PM Modi’s dream project begins to take shape in Gujarat’s Dholera: Officials

Ahmedabad, Dec 12 (PTI) A dream project of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Dholera Special Investment Region is an industrial city, planned by the Gujarat government and the Centre, to set up modern large-scale manufacturing units, officials have said.

A part of DSIR, the first phase of the Dholera Industrial Smart City, being developed around 100 km from Ahmedabad, is nearly complete, and land allotment for industries has already begun, they said.

Modi, then chief minister of Gujarat, had shared his grand plans of DSIR in 2013.

“This Dholera of ours is going to be six times bigger than the Shanghai that exists today and even six times more,” Modi had said then.

Strategically planned between Ahmedabad, Rajkot and Baroda, the greenfield industrial smart city covers 22 villages and is spread over 920 square kilometres, said a government release.

As part of the state’s preparation for the upcoming Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel recently visited DSIR to inspect the progress of the industrial smart city and its infrastructure projects, the release said.

The 10th edition of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, a biennial investor meet that started in 2003, is scheduled to be held from January 10-12 next year.

DSIR will be a major beneficiary of the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) and Dedicated Freight Corridor, with 38 per cent of the DFC traversing Gujarat (565 km), said the release.

“The first phase of the project, covering 22.54 sq km, has achieved an impressive 95 per cent completion, paving the way for increased global investments in Gujarat,” the release said. Phase 1 of the DSIR project is known as the activation area, it said.

“It (first phase) includes allocated areas for industries, residential spaces, mixed-use, recreation, social infrastructure, and tourism. Land allotment for industries has already begun, covering contiguous land parcels ranging from one acre to 330 acres and more,” the release said.

During his recent visit, CM Patel underscored the role of sectors such as semiconductor and green hydrogen in India’s sustainable and technology-driven development, it said.

The phase 1 of the development includes water management, featuring a 50 MLD (million litres per day) water treatment plant, a master balancing reservoir (MBR), elevated service reservoirs, a 10 MLD sewage treatment plant (STP), and a 20 MLD common effluent treatment plant (CETP), it said.

Monitored by the City Integrated Operations Center, the area caters to residential, commercial, and industrial water needs, contributing to the city's self-sufficiency, the release added.

In terms of its energy needs, Dholera’s 4400 MW solar park, being developed by Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Ltd (GUVNL) under the PPP model, is a game-changer, aligning with the national goal of 250 GW of green energy by 2030, it said.

About 25 lakh tonnes of garbage was used in the construction of the Dholera-Ahmedabad highway, impressing Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, the release said.

“I am thankful to the Gujarat government for building the Ahmedabad-Dholera highway and the Mumbai-Delhi highway, in which we used around 20-25 lakh tonnes of waste from Ahmedabad,” Gadkari had said.

Gujarat cabinet minister Rushikesh Patel said, “The dream that Narendra Modi saw back then, it was a very big dream, especially for Dholera SIR. He wanted it to become an independent green field industrial hub.” A 4-lane expressway connecting DSIR to Ahmedabad is under construction, and is expected to be completed by 2024. Metro rail will also be constructed, along with a multi-modal transport system including a regional goods corridor, public transport corridor, internal transport, Bus Rapid Transport (BRT), and Mass Rapid Transport (MRT), the release said.

The detailed project report for the Bhimnath-Dholera Freight Rail Line is approved, and Dholera International Airport is under construction and will be ready for cargo movement by December 2025, it added. PTI

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