they cannot enter the national capital during daytime.
“This leads to delay. If I can send my goods through Amritsar, it will be a lot more convenient and faster,” says Rakesh Aggarwal, a garments exporter from Ludhiana.
The Amritsar airport is just over two hours away from Ludhiana, and transporting goods from Ludhiana will be easier and faster for manufacturers.
Jalandhar city, known for its sports goods and other export-oriented industry, is even closer to Amritsar – just 90 km away.
“Many international cargo airlines could get interested in Amritsar once the cargo facility is streamlined,” points out Ashok Sethi, a businessman.