THE DEVELOPMENT HUB OF INDIA: DHOLERA S.I.R.

The dream of the then CM of Gujarat and the incumbent PM of the nation of India is to develop the city of Dholera on the lines of the city of Shanghai; He has envisioned the site as the most suitable for the overall development and in  terms of connectivity to the ambitious freight corridor. 

In the last two decades Shanghai has been one of the fastest developing cities in the world. Since 1992 Shanghai has recorded double-digit growth almost every year except during the global recession of 2008 and 2009. It is one of the main industrial centers of China, playing a key role in China's heavy industries. It is dubbed as the best growing city of the Asian Continent with a high development rate and that to at a speed that makes it rank among the best ranking city in the world. 

With Gujarat there never have been much problem with the acquisition of land and the Dholera location is such that the advantages are obvious. The SIR site is identified over 903 sq km but only 550 sq kms will be developed with an economic activity area slightly less than 400. It will be a Greenfield township, within the SIR, the first, but not the only one. Others are also planned, along the coast and around DMIC.

At Vibrant Gujarat, there was a special pavilion on Dholera Special InvestmentRegion (DSIR), described as a new Gujarat within Gujarat. The CM spoke proudly about it, describing it as something that would surpass Shanghai. 

There’s a slight difference between a SIR and a SEZ. For a SEZ, one needs to acquire the entire contiguous land. With a SIR, even partial land acquisition works. Dholera will be Gujarat’s first SIR, also the first under Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor Project (DMIC), the joint initiative with Japan.

The proposed infrastructure connectivity, with Dholera and outside it, smart city concepts and urban planning, are nothing short of overwhelming. For example, Dholera will largely run on solar power. There is already a draft development plan, in public domain. The location has been identified; work on the central spine road has started. The relevant area has been notified as DSIR. Work is almost complete at the airport. There is a master plan and there is also a project development corporation. The environmental clearances are almost over.

By 2018 or thereabouts, Dholera should be in place. Not all States can replicate everything about Gujarat, even if one accepts rationale of greenfield and charter cities. But some elements, thinking big, faster clearances, should be imbibed. That’s common to both Pudong and Dholera.