Brrrrrrr @ MJ Logistics!

Hang on. I am not talking about the Coca-Cola TV commercial running on Indian TV sets. It sucks. That's beside the point.

The 'Brrrrr" in the title refers to myself inside the chiller room of MJ Logistics where the temperature was close to MINUS 18 degrees celsius. I repeat, MINUS 18 degrees celsius.

What was I doing inside such inhospitable terrain? Was I sentenced? Or did I volunteer? Good questions. Honestly, it was the second option.

With mercury creeping into 30 plus celsius in Delhi, the weather was getting hot. Don't know about you, but I have more than a fortnight ago folded by quilt and tucked my entire woolen gear into the mouth of my master bed to be retrieved Winter 2011 - more than 7-8 months away. Uff.

I am in the midst of trying to understand the warehouse scenario in India. As part of this exercise, have been visiting warehouses in various parts of the country. In Indian context, warehouses are nothing more than "larger" godowns is my preconceived notion. How do I correct that PCN - assuming it is wrong?

Seeing is believing is my credo or funda. So when Manisha Kumar nee Meghani of MJ Logistics invited me to visit her Palwal warehousing facility, I grabbed the chance with both hands. Seventy kilometres from Delhi and situated on National Highway 2, it was a chance to revisit beyond Badarpur which I have not done for many years.

But I did not bargain for the cold storage experience at this facility. Luminiscent yellow coated contract labour were in full swing: driving Linde forklifts and stacking food items at slots you and I cannot reach standing on floor.

Lensman Anil Baral was worked up to enter these chiller rooms. Not that he was new to this experience. Only a few weeks ago, he had visited a cold storage facility at Azadpur. Still, he was game.

Sprightly Manisha advised us to wear leather jackets to beat the biting cold if we were to enter the chiller rooms. Anil took a brown one and I grabbed a yellow one. On cue from her, one of the chiller rooms was opened for both Anil and I to enter.
It was dark - not pitch dark. One could easily spot two more figures hovering around inside: one on a forklift and another on ground. The forklift operator was wearing a hooded mask with open slots for eyes alone! Scary, indeed.

Suddenly we began to hear crackling sound. Like the one you hear when you walk in pebbles in the paved pathways. Or on stone-strewn beachways. "What's it?" I shouted out. "Baraf (ice) on the floor," came the response from nowhere. I could not locate the voice owner.

I already started feeling numb. Maybe I would have been inside the chiller room for less than two minutes. Rubbing my eyes, I looked around and at the ceiling: height, may be, 10 metres. Was it the same height as the one I had seen at Sonepat apple processing and storage facility at Concor's subsidiary last summer? Or the ones I visited with Anil again at Rampur, 125 km from Simla belonging to Adani group? But one thing was sure, it was much larger, longer and spacious than the shark storage facility I had visited near Duqm, 400 km away from Muscat a few years ago in the company Zoher Al Araby, the Egyptian journalist who was editing an Arabic edition of economic/business magazine Alam Al iktisaad walamaal.

More about the Duqm shark storage facility, a little later.

Back to MJ Logistics' chiller room @ Palwal, 70 km away from Delhi.

I found Anil croutching on the floor behind his tri-podded camera at the lowest level possible. I heard him giving instructions to the forklift operator to move the vehicle and "look at me" kind of instructions to get a better shot. One thing I like about photographers is that they make their targets like putty. The 'targets' are more than wiling to 'pose' for that 'snap'. Who does not like getting photographed, tell me?

There were corrugated boxes of foodstuff - vegetarian as well as non-vegetarian in that minus 18 degree celsius environment. Forklift was in full operation. I could vaguely see the pallette-holder moving vertically along with a lean assistant perched next to the box. Also the whirring sound of the forklift movement upwards.

Must have been inside that room for close to 5 minutes and it was getting unbearable. I exited leaving Anil behind.

'Hope Anil is okay," chirped Manisha standing outside the C.R.

When Anil came out a few seconds later, he suggested entry to other C.R.

Why?

"I want to shoot a C.R. stacked to the full," responded the son of retired Gurkha Regiment soldier and pursuing his degree through distant education.

Of course, why not?

Manisha was game and after a brief chat with the cold storage incharge, Anil and I moved to the C.R. a few feet away. The yellow-coated assistants were ogling at Anil curiously.

"I want a shot of the entire crew around the Linde forklift," Anil said to no one in particular.

Manisha, walking alongside, gave a toothy smile. Perhaps she meant a 'Yes".

We moved into another C.R. and Anil ought to have been happy to notice the racks were stacked to the maximum.

Unforutnately, his camera got stalled.

"It's not working, Sir," he said and added a few seconds later, "maybe the chillness caused it."

What the hell?

I saw him rubbing the lenses with his palm and readjusting something in that semi-light - or is it semi-darkness?.

Leaving him behind, I came out.

Manisha was ready with a hot cuppa of tea. Very thoughtful of her.

Leaving one cup for Anil, both of us began sipping our hot beverage.

It was divine.

How does the workers manage the chillness?

They get regular rest periods during the shift. For every hour spent inside the C.R., they get one hour off, I was briefed.

They zip in and zip out constantly and that is bound to affect them, no doubt. Chances of cold-related illness is pretty high.

