Bids to be invited for one dozen projects, to come up along the corridor.
Construction work on the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) may begin soon, as the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (DMICDC) is expected to invite bids for a dozen “early bird” projects, to come up along the corridor.
The corporation has identified 24 such early bird projects across Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan and Maharashtra.
These projects include development of a mega industrial park at Dholera, and a regional metro rail system connecting Gandhinagar-Ahmedabad-Dholera in Gujarat; an economic corridor along the link road connecting Indore airport to Pithampur, and a knowledge city in Ujjain district in Madhya Pradesh; a multi-modal logistic hub at IMT Maneswar in Haryana; a logistic hub at Bhiwadi in Rajasthan; a trans-harbour road-railway link project, rail connectivity of Mumbai Port Trust to Dedicated Freight Corridor and Inland Container Depot at Talegaon in Maharashtra, among others. Some of these projects will be put up for bids shortly.
The projects for which bids will be invited are part of the six investment regions (IRs) and six industrial areas (IAs). The first phase of the project is likely to be completed by 2012, and an estimated $100 billion will be invested to develop infrastructure in the IRs and IAs. Japanese companies are expected to invest over $10 billion in the proposed corridor during the first phase. The finance option of the remaining $90 billion has not been announced so far.
“This is the right time to invite bids. The sentiment is positive domestically as well as internationally,” said DMIC Chairman Ajay Shankar, who is also secretary of Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion. “We plan to host roadshows soon to attract funding. We have received good response from firms in Singapore, Korea and Taiwan,” he added.
Concurred Amitav Kant, the newly-appointed CEO of DMICDC: “The project is almost mapped on paper. Perspective plans are being firmed up.”
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The six investment regions selected for development in the first phase include Dadri-Noida-Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh for general manufacturing, Manesar-Bawal in Haryana for auto-components and automobiles, Khushkhera-Bhiwadi-Neemrana in Rajasthan for general manufacturing, automobile, and auto component, Bharuch-Dahej in Gujarat for petroleum, chemicals and petro-chemicals, and and Igatpuri-Nashik-Sinnar in Maharashtra for general manufacturing.
The IAs include engineering and manufacturing hubs in Meerut-Muzaffarnagar (Uttar Pradesh) and Faridabad-Palwal (Haryana), and marble, leather and textile units in Jaipur-Dausa (Rajasthan) and Neemuch-Nayagaon industrial area in Madhya Pradesh.
While an Investment Region would be specifically delineated as an industrial region with a minimum area of 200 sq kms, an Industrial Area would be developed over 100 sq kms. These regions are proposed to be self-sustained industrial townships with world-class infrastructure, road and rail connectivity for freight movement to and from ports and logistic hubs, domestic and international air connectivity, reliable power, quality social infrastructure and a globally competitive environment for setting up businesses.