TRANSPORTATION

Transportation comprises freight services together with supporting and auxiliary services by all modes of transportation i.e., rail, road, air and sea for the movement of goods and international carriage of passengers. You have already studied the comparative advantages and disadvantages of different modes of transportation in earlier classes. Their services are considered to be important for business since speed is of essence in any business transaction. Also transportation removes the hindrance of place, i.e., it makes goods available to the consumer from the place of production.

We need to develop our transportation system to keep pace Infrastructure in Transportation In the first, years of independence, India saw the construction of around , kilometers of national highways. The ambitious NHAI, Government of India’s project consisting of Golden Quadrilateral connecting Delhi-Kolkata- Chennai-Mumbai and the North-South, East-West corridors linking Srinagar to Kanyakumari and Silchar to Porbandar will see the construction of , kms of National Highways within a span of eight years. This project will not only change the face of road transport in India, but it will also have a lasting impact on our economy. The Ministry of Railways have also done massive innovations in their movement and monitoring of goods trains to facilitate the needs of the business community.

The Government of India is also serious in ensuring better and more facilities at the seaports and airports to provide an impetus to business activities. The government plans not only to enhance capacities of existing ports but also to develop modern and new ports at strategic locations. with the requirements of our economy. We need better infrastructure of roads with sufficient width and high quality.

We have few ports and they too are congested. Both government and industry needs to be proactive and view the effective functioning of this service as a necessity for providing a lifeline to a business services. In sectors like agriculture and food, there are massive losses of product in the process of transportation and storage. Warehousing Storage has always been an important aspect of economic development.

The warehouse was initially viewed as a static unit for keeping and storing goods in a scientific and systematic manner so as to maintain their original quality, value and usefulness. The typical warehouse received merchandise by rail, truck or bullock cart. The items were moved manually to a storage within the warehouse and hand piled in stacks on the floor. They are used by manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport business, customs etc., in India.

Today’s warehouses have ceased to be a mere storage service providers and have really become logistical service providers in a cost efficient manner. That is making available the right quantity, at the right place, in the right time, in the right physical form at the right cost. Modern warehouses are automated with automatic conveyors, computer operated cranes and forklifts for moving goods and also usage of logistics automation software’s for warehouse management.