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The Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) Trust approved nine projects entailing an investment of Rs 1.2 lakh crore in September 2013. The approval of these projects is seen as one of the measures by the central government to revive the investment in the infrastructure sector. The $100 billion DMIC project, being executed with the assistance of the Japanese Government, is believed to be the largest infra project to be undertaken in the country.
The nine projects approved by the DMIC include, Vikram Udyogpuri project near Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh. The Vikram Udyogpuri project, which was recently flagged off, is planned to house automotive and auto components, IT/ITES and engineering units, along with a mix of commercial and residential units. The project will come up in an area of 443.79 ha.
The Water Desalination Project at Dahej, Gujarat, will be Asia’s largest desalination plant. The Rs 3,600 crore project will have a capacity of 336 million ltr per day. The project will be executed by HITACHI of Japan, and Hyflux of Singapore. DMIC Trust will have 15 per cent equity stake in the project.
The Industrial Township project at Greater Noida is proposed to come up in Gautam Buddha Nagar over an area of 747 acre. The township will house industries like Bio-technology, Hi-tech electronics and Research & Development (R&D), which in turn will support telecom, electronics, automobile, food, pharmaceutical, healthcare, and defense research sector.
Integrated Multi Modal Logistic Hub at Dadri, Uttar Pradesh, is likely to be inaugurated soon. The land for the project has already been acquired. The township is proposed to have new-age industry sectors. With a total site area of 747.5 acre, the project cost is said to be in the region of Rs 35,000 crore.
Land for the Integrated Multi Modal Logistic Hub, Rewari, is expected to be acquired by the end of this year. The total investment in the Rewari hub is expected to be around Rs 40,000 crore. Haryana State Industrial & Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC) has signed an MoU with Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India (DFCCIL) for the project. Both the parties are likely to hold 50 per cent each in the proposed project.
A New Railway project from Bhimnath to Dholera Special Investment Region (DSIR) in Gujarat will be executed at a cost of Rs 250 crore. The 57.26 km railway line will provide rail connectivity between DSIR and the rest of the country, including sea-ports. The DSIR will have an investment of Rs 70,000 crore.
The project for improvement of water supply to Pithampur-Dhar-Mhow Investment Region in Madhya Pradesh is also expected to be done in a year’s time. The project will provide 90 million ltr per day of water from Narmada Kshripra Simhastha Link to serve the future water requirements of the Pithampur Industrial Area, along with major industrial development proposed in the vicinity, such as the Diamond Park and Sonvaya Bhainslai Industrial Area. The project is expected to cost Rs 300 crore.
The Solar Power Project at Neemrana Industrial Park, Japanese Zone, Neemrana, Rajasthan, was also approved by DMIC. The six MW project is being developed by Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (DMICDC), in partnership with NEDO and HITACHI. It will be the first Smart Micro-Grid project in the country demonstrating the concept of integration of Solar Power with industrial Diesel Generator sets.
A Logistic Data Bank Project for Tracking Container Cargo Movement on Integrated Basis was also approved by DMIC. The project will be implemented through a 50:50 JV between DMIC Trust and Japanese Agency NEC.
The ambitious DMIC project, aiming to put in place a mega industrial infrastructure, is expected to boost the manufacturing sector growth in the country. The DMICDC envisages creating 24 new cities in the country by 2040, in four phases. The 1,483 km project will run through seven states — Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra, alongside the proposed Delhi-Mumbai dedicated rail freight corridor.
The Japan Government has agreed to extend technical and financial aid for the DMIC project and has already committed an investment of USD 4.5 billion. The Union Cabinet has approved an expenditure of Rs 18,500 crore for development of infrastructure for the project.
Once the state governments acquire land for a city project, DMICDC will incorporate SPVs to set up base infrastructure or trunk infrastructure — such as water, power connections, drainage system, broadband network, roads and so on. Only then will industry be invited to invest in projects.
In Phase-I, the DMIC project will see development of seven new industrial cities, namely - Dadri-Noida-Ghaziabad Investment Region in Uttar Pradesh, Manesar-Bawal Investment Region in Haryana, Khushkhera-Bhiwadi-Neemrana Investment Region in Rajasthan, Pithampur-Dhar-Mhow Investment Region in Madhya Pradesh, Ahmedabad-Dholera Investment Region in Gujarat and Shendra-Bidkin Industrial Park city and Dighi Port Industrial Area, both in Maharashtra. Plans for all these cities have been finalised and work on the Dholera and Shendra-Bidkin investment regions is likely to begin in this fiscal. The deadline for the first phase is 2019.
DMICDC is also likely to set up six gas-based power projects with a combined capacity of about 10,000 MW. Of these, two gas-based power projects are proposed to come up in Raigarh and Pune district in Maharashtra, each with a capacity of 1000 MW.
Industrial infrastructure is critically important for industrial growth and to attract increased foreign direct investment. The DMIC project would be a game changer for the investment scenario in India, provided the envisaged infrastructure schemes are executed in time.
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