Interaction with workers revealed that even on a busy day, they get to spend not more than 3 hours with breaks inside C.R. Most of the workers were in their early twenties, barring one or two elderly - above 40 age group.

The entire area was spick and span. Saw safety or warning boards were being hammered into the wall.

More to come

London Olympics Games 2012 - 1

UPS has opened a 331,000 sq ft warehouse in Stevenage which is dedicated to logistics for the 2012 London Olympic Games.

It secured the lease in October 2010, and began moving inventory into the facility in January.

The Stevenage facility will house sports equipment, computers, TV screens, timing clocks, furniture and staging equipment for medal ceremonies.
“You could have a boat down one aisle, a table tennis table down the next, a computer on the next aisle, and you could have something for the ceremonies in the next. It’s hugely diverse, which makes it totally unique.”

UPS has a second facility dedicated to the games at Tilbury. This 550,000 sq ft hub will take its first delivery of inventory next week. It will focus on more robust items such as outdoor equipment and furniture.

The supply chain itself will dictate which warehouse some items go to, for example furniture for the athletes’ village will be processed at Tilbury, because it will arrive there, at the port, on a ship from Asia.

UPS also plans to buy 10 bio-methane tractor units for use on its logistics operations for the games at Tilbury, depending on the results of an ongoing trial.

Courtesy: Logisticsmanager.com

ROADTRIP: Jamshedpur-Ludhiana-8

"Sirji, can we move?"

It was Pandeyji from the upper berth.

Day 3 has just dawned.

Pervez was up. So too Pandeyji.

The wristwatch showed 7.11 a.m.

We got out of our night gear.

Soon the engine roared and our journey to LUdhaina resumed.

It was chill and foggy and the traffic on NH 56 - linking Benares with Lucknow - was thin.

Half an hour later, Pandeyji halted the vehicle. Time for brushing our teeth and "maidan operation".

What's maidan operation? Well, that's the code word used by Pandeyji referring to the bowel empty exercise! First time, he mentioned this phrase, I did not grasp the meaning of it. Wondered whether he was suggesting a bit of morning walking exercise. There was a round of mirth and laughter when he understood my 'misunderstanding'.

It was his turn to walk with Pepsi bottle in hand! Pervez too trooped with another Pepsi in a different direction. Before parting, our respective toothbrushes and paste were digged out. There was a well and a running water tap on the roadside. A vast tract of agricultural land was on the other side.

Back in the saddle, Pandeyji announced that we would be passing his hometown soon and suggested that we halt for breakfast where his brothers (elder and younger) would join us.

Incidentally, Pervez said that his village is also hardly 50 km away near Sultanpur and he wanted to visit his family for a few hours. He would join us after the Pandeyji parivar interaction gets over.

It was a fair proposition. Without any loss of time, a passing UP State Transport bus going towards Sultanpur was waved down and Pervez despatched off.

In no time, Pandeyji phoned his family members and gave them his whereabouts. It began to drizzle as we parked and stepped out.

One look at the roadside signage indicated that we had covered 99 km so far after leaving Benares last night. That is leaving NH2 and entering NH 56.


Prem Jalpan Grh is where we decided to break our 'fast'. By sheer luck, Pandeyji ran into his relatives at the hotel. Mind you, this is not a 'dhaba'! Piping hot samosa, kaala jamun and hot tea in a tiny mud pot formed part of our morning session.

While travelling on Indian highways - particularly through small towns and villages, you simply expect a 100% hygienic desi or McDonald kind of eateries. As one passes through these villages/towns where invariably buses halt to pick/drop passengers you will invariably see a clutch of Prem Jalpan Grh type of eating joints.

These joints are basically created to cater to the floating population: meaning,
highway passengers who halt for breakfast or chai-paani (water and tea). It is a normal sight to see hungry customers gobbling up hot jilebis and samosas out of disposable alumnimium-foiled plates and tea filled in mudpots.

Chances of getting coffee is very remote. Few drink brewed coffee. Chai is the most preferred hot beverage. That too, with extra sugar. Ask for sugarless tea. Tough choice.

Don't be surprised if birds and dogs give company under the table on which your servings are kept. Owners promise you that these dogs don't bite! Occasionally, assistants shoo away these creatures to assure you that all is well.

We all learn to live with God's other creations as well.

When Pandeyji received a call from his family, it began to rain heavily. We bid goodbye to his relatives and ran a hundred metres where our truck was parked near another dhaba which had a sizeable parking space to accommodate our longish truck.

I did not bargain for what was in store over the next few hours...

It was a memorable day for me...

To be continued

ROADTRIP: Jamshedpur-Ludhiana-7

Habits die hard. I could not sleep beyond 4 a.m. Rubbed my eyes and looked around from the lower berth inside the "horse". I could hear the loud snoring of Pandeyji a few feet above me. He was in deep slumber in the upper berth.

Turning onto my right, I noticed a 'bundle'. It was Pervez, second driver-cum-assitant, in sleep. But no snoring. He has managed to prepare a tolerable bed for himself by placing a wooden plank and a folded thick blanket over the engine bonnet between the front two seats. Had I been not there, he would have occupied the upper berth leaving the more comfortable lower berth to Pandeyji, his "Boss".

