<p data-path-to-node="4" id="p-rc_bb966ff39a7f253d-363" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><b data-path-to-node="4" data-index-in-node="0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">VARANASI —</b><span class="citation-651 citation-end-651" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> In a landmark step toward operationalizing synchronized multimodal freight infrastructure in the Purvanchal region of Uttar Pradesh, Varanasi MMLP Limited—the special purpose vehicle (SPV) jointly established by National Highways Logistics Management Limited (NHLML) and the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI)—has formally awarded the contract for the development, operation, and maintenance of the Multi-Modal Logistics Park (MMLP) in Varanasi to GR Infraprojects Limited.<source-footnote ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c2318457044="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><sup _ngcontent-ng-c2318457044="" class="superscript" data-turn-source-index="3" style="line-height: 1.15 !important; font-size: 16px !important; background-color: transparent !important;"><!----></sup></source-footnote></span><sources-carousel-inline ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c746355749="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> <source-inline-chip _ngcontent-ng-c746355749="" _nghost-ng-c3839862124="" class="ng-star-inserted" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----></source-inline-chip><!----><!----><!----></sources-carousel-inline></p><p data-path-to-node="5" id="p-rc_bb966ff39a7f253d-364" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><span class="citation-650 citation-end-650" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">The infrastructure project has been awarded under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) framework on a Design, Build, Finance, Operate, and Transfer (DBFOT) basis at a contract value of ₹91.60 crore.<source-footnote ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c2318457044="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><sup _ngcontent-ng-c2318457044="" class="superscript" data-turn-source-index="4" style="line-height: 1.15 !important; font-size: 16px !important; background-color: transparent !important;"><!----></sup></source-footnote></span> <span class="citation-649 citation-end-649" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">Under the concession agreement terms, the project specifies a one-year construction timeline from the appointed date, embedded within an extensive 45-year overall concession period encompassing both construction and long-term asset management.<source-footnote ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c2318457044="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><sup _ngcontent-ng-c2318457044="" class="superscript" data-turn-source-index="5" style="line-height: 1.15 !important; font-size: 16px !important; background-color: transparent !important;"><!----></sup></source-footnote></span><sources-carousel-inline ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c746355749="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><b> <source-inline-chip _ngcontent-ng-c746355749="" _nghost-ng-c3839862124="" class="ng-star-inserted" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----></source-inline-chip><!----><!----><!----></b></sources-carousel-inline></p><h3 data-path-to-node="7" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><b>Strategic 150-Acre Multimodal Integration Grid</b></h3><p data-path-to-node="8" id="p-rc_bb966ff39a7f253d-365" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><span class="citation-648 citation-end-648" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">Spanning approximately 150 acres, the Varanasi MMLP is strategically engineered to bridge inland water transport with trunk railway lines and national highway arteries, unlocking high-velocity bulk and container transit across northern and eastern India:<source-footnote ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c2318457044="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><sup _ngcontent-ng-c2318457044="" class="superscript" data-turn-source-index="6" style="line-height: 1.15 !important; font-size: 16px !important; background-color: transparent !important;"><!----></sup></source-footnote></span><sources-carousel-inline ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c746355749="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> <source-inline-chip _ngcontent-ng-c746355749="" _nghost-ng-c3839862124="" class="ng-star-inserted" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----></source-inline-chip><!----><!----><!----></sources-carousel-inline></p><ul data-path-to-node="9" style="padding-inline-start: 32px; font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><li style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><p data-path-to-node="9,0,0" id="p-rc_bb966ff39a7f253d-366" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><span class="citation-647" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"></span><b data-path-to-node="9,0,0" data-index-in-node="0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">Inland Waterways Connectivity (NW-1):</b><span class="citation-647 citation-end-647" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> The terminal provides seamless multimodal interface capabilities with National Waterway-1 on the Ganga River, enabling cost-effective barge transshipment for bulk, breakbulk, and agricultural commodities moving between Varanasi, Patna, and the deepwater ports of Kolkata and Haldia.<source-footnote ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c2318457044="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><sup _ngcontent-ng-c2318457044="" class="superscript" data-turn-source-index="7" style="line-height: 1.15 !important; font-size: 16px !important; background-color: transparent !important;"><!----></sup></source-footnote></span><sources-carousel-inline ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c746355749="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> <source-inline-chip _ngcontent-ng-c746355749="" _nghost-ng-c3839862124="" class="ng-star-inserted" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----></source-inline-chip><!----><!----><!----></sources-carousel-inline></p></li><li style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><p data-path-to-node="9,1,0" id="p-rc_bb966ff39a7f253d-367" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><b data-path-to-node="9,1,0" data-index-in-node="0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">Direct Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC) Spur:</b><span class="citation-646 citation-end-646" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> The logistics park will be directly integrated with the Eastern DFC via a dedicated 5.1 km railway feeder line branching off from Jeonathpur railway station.<source-footnote ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c2318457044="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><sup _ngcontent-ng-c2318457044="" class="superscript" data-turn-source-index="8" style="line-height: 1.15 !important; font-size: 16px !important; background-color: transparent !important;"><!