By Jawad Ahmed ISLAMABAD, March 10 (INP-WealthPK): The National Logistic Cell (NLC) is constructing a multimodal road freight terminal at Landhi in the eastern part of Karachi having full transportation features. The terminal is expected to be completed by August this year, said Director General of the NLC while briefing the participants of the 65th meeting of the National Logistics Board (NLB). A senior official of the NLC told WealthPK that the terminal spanned 32 acres and had the capability to handle hundreds of containers simultaneously. The 300,000 square foot covered area of the state-of-the-art terminal will be able to provide substantial storage facilities for a large number of containers and will be able to easily manage big cargo fleets, he said. The official said the strategically positioned state-of-the-art multimodal terminal will become a critical conduit for connecting businesses across Pakistan. The centrally placed terminal will serve as a bridge between seaports and the country's northern regions. “Our objective is to foster and promote trade activities in the country, as well as to develop container handling capacity in anticipation of future requirements,” he told WealthPK. He added that the NLC was committed to speeding up Pakistan's economic growth by expanding fleet capabilities, strengthening freight operations, and connecting markets with consumers, sellers, and suppliers both within and outside the country's borders. In Pakistan, road transportation is the primary mode of freight operations, accounting for 96% of national freight traffic. The NLC is the largest and digitalized multimodal logistic company with the latest fleet operating in the country. The logistic management system has also been digitalized and it will be integrated with the Enterprise Resource Planning ERP system. During the meeting, DG of the NLC also informed the board that an additional 150 vehicles had been booked, bringing the total fleet size to 900. In addition, 200 more vehicles are planned for FY-2022-23, which would increase the fleet size to 1,100. The meeting was also informed that 47% of the work on ITTMS Torkham, 42.6% of the work on ITTMS Chaman, and 71% of the work on Naltar and 100% of the work on CPEC Package 1Rehmani Khail-Yarik had been completed. In a tweet, Federal Minister of Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives (PDSI) Asad Umar lauded the NLC's efforts and performance over the previous two years. He also congratulated the organization for significant development, earning Rs5.7 billion from operations and Rs9.2 billion, including capital gains, in the last two years, compared to Rs700 million in 2018-19.