If you have ever travelled in a truck, you would be familiar with the actual position of these berths. In a way, it is like a three-tier Indian Railways passenger bogies. None of the occupants of these three berths will be in a position to sit comfortably in their seats when the berths in place. Next to impossible, you will agree.

The same holds good for trucks. The gap between upper and lower berth is insufficient for the occupier of the lower berth to sit - particularly when someone is occupying the upper slot. Because, when a person gets onto the upper berth, it creates a dip that further reduces the gap. I hope you understand my predicament.

I tried to look out. It was pitch dark since we were parked on the side of NH 56 linking Benares with Lucknow. Whatever little shower light came from passing vehicles.

Suddenly I realised that pressure was building up to empty my bladder. I just have to relieve myself at the earliest. "Pervez," I called out. No response. My worry was that my call out should not wake up Pandeyji. AGain I called out in a low voice. No response again.

Taking courage, I began to nudge him. No impact. "Pervez," I called out. Finally, I shook him hard. Pervez woke up and gave room for me to exit. In the dark, I managed to locate my floaters and climbed down. Picked up the Pepsi PET bottle and found it to be empty. Oh My God!

After shutting the cabin door, I looked around. Right across the road where we had dined a few hours ago, I spotted the hand pump where we washed our hands post-dinner. Good God...

Got my Pepsi bottle filled up and moved at least 50 metres away from the truck. It was drizzling and the ground was muddy and slippery. It was dark too. In the shortest possible time, I emptied my bowels just behind a unrecognizable tree. What a relief it was! Returned to the hand pump, washed hands and feet.

I quietly slipped into the cabin. Poor Pervez was sleeping in a sitting position in the driver's seat to enable me creep into my slot. Once I moved into the berth, I touched him to signal that I was back. Effortlessly, he spread himself on the sleeping slot.

Had I not returned for an hour also, Pervez would have remained seated in the driver's seat, I felt. You drive or don't drive, travelling in a truck is tiresome.

I looked at my watch which read 4:18. I covered myself in blanket and tried to sleep. It was a useless effort. What to do then?

How to keep my mind busy till I sleep again? I switched on my handphone and began checking my inbox. There were more than 43 unread messages. At least half of them were unasked for. So what? I began reading one by one. Just to kill time or before I re-enter sleeping territory.

By the time, I completed five, eyes began to waver due to strain perhaps. I switched off mobile. How about a bit of counting numbers in the reverse direction? 100, 99, 98, 97, 96, 95 ....

I don't know when I stopped, but I am sure I did not reach single digits!

To be continued

Prosecute cargo owners for overloading?

Well, this is what Kenya Transport Association (KTA) is demanding, reports Patrick Beja of Financial Journal.

Casting the net wider to prosecute cargo owners and not just transporters and truck drivers is among proposals being considered to save key investments in Kenya's road networks.

KTA chairman Paul Maiyo says the Government and stakeholders must end blame games for the sorry mess in road transport, and instead take radical measures to stamp out overloading.

Up to $960 million investment is being put at risk by truck owners ignoring maximum axle load limits on the Northern Corridor a network of roads that links Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan and the eastern DRC to the port of Mombasa.



This network of roads is a lifeline to most of these landlocked states that rely on the port to import and export goods. The $960 million is what the Government is investing in the Northern Corridor Transport Improvement Project from public and donor funds.

Both cargo and truck owners are working with corrupt police officers manning various weighbridges to flout the axle load rules and make an extra shilling.

In the process, they are shortening the lifespan of newly-built roads and those reconstructed in the last five years. Much of the private funds invested in the NCTIP must be repaid with taxpayers money at interest, yet the full value of the network will not be realised if its lifespan is shortened.

The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) has 13 weighbridges across the national roads networks meant to check ensure trucks are sticking to the recommended axle load limits.

Near collapse
The weighbridges are located at Mariakani, Mtwapa, Athi River, Isinya, Juja, Gilgil, Mai Mahiu, Eldoret, Malaba, Kisumu, Webuye, Busia and Isebania. Because of the near collapse of the Kenya Railways cargo business, 95 per cent of cargo leaving the port to various inland destinations are ferried by road.

Privatization of weighbridges has slightly reduced the problem of overloading, but the dragnet is yet to catch all the agents of road destruction.

High cost of fuel particularly diesel, lack of Government incentives in renewal of transport fleets and outright corruption play out to perpetuate excess loading of trucks.

The overloading menace has now posed concern to stakeholders particularly the Kenya National Highway Authority (KeNHA) that spends about Sh80 billion of taxpapers money annually to fund the construction of roads.

Last year, 2,208 of the 382,000 trucks weighed were penalised Sh95.5 million for overloading. And as the country confronts the daunting task of stopping road damage by excess loads, hauliers are in agreement that weighing trucks at the source of
cargo could effectively tackle overloading.

KTA and the Road Transport Association (RTA), which represent most truck owners, are also recommending establishment of weighbridges at the port and other cargo sources, to save roads.

Cargo should be weighed at the port, various yards and company premises where it originantes to beat corruption at weighbridges and foreign ports should also be sensitised on compliance with the loading of containers to acceptable weights, says KTA chairman, Maiyo.

