In a move to quicken the pace of infrastructure development on the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC), the government has identified twelve early-bird projects in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana, which will kick off before the master plan is put in place. These include an international airport, a knowledge city and mass rapid transport system (MRTS) links for which the government is on course to invite bids at the request for qualification stage (RFQ). The investment required for these projects is expected to be an additional Rs 20,000 crore over and above a similar amount announced earlier for railway projects on the DMIC.

The $75-million funding received from Japan Bank for International Co-operation (JBIC), committed during the PM’s visit to Tokyo, will be routed through India Infrastructure Corporation Limited (IIFCL) and used for doing the preparatory work for the project. It will have two accounts — Indian and Japanese. “It is being routed through the state-run IIFCL as Japan wanted sovereign guarantee against the investment,” the official added. The government has also shortlisted a few names for the post of the CMD DMIC Development Corporation and a decision is expected soon.

As far as Gujarat is concerned, apart from an international airport, the centre has identified three other early-bird projects. These include the setting up of the Ahmedabad-Dholera investment region, six-laning of the 200 km Ahmedabad-Bhavnagar highway and a regional MRTS connecting Gandhi Nagar, Ahmedabad and Dholera. These alone will require an investment of over Rs 10,000 crore, which is planned under the public-private-partnership mode.

... contd.