All About Dholera, India’s First Industrial Smart City

Work in Gujarat’s Dholera, India’s first industrial smart city, is all set to take off. And, if all goes according to the plan, the Dholera Special Investment Region (SIR) project might be completed by September this year. The project was announced in 2009 by the then chief minister Narendra Modi with an aim to construct a world-class city housing global trading and manufacturing hub. This project will also serve as the special investment node on the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor. 

Here is all you need to know about the project: 

Funds: The Centre has provided a grant of Rs 3,000 crore for the development of this project. Of this, Rs 2,800-crore worth of contract works for development of infrastructure have already been awarded by the Dholera Special Investment Region Development Authority (DSIRDA).

Connectivity: The new city will have all the connectivity infrastructure a smart city should have. Wide roads within the city and an expressway connecting the city to other key cities of the state are on the cards. A Metro line will also be developed to connect the city with Ahmedabad. For air connectivity, an airport will be developed on the outskirts of the city, too.

Green spread: The city will dedicate 11 per cent of its land for open green area, which is expected to be one of the largest in the country. 

Housing for all: Almost 10 per cent of the area of the city will be dedicated to housing for the economically weaker sections (EWS). 

Civic infrastructure: The civic infrastructure that will be built in the city includes stormwater drains, electricity, wastewater discharge, underground ducts, among others. The city will have drinkable tap water. 

Status: As the project is all set to take off, an initiation area 22.5 kilometre is expected to be completed by September this year. Once this first phase is completed, the rest of the city, spanning 400 square kilometre, will be developed. 

More jobs: Being located on saline land, the farmers in Dholera have been getting low yield for their crops. So, coming of an industrial hub was aimed at creating more jobs for the local dwellers and also a better-developed city to live in. 

Location advantage: Dholera is connected to major cities such as Vadodara along with Ahmedabad, Bhavnagar and Mumbai via the National Highway 8. In addition, it is well connected to the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT) through the 500-km Mumbai-Ahmedabad-Vadodara Expressway.

Real estate impact: Investors here can experience 'ease of doing business' through advantages like a single window clearance and e-Land allotment system. Once the project is completed and the industrial township is developed, housing needs in the vicinity are likely to increase as more employment seekers and families will migrate to this region.