The Government is supposed to send a circular to such ports to ensure a 20 foot containers weigh 18 tonnes and 40 foot containers do not exceed 27 tonnes in weight, including cargo.

"If the Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) has enforced the eight-year regulation for vehicles coming to Kenya, why can’t this apply to containerised cargo?" queries Maiyo.

He explains that importers are the ones who issue instructions to their suppliers to stuff cargo into a container.

"Without a weighbridge at the point of entry or loading, it is impossible for the transporter to determine the weight of cargo in the container," he says.

And for penalties, Maiyo wants the net cast wider to ensure not just transporters and drivers, but cargo owners too are prosecuted for overloading instead of drivers caught carrying excess goods to bring sense on the roads.

"With the frequent increase in fuel prices, overloading is back, But we must stop this because we cannot resolve a problem by creating another one," he says.

He expressed concern that instead of calibrating the busy weighbridges as regular as every month, KeNHA had neglected the machines.

"In the spirit of transparency and accountability, we call upon the government to install billboards to prominently display the metre readings when trucks are weighed," Maiyo says.

Despite some registered success, privatisation of the weighbridges to transporters was tantamount to privatizing corruption, because overloaded trucks
were still passing through such checks.

Separately, RTA chairman, Mr Ahmed Shimbwa, says cargo should be weighed at the point of loading, and at a second weighbridge for verification purposes, instead of having so many weighbridges on the highway.

Point of exit
Shimbwa noted that trucks are subjected to as many as seven weighbridges before the point of exit and can be charged even after being cleared by several machines.
"All of us should advocate for good roads by embracing good business practices. We should initiate dialogue between Government and stakeholders and nurture
co-operation rather than competition," says Shimbwa.

He noted that weighbridges have become a non-tariff barrier to trade along the Northern Corridor and their operations should be streamlined.

He challenged Government to lead in a campaign to popularise Kenya’s standard weights to the international community and importers to ensure containers are
properly loaded and that the ministry of Transport, Kenya Ports Authority (KPA), Kenya Maritime Authority (KMA), Kenya Shippers Council, Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), KeNHA and Kebs take a lead in ensuring permissible weights on the roads, instead of victimizing the transporters.

Both KTA and RTA argue that although many transporters are striving to comply with the Gross Vehicular Weight (GVW) of 48 tonnes, there were instances where trucks carrying up to 60 tonnes have been allowed on the roads.

Compliance with axle load limits among trucks has presented a challenge owing to a pending court battle and is not currently enforced at the Mariakani weighbridge.
Unless police reforms are put in place, they fear, corruption would continue unabated on the highways.

The associations want truckers to belong to such Government-recognised bodies to weed out rogue transporters, and raise the level of compliance.

Perhaps there are some lessons for India to learn...

Paintings @ FIEO, Delhi

Remember, a few days ago, I spoke of paintings at offices associated with logistics and supply chain arena.

I stumbled upon this bunch of paintings that are decorating the FIEO Delhi headquarters.

During my visit for a quick interaction with the then FIEO President Sakthivel (Tirupur knitting czar!) last year, I could not help capture these. Take a look..
What do they mean or signify? I have no idea!

Your guess is as good as mine.

But one thing is certain: these paintings add lustre to FIEO hq in Delhi.

Bangalore to Guwahati - TCI Rail Cargo

Under the service, TCI Freight, the surface transport division of TCI will run a weekly cargo train leaving every Sunday from Bangalore.

Transport Corporation of India Limited (TCI), India’s leading integrated supply chain and logistics solutions provider, has started a rail cargo express service from Bangalore to Guwahati. Under the service, TCI Freight, the surface transport division of TCI will run a weekly cargo train leaving every Sunday from Bangalore.

For the new service, TCI has taken a Cargo Express Train on lease for 3 years which has a capacity of 21 VP’s (20 Parcel vans+1 SLR) and can carry weight upto 468 tonnes. The average transit time for covering the distance will be reduced by 4-6 days; from 10-12 days by road to 5 days by this rail service. The service between Bangalore and Guwahati will cover various states like Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and other North Eastern States. The first and last mile delivery of the cargo will be undertaken by a dedicated fleet through road by TCI.

On the start of the new service, Mr. Vineet Agarwal, Executive Director, TCI said, “Keeping in mind the needs of our customers and growing trade between south and North East India we have started this service between Bangalore and Guwahati. This is a multimodal service which includes the best of road and rail logistics for a seamless, safe and reliable service. TCI has been at the forefront offering such innovative and customer centric services.”

Radiation threat to Tokyo Bay ports

Damian Brett

Closure of Tokyo and Yokohama would have major effect of container shipping
Japan’s nuclear power station crisis could have a major impact on container shipping, if the threat of radiation forces the closure of ports in the Tokyo Bay area.

Analyst AXS Alphaliner said that so far damage from the earthquake and subsequent tsunami was having a slight impact on Japan’s container supply chain.

But it warned that if the risk of nuclear radiation from the Fukushima power plant escalated it would cause the closure of the ports in Tokyo Bay, Tokyo and Yokohama, which handled 7.5 million teu in 2010, or 38% of Japanese container throughput.

Currently, ships are avoiding an exclusion zone of 30km around the Fukushima plant, and seven container ports have been damaged.

