A result of Gujarat’s government Special Investment Act passed in 2009, Dholera SIR is the first smart city to be developed and shall lead the country in Modi’s 100 smart city project.
Dholera is strategically located about 100 kilometers from Ahmedabad and shall be strongly connected with the entire country through various modes of transport. A dedicated metro route and a proposed expressway shall connect it to Ahmedabad while the international airport that has recently been passed shall make the city accessible for the world. Its proximity to the port shall also prove positive for its development.
Dholera SIR is built along the DMIC corridor which is spread over 1,483 kilometers and shall connect the financial capital of Mumbai to the political capital of Delhi. It shall pass through the states of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra , Gujarat and Rajasthan and shall stretch between Jawaharlal Nehru Port near Mumbai and Dadri in National Capital Region. Development work has commenced for the corridor with financial grant from the Indian government and an aid of $4.5 billion from the Japan government. A substantial funding shall be generated privately through Public Private Partnership model and also through foreign investment inflow. Other smart cities such as Shendra Bidkin in Maharashtra shall also be developed along the corridor.
Dholera shall be equipped with robust infrastructure through usage of most recent technology and shall have all possible amenities unlike any other Indian city. As per AT Patel, the Deputy Collector of Dholera SIR Development Authority,”the city will use ICT (information and communications technology) for management of urban amenities like drainage, traffic, water supplies among others. This will make it a smart city for the next generation.”
Dholera is also built with a vision of becoming a global hub for manufacturing and economic activities and shall act as a catalyst to industrial growth.It is also expected to create immense employment opportunities. Various companies spread across important sectors have showed interest in setting up their operation in the first smart city of Dholera which is spread over 920 square kilometers. Of this area, about 128 square kilometer is agricultural land and another 325 square kilometers falls under the coastal regulation zone. Thus the total developable area available for the smart city is 422 square kilometers.
The Dholera Smart City shall consist of both residential and commercial area and is expected to be a home for 2 million people which shall be one third the current population of Ahmedabad. Dholera is divided into six town planning schemes, the development of which shall be done in phases. Work on Town Planning scheme 1 and 2 has already begun and the phase 1 is expected to get completed by 2019 while the entire project shall take another 30 years to complete.
The project looks quite lucrative and should be able to elevate the standard of life for people residing in Dholera. Mr. Patel has remarked that “In spite of being an urban center, this city will not have traffic issues, queues or congested residential apartments.”
