 "Work on 12 industrial smart cities to kick off this year; 4 to be completed")
The construction of 12 newly approved industrial smart cities will begin this year, while four more cities, already being developed, are expected to be completed by the end of next year, said Rajat Kumar Saini, chief executive and managing director of the National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (NICDC).
Speaking to Business Today, Saini mentioned that there has already been significant interest from investors in these cities. “People are making enquiries, even about these new 12, which are essentially undeveloped land. There is a renewed interest, and it's not due to us directly, but rather to the growing confidence in the Indian economy,” he added.
Strategic locations, global standard
In August, the Union Cabinet approved the creation of 12 industrial zones, strategically positioned across 10 states and planned along six major corridors. These cities include locations such as Khurpia in Uttarakhand, Rajpura-Patiala in Punjab, Dighi in Maharashtra, Gaya in Bihar, and Palakkad in Kerala.
Other projects in development include the Tumakuru Industrial Township in Karnataka, the Krishnapatnam Industrial Area in Andhra Pradesh, and logistics hubs at Nangal Chaudhary and Dadri in Greater Noida.
These developments will bring the total number of industrial smart cities in India to 20, with each city designed as a greenfield smart city built to global standards. Featuring a plug-and-play model and walk-to-work concepts, they will offer state-of-the-art infrastructure to facilitate sustainable and efficient industrial operations.
Four smart cities completed at $20.5 bn
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So far, four greenfield smart cities have been completed, including Dholera Special Investment Region in Gujarat, Aurangabad Industrial Township Ltd in Maharashtra, the Integrated Industrial Township in Greater Noida, and the Integrated Industrial Township in Vikram Udyogpuri, Madhya Pradesh. The combined investment potential of these four cities is estimated at $20.5 billion.