“The direct impact of the Japanese crisis from the earthquake and tsunami, and the subsequent damage of the nuclear plants at Fukushima, will reverberate through the container shipping sector in the coming months,” said the analyst.

“Current assessment of the situation in Japan has been sketchy and often conflicting, with news agencies mostly overstating the impact on the shipping sector.

“Of the ports that suffered serious damage as a result of the disaster, only seven handle container cargo – Sendai, Hachinohe, Hitachinaka, Onahama, Kashima, Ofunato and Ishinomaki – and these ports only handled 1.3% of the total Japanese container throughput in 2010.

“The largest among them – Sendai – handled only 155,611teu last year.”

The death toll from the earthquake and tsunami has now risen to more than 9,400, and nearly 15,000 people are listed as missing.

Engineers have been trying to cool Fukushima’s reactors and spent fuel rods to avoid a major release of radiation, after power to the cooling systems was knocked out by the earthquake and tsunami.

But work at the plant was yesterday halted again, after black smoke was seen rising from reactor three.

Courtesy: www.ifw-net.com

Wow! Unmanned...

ABB Crane Systems has begun commercial production of the world’s first unmanned ship-to-shore crane system after developing the technology in close co-operation with Manzanillo International Terminal (MIT) in Panama.

The remote operation was developed with MIT (pictured), which had a team of engineers and operators to test and evaluate the functionality.


ABB said that the unmanned STS crane was realised as a logical step in the company’s extensive range of automation solutions for STS and stacking cranes.

As Cargo Systems reported in December 2007, the partners initially developed a system which fixed the operator’s cabin to one of the waterside legs of the STS crane. That step has now led on to a fully remote operation.

According to ABB, the unmanned STS crane is “an excellent example of how one market segment can benefit from progress made in another segment”.

The firm explained that the unmanned operation was one important step in a series of development projects targeting STS crane productivity, energy efficiency and driver ergonomics.

Instead of sitting in the cabin attached to the trolley, the crane operator can now supervise the operation from a remote control station similar to that used for automatic stacking cranes (ASCs).

The development is expeted to means a greatly improved working environment for the crane operator without imposing stresses on his back.

“We are pleased to see the new unmanned operation in production and are proud to be the first in the world to deliver the system,” said ABB.

Courtesy: www.cargosystems.net

ROADTRIP: Jamshedpur-Ludhaina-6

In the excitement of having escaped from paying any bribe at the Bihar entry point, we have totally forgotten about our lunch on Day 2.

We passed the second toll gate at Sawkala after paying Rs.210 as fee around 2.30 p.m. The traffic flow was normal - noticed several tarpaulined trucks of DARCL (earlier known as Delhi Assam Road Carriers) in the opposite direction.
But in per centage terms, the car carriers was very high with OSL dominating the scenario.

Close to 5 p.m., we slipped through toll gate 3 at Sasaram (Rs.165). Earlier in the day, we crossed Gaya, 65 km before Sasaram. Three days ago, I had passed through these landmarks in a train from Delhi.

Benares or Varanasi, I was told, would come about in another 100 km. What are the chances of witnessing the sacred city in daylight? No chance, said Pandeyji. It would be dark because Benares is in Uttar Pradesh and the chances of being "waylaid" by RTOs and Traffic Inspectors are considered very high.

By dark, we exited Bihar and entered Uttar Pradesh. Perhaps the shortest duration we had spent on Bihar soil. The Uttar Pradesh stretch would be a long one, I heard Pervez telling no one in particular.

In a few kilometres, we would be moving away from the pucca 4-lane NH2 and move into state highway which according to Pandeyji was nothing to write home about. I was feeling a bit low.

Quietly our trailer moved away from NH2 and entered a service lane in utter darkness. We got out and Pandeyji led us to the makeshift hut where we were greeted with "namaste". Pandeyji handed over the truck papers to the young lad who for a fee would get the entry permit.

All commercial vehicles have to fill up a form, solemnly affirm that the goods being carried are not for sale in Uttar Pradesh and thereby need not pay commercial tax levied by the state government. Besides, the fleet driver/company has to indicate his route plan as he plans to traverse through Uttar Pradesh and specifically state which paprticular border checkpost he would use to exit Uttar Pradesh.

Usually, the drivers get a 4-day permit given the fact that our truck has to reach Punjab through Haryana. The young lad, who is well versed in these matters swiftly filled in the forms on his own, exited. While waiting for his return, we entertained ourselves with a hot cuppa tea brought in by his assistant.

The hut had a long wooden cut and two hurricane lamps,burning brightly. Mosquites buzzed feverishly around my ears. Remembered that I should have carried Odomos, the mosquito repellant, which my spouse had packed into my bag when I left Delhi. It ought to be in the bag, I told myself.

Soon, the young lad reappeared and handed over the paper with the offical "chappa". He grandly announced that we got 4 days to exit Uttar Pradesh. Do we really need 4 days? I asked Pandeyji.

Two and half a days is more than sufficient. But, who knows. If there is a hartal or road blockade due to any reason, we would be stuck on the highways. It is a precautionary measure. What if, still we are unable to exit within the prescribed 4 days time limit? "Then, we have to seek fresh permission for additional day and give reasons for delay," he explained.

