CM Patel Reviews Dholera SIR's Growth Before Vibrant Gujarat 2024
As the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2024 approaches, Chief Minister Shri Bhupendra Patel visited Dholera Special Investment Region (DSIR) to assess the advancements made in the Greenfield Industrial Smart City and its infrastructure projects. The Chief Minister's visit comes as the first phase of the project, covering 22.54 sq km, achieves an impressive 95 per cent completion, signalling increased global investments in Gujarat.
During his inspection, Chief Minister Patel highlighted Dholera's advanced infrastructure, strategic location, and significant potential in emerging sectors such as semiconductors and green hydrogen.
He emphasised the pivotal role of these sectors in India's sustainable and technology-driven development, aligning with Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi's vision of positioning Dholera as a world-class smart industrial development model, in line with the goal of Viksit Bharat@2047.
The State Government enacted the Special Investment Region (SIR) Act in 2009 to facilitate the establishment, operation, regulation, and management of large-sized Investment Regions and Industrial Areas.
This legislation aims to enable the development of these regions as global hubs of economic activity, strengthening Gujarat's manufacturing ecosystem and emphasising various sectors of India's dynamic business landscape.
Dholera stands as India's Premier platinum-rated Industrial Smart City, comprising the largest land parcel in the country. It is among the first few cities globally and the first greenfield city in India to achieve the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) Green City rating.
Situated approximately 100 km south of Ahmedabad and 130 km from Gandhinagar, DSIR is poised to become a major Greenfield Industrial Hub. With world-class plug-and-play infrastructure and lower power tariffs, DSIR aims to attract non-polluting industries, creating an economically and socially balanced new-age city with the highest quality-of-life standards and sustainability in the urban development context.
The DSIR project, a benchmark initiative from the National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (NICDC), aims to create a linear zone of industrial clusters and nodes in the influence area of the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC). An SPV named Dholera Industrial City Development Limited (DICDL), formed by NICDC and DSIR Development Authority (DSIRDA), is responsible for project implementation. Out of the total 920 sq km area, the developable area is 422 sq km, with 110 sq km earmarked for industrial development.
Phase 1 of the DSIR project, known as the Activation area, covers 22.54 sq km. It includes allocated areas for industries, residential spaces, mixed-use, recreation, social infrastructure, and tourism. Land allotment for industries has already commenced, covering contiguous land parcels ranging from 1 acre to 330 acres and more.
The city's sustainability is anchored by a robust water management system in Phase 1, featuring a 50 MLD 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). Monitored by the City Integrated Operations Center, it caters to residential, commercial, and industrial water needs, contributing to the city's self-sufficiency.
Dholera Industrial Smart City promises comprehensive connectivity via Air, Road, Rail, and Sea. The state-of-the-art 4-lane expressway to Ahmedabad is under construction, targeted for completion by 2024. Metro rail construction has acquired the necessary right of way.
A multi-modal transport system includes a regional goods corridor, public transport corridor, internal transport, Bus Rapid Transport (BRT), and Mass Rapid Transport (MRT). The Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the Bhimnath-Dholera Freight Rail Line is approved, enhancing efficient movement via the DFC and connecting seaports. Dholera International Airport is under construction and will be ready for cargo movement by December 2025. The airport will handle 300,000 passengers and over 20,000 tonnes of cargo annually.
Dholera SIR is pivotal in advancing India's semiconductor and display industry with a dedicated Semicon City. ReNew Power, a leading renewable energy park developer, is constructing a solar module and cell manufacturing plant on 100 acres. Tata Chemicals is establishing a lithium-ion battery manufacturing plant on 126 acres.
Hindustan Petroleum Corp is developing fuel stations and Electric Vehicle charging stations in the Activation Area. Torrent Power has set up a power distribution network to meet industrial power requirements in Dholera.
With more than 8500 hectares of land identified for a Solar Park in the Coastal Regulation Zone of DSIR, Dholera's 4400 MW Solar Park is a game-changer in the energy sector. Aligned with the national goal of 250 GW of green energy by 2030, it is being developed by Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam (GUVNL) under the PPP model.
The State government has allocated 11,000 hectares of land for this project, with GPCL (Gujarat Power Corporation) implementing 1000 MW and Tata Power Company Limited already commissioning 300 MW. Power evacuation to the grid is operational through GETCO (Gujarat Energy Transmission Corporation), a State power transmission company.
Dholera Industrial Smart City holds immense promise in sectors such as Defense, Aviation, Electronics, High-Tech Emerging Technologies, Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology, and Heavy Engineering.
DSIR is poised to be a major beneficiary of the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) and Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC), with 38 per cent of the DFC traversing Gujarat (565 km). It currently stands as an ideal investment destination in India with its world-class infrastructure and modular approach to sustainable development.
The upcoming Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit is expected to showcase Dholera's potential to a global audience, attracting further investments and solidifying its position as a key player in India's industrial landscape.
