Nearly 3,000 industrial units at Ankleshwar in south Gujarat are facing problems sourcing raw materials and transporting finished goods due to heavy rains in the region.
All the approach and interior roads at Ankleshwar industrial estate, hub of chemical manufacturing units, have been severely damaged due to heavy rains this monsoon, says Ramesh Gabani, president of Ankleshwar Industrial Association, adding, “Over the past one fortnight, Bharuch, Dahej, Ankleshwar and other areas received heavy rains continuously which have completely disrupted logistic systems of most of the industrial units.”
Though water has receded, companies are still facing problems of transportation as the main approach road to Dahej industrial area has been completely damaged, says Sunil Bhatt, secretary general of Dahej Industries Association. Industries in Surat, Hazira and Vapi in South Gujarat are facing logistic issues in wake of the chaotic traffic situation on national highway-8, says Mukesh Dave, Executive President of Akhil Gujarat Truck Transport Association.
Even though the intensity of rain has declined, long queues of trucks are held up on national highway 8 right from Bharuch to Maharashtra border on the way to Mumbai.
“Heavy vehicles are not able to take detours to avoid traffic jams on their way to Mumbai as they are facing water logging problems in rural areas. On some routes villagers are not allowing heavily loaded trucks to pass through smaller bridges. Traffic is moving at snail’s pace on all the three entry points to Gujarat from Maharashtra – Dharampur, Nashik-Saputara Road and Vapi,” claims Dave.
According to him, Saputara entry point has been closed for heavy vehicles due to incessant rain in hilly Dang district. Only cars are being allowed to run on this highway where landslides have paralysed traffic completely, he added. National Highway 8 connects Delhi to Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Surt, Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru and other cities, he added.