After compensating the young lad, Pandeyji enquired about "road vultures" en route. He was told "nothign to worry" because RTOs don't roam in the nights in UP. Maybe, we may bump into Traffic Inspectors.

But as luck would have it, within 30 minutes, a commercial tax jeep halted us in the middle of the road. Pandeyji jumped out with relevant papers and after scrutiny, we were permitted to proceed. "We were clean," boasted he.

We crossed Benares toll gate (fourth since we entered NH2) after paying Rs.165 as fee. We began to see the din and bustle of Benares from the distance around 8 p.m.

Once again, hunger pangs began. All of us were hungry no doubt. Unfortunately, I could not even sight the sacred Ganges from a moving vehicle.

Suddenly, there was a call to Pandeyji and the caller was the 'young lad'. He hinted that we would have to meet a traffic inspector before we exit NH2 into NH56 which connects Benares with Lucknow where we are headed.

Every few minutes, Pandeyji was getting calls on the possible whereabouts of the prospective bribe-taker!

Nothing happened. No vulture sprang and we moved into NH 56. Bloody, the name is National Highway. But it was like NH33 - two lanes through villages and towns.

Around 9.30 p.m. I think Pandeyji also felt hungry and decided to halt at Dhaniamou, 25 kms before Jaunpur. It was pitch dark.

We got out after parking the trailer on the roadside - leaving sufficient room for both way traffic to proceed unhindered! A mammoth task, indeed.

We sat down for "dinner" in an unlit dhaba where half a dozen other drivers were already eagerly gobbling up their food.

We settled for tandoori roti, dal, salad and dahi.

It was very cold. For the second night, I tucked into the lower berth, borrowed an extra blanket from Pervez and dived into deep sleep.

Pandeyji causually indicated that we had covered 754 km since leaving Jamshedpur the previous day.

Another 900 km to cover. Uff.

(To be continued)

India, booming infra market: Lord Green

India’s booming infrastructure sector offers opportunities for UK firms

As India plans to spend US$1 trillion on infrastructure development over the next five years, the UK's Minister for Trade & Investment Lord Green was in Delhi last week, with a UK rail mission, helping British companies to seek out new business opportunities.

India's busiest railway stations already handle more passengers than the combined numbers handled by all of the country's airports. India plans to spend £57 billion developing its rail network into world-class facilities across the country.

Lord Green believes that UK companies can offer their expertise and capabilities to help India transform its infrastructure capacity, which is key to driving forward its future economic growth.

Last July, the UK and Indian Prime Ministers established the Britain-India Infrastructure Group (BIIG) to take forward business interests in India's large scale infrastructure development program.



British companies including Mott MacDonald and Halcrow are already closely involved with the Delhi Metro project, and a number of other metro projects across India.

India US$1 trillion infrastructure development plans include:

* £6 billion for the construction of dedicated freight corridors along the eastern and western sides of the country.

* £57 billion on rail development, including £1.95 billion for the Chennai Metro Project and £1.5 billion for the Hyderabad Metro.

* Other metro projects include the Delhi metro expansion, Bangalore Metro and the Kolkata Metro.

* India plans to develop six high speed rail corridors including:

•Delhi - Chandigarh - Amritsar
•Pune - Mumbai - Ahmedabad
•Hyderabad - Dornakal - Vijayawada - Chennai
•Howrah - Haldia
•Chennai - Bangalore - Coimbatore - Ernakulam
•Delhi - Agra - Lucknow - Varanasi - Patna

Lord Green has also called for greater economic liberalisation in India to further the enhanced partnership between India and the UK, saying that a successful EU-India Free Trade Agreement in the coming months, as well as completion of Doha negotiations, would benefit both British and Indian companies.

India-UK trade rose by more than two-thirds between 2004 and 2009 and now stands at more than £11 billion a year.

Bilateral trade in 2009 was £11.5 billion. The UK's exports to India increased by 37% last year, while India's exports to the UK increased by 17%.

India is a leading investor in the UK, where more than 700 Indian companies are operating, and the UK receives more than 50% of India's investment into Europe.

ROADTRIP: Jamshedpur-Ludhiana-5

Bathing, I found, is a luxury when you are travelling on a truck over 1650 km on Indian highways.

I mean the closed door bathing which most of us are used to in our daily life.

During my November 2010 Chennai-Gurgaon (2800 km) trip over 7/8 days, I had the chance to bath twice. Luckily the weather was fine then - the onset of winter even in the sultry southern states.

This time, the weather was equally supine because it was still mid-February and I was travelling in the eastern and northern India.

Around 12 noon, we exited Jharkhand through the first private toll station at Raso Dhanolti near Barhi and entered NH 2. Wow! It was a great relief to see a pucca national highway.

How long this luxury would last? I asked Pandeyji.

Till we cross Benares - maybe 250 km - after sunset. By then, we would have exited Bihar also.

Hardly 15 minutes after crossed Barhi toll gate, our trailer came to a halt at a secluded and solitary dhaba.
There were two more Credence Logistics trailers already parked and saw a few drivers lying on the coir cot under the thatched roof.

Pandeyji exchanged greetings with them.

"Now is the time for bath," announced Pandeyji proudly.

