Cement, Energy and Environment

The next session DRIVING THE COGS OF PROGRESS with anchor Mr Gaurav Choudhury, Deputy Execu ve Director, Moneycontrol.com emphasized on the last mile connec vity across India. Mr Alok Ranjan (ICAS, Member Finance, Inland Waterways Authority of India, GoI) impressed upon several facts namely – (a) rivers in India not being used for cargo movement a er Bri sh era, (b) crea on of Mul -Modal Terminals(a junc on of all the three transporta on modes) at Varanasi,Sahebgunj & Haldia, Freight Sta ons at Varanasi & Sahebgunj, Naviga onal Lock at Farakka, (c)only maintenance was done for the last 30 years star ng from 1986-2014/15 with Rs.1700Crs outlay but the last 3½ years saw u liza on of the same amount in development works.(d)crea on of 106 nos. more Na onal Waterways in 2016, from the exis ng 5 nos. in 2014.He also gave the per unit cost logis cs of the 3 transporta on modes- inland waterways- Rs.1.12/ton/km,rail- Rs.1.53/ton/km & roads- Rs.3.01/ton/km with Star Cement,Dalmia Cement & Prism Cements availing NW1&2 for 50% reduced transporta on costs and informed that a forum of cargo owners & logis c operators has been created in the IWAI portal. Dr Anjan Cha erjee (Chairman, Conmat Technologies Pvt. Ltd. & former ED, ACC Ltd.) gauged the fact the logis cs cost is to the tune of 20-25% of cement price in India & we need to shi from bag supply to bulk supply(as followed 70-75% globally) & do away with the dealer-distributor network & go for plant- terminals/consumers system as followed in USA while ascertaining the fact that India produces RMC in 105 ci es(3 3 million m of concrete) but this is insignificant in concrete industry & we need to substan ate it more for bulk cement movements. Mr Manoj Srivastava(ED, Traffic Transporta on, Railway Board, GoI) men oned that despite satura on cement cons tutes about 10% of railway freight loading & though freight transporta on costs increased in 2012-15 period, policy changes such as 2 point loading (carrying in small parcels), loading in open boxes & discount schemes for increase in loading effected in growth of cement in rail by 10% compared to 5% industry growth in 2017-18.He deliberated that around 250 Goods-sheds are in the pipeline & Railways due to the availability of land banks, will follow the Bombay model where cement silos(private par cipa on) have been constructed around the city for bulk movements to RMC plants. Regarding DFC which is expected to get completed by 2020, he added that eastern sector will be benefi ed due to their 70% cement loading share. Mr Arun Salve (President (Logis cs) Ultra Tech Cements) pointed out that what cement industry needs to do internally & stakeholders need to do together externally in terms of parameters like cost improvisa on, managing complexi es, developing interfaces between the 3 transporta on modes, which growth driver to select etc.as post GST, things have changed radically. 76