Tiruchi MP Durai Vaiko on Wednesday called on Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in New Delhi and urged her to take steps to establish an inland container depot (dry port) in Tiruchi to facilitate the exporters of the region.

In a memorandum submitted to her, he recalled his meeting with her on August 21, 2025 and impressing upon her the need for establishing a dry port in Tiruchi. He had presented representations on a few other occasions also. He had also met the Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Minister of Road Transport and Highways and Minister of Commerce and Industry. He met Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay on June 4, 2026 and requested the support of the State government for the establishment of the dry port in Tiruchi.

Mr. Durai Vaiko said that during his meeting with Ms. Sitharaman on May 27, 2026 she had acknowledged the merits of the proposal and assured him that her Ministry would communicate with the State government to facilitate further action on the proposal.

It had been a long-felt need of trade and industry of the region as Tiruchi had emerged as one of the fastest-growing export hubs in the State. A wide range of goods, including engineering equipment, spare parts, fabricated material, food products, textiles, millets, and perishables such as vegetables and fruits, were exported from Tiruchi, Karur, Ariyalur, Perambalur, Pudukottai and Thanjavur.

The establishment of a dry port in Tiruchi would substantially reduce logistics costs, improve export competitiveness, decongest the major seaports and strengthen multi-model logistics connectivity. Suitable land was available at SIPCOT industrial park near Manapparai on Tiruchi-Dindigul Highway, making the project technically and logistically feasible.

The MP added that the project might be implemented through a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) involving SIPCOT and either Chennai Port Authority or V.O. Chidambaram Port Authority with appropriate support from the Central government.

Mr. Durai Vaiko told The Hindu that Ms. Sitharaman’s response was positive. He had also met Tiruchi Collector Pratik Tayal recently and asked him to initiate a proposal. It had raised the hopes of establishing the facility. He would again meet State officials on the issue of land allotment and closely monitor the progress of the proposal. 

Published - July 22, 2026 07:06 pm IST