We ejected out of the horse and I looked around. Well, there was a 8 x 4 feet water tank and a hose pipe was connected to a nearby well. The tank was filled to the brim. There was none around that place except us. On the near tree, some wet clothes were hung out he clothesline for drying.

With a set of changing clothes, I approached the tank and dipped my fingers into it. It was ice cold.

"You'll enjoy, sirji," cooed Pervez.

Cool wind. Warm sunshine. Cold water. It was blissful.

Next 30 minutes flew away in relishing this open air bath.
Incidentally the dhaba belonged to an ex-employee of Credence Logistics who saw a future in running the dhaba instead of "drivery". Well, that is the word I kept hearing from drivers when they talk about their profession. The second driver or assistant calls him pursuing "conductory". The dhaba owner also acts an external outsourced assistance in helping Credence drivers in managing Bihar highway authorities.

Back in the saddle, all Credence Logistics vehicles drove in unison with the dhaba owner's assistance hitchhiking in one of them towards actual entry into Bihar. After you exit the Barhi tollgate, one is almost in no-man's land. But the roads are fine.

Drivers in opposite direction were signalling that there were no RTOs or Traffic Inspectors on the road. What happened next?

“Are you mad? Stop flashing that currency note in my face. They are watching,” shouted the officer at the Jharkhand-Bihar checkpost on National Highway 2. The young truck driver moving out of Bihar was baffled. Again, he was thrusting the currency note into the hands of the officer on road, surrounded by lathi-wielding cops. From the other side of the ride, seated inside a truck, moving into Bihar near the same spot I was watching this unfolding drama with a lot of curiosity.

What happened to this officer? Is it not his routine to accept money from truckers at checkpost and permit them to ply? If so, why is he behaving abnormally this morning by refusing to accept the bribe offered? I heard him again: “They are watching.” Who is watching? It took a few minutes to realise some senior officers have landed at the office across the road and presumed to be watching the happenings at the checkpost. Whether all this drama is being monitored by the officers or not is beside the point. The unadulterated truth is that bribe-giving and bribe-taking is a routine at most of the interstate borders.

When the same officer moved to our truck, I casually asked him: “What happened?” while he was checking our papers. Before waving us away in the shortest possible time saying, “all is in order”, he said: “officers” – a fact we already surmised. We did not offer any “speed money”. And he did not expect too. The roadside vulture was tamed temporarily though. Well, it was Day 2 and we had hardly covered 150 kilometres so far. More than 1400 km to be covered yet with four more state borders to cross before our destination is reached. More drama in store, I knew.

(To be continued)

IT SPEND Survey- Softlink - Key Insights

Key Insights - Investment in Information Technology – 2010 and 2011

(Planned)>Most of the logistics companies have planned an increase in investment on information technology for 2011.

There is an increase of 12% in IT investment outlay for 2011 in the range of `10 Lakh to `25 Lakh as against 2010.

Majority of the respondents from large and SME have indicated that they will either increase their budget outlay for 2011 or continue with the budget outlay of 2010

The survey reveals that there is an increase of 41% in investment of more than `1 Crore in IT compared to 2010 16% of the respondents have said that they are still undecided on their investment plan for 2011.

While large companies have shown a marked increase of 75% from last year in investment of more than `1 Crore on IT, there is a drop in the percentage of SME from the previous year by 56%.

The number of large companies planning to invest around `50 Lakh to `1 Crore bracket has remained the same as 2010 whereas there has been a drop of 56% among the SME from the figure of 2010.

Incidentally there is an increase of 3% from the figures of 2010 in large companies planning to invest less than `10 Lakh.

Compared to 2010, the SME segment has seen an increase of 85% in `10 to `25 Lakh range.

Courtesy: Softlink, Mumbai, India

ROADTRIP: Jamshedpur-Ludhiana-4

.

Remember what did I say in the previous despatch? I was hungry. Yes.

Honestly, the previous night I did not sleep well. Though not a single shot was heard in the naxal-infested area and in the surcharged atmosphere due to Hindu-Muslim rift in Raongaon, the fear was pretty high. Added to it was the constant "thak-thak" sound of moving vehicles on NH33.

We did not proceed that night did not mean others didn't. Everyone made their own decisions. Those who felt safe to drive through the night, did not shelter till daybreak.

By 7.30 a.m., Anil Pandeyji sensing my hunger pangs halted at Ormani for breakfast. He chose a vegetarian dhaba on the roadside. Initially I thought his selection was because of me being a vegan. No. He himself is a strict UP brahmin and does not touch even eggs (I do).

Pandeyji's companion is a young Pervez, a Muslim and a meat-eater. Over the 1650 km journey, Pervez stayed away - wantonly or otherwise - from maas, machchi. All roadside dhabas are more or less the same.

On the sides of highside, a huge clearing of agricultural or barren land is cleared. Three walls and a thatched roof has come up. Several coired cots are laid out. Very few table and chair facilities. In one corner, there is an open kitchen. Plastic or ever silver jars filled with water. Tall steel tumblers.



Drivers go for paranthas (Indian bread made out of wheat stuffed with boiled vegetables) served with dal (thick lentil soup, spiced with masala), achar (pickle), a katore (small cup) of lime and lemony curd and a plate of salad of diced cucumber, onion, radish and yes lean and green mirchi (chillies).

