New Delhi: India is on the brink of achieving a groundbreaking feat in engineering with the construction of a 21 km long undersea tunnel beneath the Arabian Sea, a key component of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor. This ambitious project, which will introduce India’s first bullet train, is poised to transform transportation between Mumbai and Ahmedabad, two of the nation’s major cities.

The tunnel will extend from the Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) in Maharashtra to Shilphata, including a 7 km stretch under the ecologically sensitive Thane Creek. This section presents unique challenges due to the need to protect the area’s delicate environment, including the Flamingo Sanctuary and Mangrove Forest.

To accomplish this, advanced Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) with cutter heads measuring 13.1 metres in diameter will be deployed. These TBMs are significantly larger than those typically used in metro tunnel projects. The TBMs will handle the excavation of 16 kilometres of the tunnel, while the remaining 5 kilometres will be completed using the New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM). The tunnel, designed as a single tube with dual tracks, will facilitate the bullet train’s top speed of 320 kilometres per hour.

Construction work is scheduled to begin at three key locations: Ghansoli, Shilphata, and Vikhroli. The decision to construct the tunnel underground not only preserves the environment but also mitigates the complexities of land acquisition in the densely populated region of Mumbai. The National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) is committed to ensuring that the project adheres to strict environmental standards, including the implementation of controlled blasting techniques to reduce noise and air pollution, marking a major advancement in India’s infrastructure landscape.

Essentials Category (Fresh, FMCG, Staples, Pharma):

In CY 2023, udaan experienced an impressive surge in the Essentials category, with a remarkable repeat purchase rate of over 90%, demonstrating its strong retailer partnerships. The platform shipped around 504 million biscuit packets, 437 million units of Personal Care products, and approximately 251 million beverage units. Ready-to-eat products, including 87 million noodle packets and 15 million beverage units, were also popular. Moreover, udaan sold approximately 72 million Namkeen items and 50 million coffee packets during this period. Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Telangana displayed the highest demand for these products. In terms of weight, udaan shipped over 9.6 Lac tonnes of Food products (including staples and FMCG) in CY 2023. This encompassed 7.9 lakh tonnes of staples, comprising 4.3 lakh tonnes of sugar & oil, and over 3.6 lakh tonnes of rice, pulses, and flours. The primary demand for these food products stemmed from Karnataka, followed by Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Delhi, and Telangana. Additionally, udaan shipped over 1.7 lac tonnes of FMCG products, with significant orders originating from Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Telangana.

Discretionary Category (Electronics, General Merchandise, Lifestyle):

In CY 2023, udaan fulfilled 1.3 million orders in its Electronics Category, shipping over 31 million products. This included 21 million+ accessories, 7.5 million consumer electronics, and 2.5 million mobile handsets. Significant demand for electronics products stemmed from Karnataka, Assam, and Bihar. In the General Merchandise & Hardware category, retailers ordered over 7.5 million products, including 4.7 million Plastic products, Appliances & Cookware items, 1.7 million Metal utensils, and 1 million Cycles, Luggage, Toys & Baby Care products. The highest demand for General Merchandise items came from Karnataka, Assam, and Bihar. udaan’s Lifestyle Category facilitated the shipping of over 19 million products, serving 1 million orders, with Bihar, UP, Assam, Karnataka, Odisha, and Maharashtra showing the highest demand for Clothing, Accessories, and Footwear.

Sellers who did business worth Rs 1 Crore each:

During CY 2023, udaan witnessed 900 sellers reaching the milestone of selling INR 1 crore worth of products on its platform. Among them, 700 sellers were from the Essentials Category and 200 were from the Discretionary Category. Additionally, nearly 600 sellers achieved sales exceeding INR 2 crore, with approximately 500 sellers belonging to the Essentials Category and 100 to the Discretionary Category.

Vaibhav Gupta, Co-Founder and CEO of udaan, said, “udaan remains committed to its core philosophy of empowering small businesses of Bharat, who in turn cater to the mass-market, by leveraging the power of technology. The large volume of orders and a significantly higher repeat purchase rate highlights the preference udaan enjoys among its retailer partners. This has been made possible by our single-minded focus on customer service excellence while leveraging our robust and super-efficient supply chain network spread across the length and breadth of the country. Encouraged by our solid performance, we will continue to work towards strengthening our market position and capitalise on the huge USD 150 Bn opportunity that the Indian eB2B market offers.”

In CY 2023 udaan raised USD 340 Mn Series E financing to further strengthen customer experience, market penetration, and strategic vendor partnerships. The funds will also be utilised to reinforce long-term capabilities of supply-chain and credit, with the sole objective of building a sustainable business to serve the needs of millions of shopkeepers and kiranas across the country.