Infrastructure
Work On 11 New Industrial Smart Cities To Begin By December 2025, Expected To Finish In Three Years: Report
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Infrastructure development work in 11 of the 12 planned industrial smart cities will commence by the end of 2025 and is targeted for completion within three years, Financial Express reported, citing a senior government official.
"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,” National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (NICDC) managing director and CEO Rajat Kumar Saini was quoted as saying by FE.
According to Saini, construction will begin on eight parks by 30 November 30 and on 11 by 31 December.
Earlier in August 2024, the Central government had cleared the development of 12 industrial smart cities across 10 states, with an estimated investment of Rs 28,602 crore and a land area covering 26,000 acres.
Saini said the project progressed swiftly due to preparation, cooperation from states, and lessons from past initiatives.
He noted that land for all 12 cities had already been acquired before Union Cabinet approval.
Every industrial park has its own land allotment policy, a designated managing director, and a separate special purpose vehicle (SPV).
The 12 smart industrial parks are expected to draw investments of Rs 1.5 lakh crore and generate around 10 lakh direct and 30 lakh indirect jobs.
Once EPC contractors build the core infrastructure, allotted industrial units can begin setting up their facilities.
The parks are being developed with sector-specific focus, with some hosting zones dedicated to foreign investors.
In Tumakuru, Karnataka, 300 acres have been reserved exclusively for Japanese firms.
The 12 new cities will join four already operational smart industrial hubs—Dholera in Gujarat, Shendra-Bidkin in Maharashtra, Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh, and Vikram Udyogpuri in Madhya Pradesh—along with four under construction, bringing the total count to 20.
The new cities are being developed 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).
They are coming up on the Amritsar-Kolkata, Delhi-Mumbai, Vizag-Chennai, Hyderabad-Bengaluru, Hyderabad-Nagpur, and Chennai-Bengaluru industrial corridors.