----></sup></source-footnote></span> This dedicated siding allows scheduled container block rakes and heavy-haul freight trains to access western and eastern maritime gateways without entering congested passenger rail lines.<sources-carousel-inline ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c746355749="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> <source-inline-chip _ngcontent-ng-c746355749="" _nghost-ng-c3839862124="" class="ng-star-inserted" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----></source-inline-chip><!----><!----><!----></sources-carousel-inline></p></li><li style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><p data-path-to-node="9,2,0" id="p-rc_bb966ff39a7f253d-368" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><span class="citation-645" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"></span><b data-path-to-node="9,2,0" data-index-in-node="0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">National Highway Road Linkages:</b><span class="citation-645 citation-end-645" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> The site features a dedicated 650-metre direct access road to National Highway-7 (NH-7) and is situated just 1.5 km from the major NH-7 and NH-2 interchange, providing rapid drayage access across regional industrial manufacturing clusters.<source-footnote ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c2318457044="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><sup _ngcontent-ng-c2318457044="" class="superscript" data-turn-source-index="9" style="line-height: 1.15 !important; font-size: 16px !important; background-color: transparent !important;"><!----></sup></source-footnote></span><sources-carousel-inline ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c746355749="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> <source-inline-chip _ngcontent-ng-c746355749="" _nghost-ng-c3839862124="" class="ng-star-inserted" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----></source-inline-chip><!----><!----><!----></sources-carousel-inline></p></li><li style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><p data-path-to-node="9,3,0" id="p-rc_bb966ff39a7f253d-369" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><b data-path-to-node="9,3,0" data-index-in-node="0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">Aviation Synergy:</b><span class="citation-644 citation-end-644" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> Situated 30 km from Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport, the hub provides access for temperature-sensitive perishables and high-value cargo moving into regional air logistics streams.<source-footnote ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c2318457044="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><sup _ngcontent-ng-c2318457044="" class="superscript" data-turn-source-index="10" style="line-height: 1.15 !important; font-size: 16px !important; background-color: transparent !important;"><!----></sup></source-footnote></span><sources-carousel-inline ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c746355749="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> <source-inline-chip _ngcontent-ng-c746355749="" _nghost-ng-c3839862124="" class="ng-star-inserted" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----></source-inline-chip><!----><!----><!----></sources-carousel-inline></p></li></ul><h3 data-path-to-node="11" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><b>Project Facilities and Engineering Scope</b></h3><p data-path-to-node="12" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;">Under the DBFOT mandate, the development layout will establish high-performance logistics assets tailored to modern industrial requirements:</p><ol start="1" data-path-to-node="13" style="padding-inline-start: 32px; font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><li style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><p data-path-to-node="13,0,0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><b data-path-to-node="13,0,0" data-index-in-node="0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">Grade-A Automated Warehousing:</b> High-density, climate-controlled, and ambient storage facilities catering to fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), agro-processing industries, and cold chain distribution.</p></li><li style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><p data-path-to-node="13,1,0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><b data-path-to-node="13,1,0" data-index-in-node="0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">Dedicated Intermodal Container Yard:</b> Reinforced, heavy-duty paved yards equipped with Rail Mounted Gantry (RMG) cranes and reach stackers capable of handling high static container loads and rapid rail-to-road transfers.</p></li><li style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><p data-path-to-node="13,2,0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><b data-path-to-node="13,2,0" data-index-in-node="0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">Automated Customs &amp; Gate Facilities:</b> Digital gate integration featuring Optical Character Recognition (OCR), automated weighbridges, and electronic data interchange (EDI) compliance systems to accelerate truck turnaround cycles.</p></li></ol><h3 data-path-to-node="15" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><b>National Logistics and Regional Economic Impact</b></h3><p data-path-to-node="16" id="p-rc_bb966ff39a7f253d-370" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><span class="citation-643 citation-end-643" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">The Varanasi MMLP forms an integral pillar of the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan and the National Logistics Policy (NLP), aimed at driving modal shift from long-haul highway trucking to lower-carbon rail and water transport.<source-footnote ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c2318457044="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><sup _ngcontent-ng-c2318457044="" class="superscript" data-turn-source-index="11" style="line-height: 1.15 !important; font-size: 16px !important; background-color: transparent !important;"><!----></sup></source-footnote></span><sources-carousel-inline ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c746355749="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> <source-inline-chip _ngcontent-ng-c746355749="" _nghost-ng-c3839862124="" class="ng-star-inserted" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----></source-inline-chip><!----><!----><!----></sources-carousel-inline></p><p data-path-to-node="17" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;">Trade analysts emphasize that by converting eastern Uttar Pradesh into a pivotal transshipment crossroads, the park will significantly compress freight transit times, reduce logistics costs as a percentage of regional GDP, and provide localized agricultural, textile, and light engineering clusters with direct, cost-competitive access to domestic and international export markets.</p>