Infrastructure development in 11 of 12 planned industrial smart cities will begin by the end of 2025 and is expected to be completed within three years, a senior government official said on Friday.
“For four industrial parks contracts have already been awarded and Engineering Procurement and Construction (EPC) contractors appointed. Contracts for four more will be awarded in another 10-15 days,” managing director and CEO of National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation Rajat Kumar Saini told reporters.
Construction is set to begin on eight parks by November 30, and on 11 by December 31, he added.
The government approved the development of 12 industrial smart cities across 10 states in August 2024, at an estimated cost of Rs 28,602 crore, covering a total area of 26,000 acres.
“We have been able to proceed with it fast because of preparation, cooperation from the states as well as learning from previous projects,” he said, adding that the land had already been acquired for these cities before the cabinet approved the plan.
Fast-tracking development
Each of the 12 parks has a finalised land allotment policy and a dedicated managing director. Separate special purpose vehicles (SPVs) have been set up for each park.
The parks are projected to attract investment worth Rs 1.5 lakh crore, and are expected to create 10 lakh direct and 30 lakh indirect jobs.
“There is significant investor interest that is coming for all 12 by different sectors. We have started the allocation process,” Saini said. As the EPC contractors create infrastructure, the industrial units that are allotted land can start the construction of their manufacturing facilities.
Each park is being developed with a sector-specific focus, and some will include dedicated zones for foreign investors. In Tumakuru, Karnataka, 300 acres have been earmarked for Japanese companies.
Expanding the network
The 12 upcoming cities will add to four operational industrial smart cities – Dholera (Gujarat), Shendra-Bidkin (Maharashtra), Greater Noida (Uttar Pradesh), and Vikram Udyogpuri (Madhya Pradesh) – and four currently under construction, taking the total to 20.
These new 12 parks along with the four industrial smart cities that are functional and four that are under construction will take the number of total smart industrial cities in the country to 20. The four functional industrial cities are located in Dholera in Gujarat, Shendra Bidkin in Maharashtra, Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh and Vikram Udyogpuri in Madhya Pradesh.
The new cities are located in Khurpia (Uttarakhand), Rajpura (Punjab), Agra and Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh), Gaya (Bihar), Dighi Port (Maharashtra), Jodhpur-Pali-Marwar (Rajasthan), Kopparthy and Orvakal (Andhra Pradesh), Zaheerabad (Telangana), and Palakkad (Kerala). These are coming up on Amritsar-Kolkata, Delhi Mumbai, Vizag-Chennai, Hyderabad-Bengaluru, Hyderabad-Nagpur and Chennai-Bengaluru Industrial Corridors.