Parliament Question: Goods Shed in Murshidabad

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2980 TO BE ANSWERED ON 05.08.2026 GOODS SHED IN MURSHIDABAD 2980. MD ABU TAHER KHAN: Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state: (a) whether there is any proposal to develop goods shed in Murshidabad for jute, silk and agricultural products and if so, the details thereof; and (b) the steps taken/being taken by the Government to reduce freight charges for farmers and small traders? ANSWER MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW) (a) & (b) : At present 4 goods sheds namely Murshidabad, Cossimbazar, Sargachhi and Dhulian Ganga are operational in Murshidabad district and are open for handling various commodities including jute, silk and agricultural products. Further, in order to improve the infrastructural facilities, following works have been sanctioned for these goods shed- (i) Murshidabad Goods Shed- Development of connecting road from Lalgola end of new goods wharf to LC gate no. 14 of Murshidabad. (ii) Sargachhi Goods Shed- Renovation, improvement of illumination, provision for labour toilet, provision of CCTV camera and provision of all weather fully covered goods shed. (iii) Cossimbazar Goods Shed- Provision of CCTV and all weather fully covered goods shed. § Page 1 of 2Freight rate for transportation of “food grain, flours & pulses”, and “fertilizer” has also been rationalized and introduced from 01.08.2026 on per Tonne-Km basis for making the freight structure simple and competitive for transportation in railway wagons and containers. Special benefit is also being provided at Murshidabad Goods Shed by presently not levying terminal charge on all commodities. In order to encourage setting up of cargo terminals through private investment to facilitate movement of cargo by rail, ‘Gati Shakti Multi-Modal Cargo Terminal (GCT)’ policy has been launched. So far, 142 Gati Shakti Cargo Terminals (GCTs) have been commissioned. In addition, In-Principle Approvals (IPAs) have been granted for the development of GCTs at 310 more locations. The 142 commissioned GCTs have an estimated freight handling capacity of 224 million tonnes per annum (MTPA). The policy has mobilized private investment of approximately ₹10,000 crore through these GCTs. Freight handled at these GCTs during 2025-26 is 146 MT. In West Bengal, 7 Gati Shakti Multi-Modal Cargo Terminals, including 01 at Sargachhi (in Murshidabad district) have been commissioned, and in addition 23 In-principal approvals have been awarded. ***** Page 2 of 2