At the first morning halt, one invariably watch drivers brush their teeth, wash faces and empty their bowels in the open fields. There is no proper toilet facility on the highways. Drivers walking with plastic Pepsi bottles filled with water in the morning is a sight to watch! It's their first communion with nature - almost daily!

By the way, their style of drinking water is interesting. Despite the presence of tumblers, they directly pour water from the huge jugs into their cupped palm and swig it from there. Why? "Adhat se majboor", (habits die hard) is the stock response.

They squat on the coired cots and the breakfast is laid out over a wooden plank of 1 feet width and 5 feet long. Obviously, the plates need a solid, unshaking surface to be placed.

The breakfast is washed off with a hot cuppa tea - very sugary and piping hot. A cigarette or bidi is smoken. Or raw or processed tobacco is stuffed into their mouth as a final passage of rite. All this happens in a span of 30 minutes.

As we glide down (a bit downhill) from Ormaji, we come across a rare spectacle of a constant battery of cyclists with heavy of coal cargo moving in the opposite direction.

Yes, we are passing through the coal rich Jharkhand area and small time merchants are carting coal for sale in their villages. You cannot miss small roadside retailers selling coal from makeshift, temporary tents. Illegally mined or not, no idea.

There is always a complaint that Indian drivers cover hardly 350 km per day as against 700 km plus in matured economies. How can that happen? Take a look at this visual below:



If cattle - donkeys, cows and goats - are going to keep crossing the highways, how can drivers drive fast?

Or look here:



Bang in the middle of the highway, there is a tree. Why this particular tree near Ranchi on NH33 left untouched while expanding the road is a mystery. This is not the only tree blocking heavy duty trucks. There were many on this stretch.

Having crossed Ranchi, we halt at Hazaribagh outside a much larger dhaba - in front of the helipad (actually an empty ground, not the pucca airport which is nearby).




Tata trucks are returning to Jamshedpur after having unloaded axles for Ashok Leyland's new Rudrapur plant, explain Pandeyji. This is the first major halting centre after leaving Jamshedpur the previous night. A busy thoroughfare. Passenger vehicles, loaded with people inside and on top keep plying on this route. A lot of 'horses" (not to be mistaken for the four-legged animal, but the driving cabin of white Tata trucksi) are idling on the roadside while drivers tuck their rotis in. Road expansion is in full swing. Many decade-long trees have been cut and are carted in tempos to timber depots - auctioned by state government). Four-lane carriageway will be a reality in the next six months.

It is still cool in the cabin. Soon we will be touching NH 2 - a proper 4-lane carriageway linking Kolkota with New Delhi, reminds Pandeyji. Half an hour later, I begin to notice movement of trucks and car-carriers (mostly OSL Logistics) at a distance. We have neared Barhi, the border town or village on Jharkhand side and Rasoi Dhanonti toll gate is seen.

"Would you like to bathe?" asks Pandeyji. Why not? I respond positively.

"Wait," says he with a smile.

I begin to wait....

(To be continued)

20 Km/day will continue to be a dream

(PHOTO: NH33 in Jharkhand)

Highways Min struggles for possession of acquired land

Gunjan Pradhan Sinha

New Delhi : The ministry of road transport and highways, which has been successful in bringing land acquisition to levels needed to achieve 20-km-a-day target of road building, is, however, struggling to bring the acquired land under its possession and insulate itself from paying huge compensations to developers.

While, on paper, the ministry has managed to acquire 37,789 hectares of land for its national highways development programme (NHDP), land under its physical possession is rather low at 21,345 hectares.

The primary reason for the discrepancy is blamed on litigations and delays in shifting public utilities, which apparently is the responsibility of state governments. Last year, the ministry had decided to complete acquisition of at least 80 per cent of the land before awarding a project to ensure uninterrupted work. Under the land acquisition policy, the NHAI has to compensate the developer on a daily basis whenever it is unable to hand over the land for building a road.

In Goa, while land has been acquired under Section 3(D) of the National Highways Act 1956, the actual possession is nil. In Uttarakhand while land acquisition is 100 per cent, the actual possession is merely 40 hectares of the total 366 hectares. Himachal Pradesh, in particular, has been a tough state, where both acquisition and possession stand at zero against a total target of 78 hectares.

Other states where the NHDP is lagging on possession include Kerala, Bihar, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and West Bengal. Also, states such as Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, J&K, Delhi and UP are yet to sign the state support agreement (SSA) for land acquisition. The SSA is a reiteration of the constitutional responsibility of the state government and is legally tenable. In Bihar the NHAI managed to actually acquire 903 hectares of the intended 3,659 hectares. Land acquired in the state stands at 2,810 hectares. In Kerala high population density on either side of highways has stalled linear land acquisition. Of the targeted 1,361 hectares only 462 hectares has been acquired, of which roughly 200 hectares is under the Authority's possession. In Gujarat, huge tracts of lands were to be notified last year for acquisition but progress has been slow.

"If we actually have the acquired land under our possession, 20-km-a-day target is achievable," a senior government official associated with the process told The Indian Express. “Land acquisition has reached optimum levels to support our pipeline of projects approved for the NHDP," he said.

Courtesy: Indian Express