CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu is accelerating its push to emerge as a logistics gateway on the south coast, with the State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu (Sipcot) inviting bids to appoint a consultant for a multi-modal logistics park in Thoothukudi.
The park will be developed on 173 acres under public-private partnership (PPP) model, with a 60-year concession period aimed at attracting long-term private investment in logistics and warehousing, officials said.
Sipcot has earmarked the land and will provide basic infrastructure, including roads, water supply, stormwater drainage, power and street lighting, up to the project boundary.
The facility is expected to function as a regional freight aggregation hub, leveraging Thoothukudi’s road and rail connectivity to enable seamless multimodal cargo movement.
The selected bidder - single entity or a consortium - will form a special purpose vehicle (SPV) and enter into a long-term concession agreement with Sipcot. The concessionaire will be responsible for end-to-end development of the park, including design, engineering, financing, construction, operations and maintenance.
The master plan proposes a comprehensive logistics ecosystem comprising domestic and bonded warehousing, container and cargo yards, truck terminals and parking bays, railway siding and freight terminals, cold storage facilities, utility zones and driver amenities. Limited commercial and plug-and-play spaces have also been proposed to support ancillary services.
The initiative forms part of a broader strategy to position Thoothukudi as a key logistics hub after Chennai and Coimbatore, anchored around the expansion of VOC Port. The proposed `6,000-crore outer harbour project is expected to strengthen the port’s prospects as a transshipment hub, sources said.
Sipcot to provide basic infrastructure
Sipcot has earmarked the land and will provide basic infrastructure, including roads, water supply, stormwater drainage, power and street lighting, up to the project boundary. The facility is expected to function as a regional freight aggregation hub.