In an effort to smoothen the inland trade logistics of the pharmaceutical products to the northern parts of the country, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has approved two Inland Container Depots (ICDs) in New Delhi as clearance centres for medicines and related products imported through sea ports in other parts of the country.

The inclusion of the two places, the ICDs at Tuglakabad and Patparaganj, Delhi, are expected to help the pharma industry in Northern region to collect their consignments imported through any of the approved sea ports like Chennai, Mumbai and Kolkata. The ICD at Tuglakabad is situated near Okhla Industrial area and is well connected to various parts of the northern India, according to industry sources.

The ministry, of late, has issued a notification amending the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945, to include the two ICDs in rule 43-A, allowing imports of pharma products through these points.

“In the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945, in rule 43-A, for the words 'Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai, Cochin, Nhava Sheva and Kandla: in respect of drugs imported by sea to India', the words 'Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai, Cochin, Nhava Sheva, Kandla and Inland Container Depots at Tuglakabad and Patparaganj, Delhi: in respect of drugs imported by sea to India.' shall be substituted,” said the notification.

The ICD Tuglakabad was established in 1983 under the control of the Customs division. The depot has four full length rail lines to transport products from sea ports like Nhava Sheva, Mumbai, Chennai and Kandla. Moreover, the consignments to other northern customs depots like ICDs at Patparganj, Faridabad and Gari Harsaru are brought through the Tuglakabad depot. The depot is well equipped to handle imports products including machinery, pharmaceuticals and chemicals, electronic goods, plastic and motor vehicles.

The Patparaganj ICD was established in 1984 as a Container Freight Station (CFS) to work as an extension of Tuglakabad depot. The CFS, which at first was meant to handle the export and import of only the less container loads, was upgraded to a full fledged ICD in 1995 under the control of Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC).

The inclusion of the two ICDs in the import destinations list would be helpful in catering to the needs of the pharmaceutical industry and trade firms in the Northern part of India in hastening of import process through sea, said an industry source in the region.