With finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman's budget announcements, Dholera Industrial City in the state is expected to get a major boost. The zone has been conceived as a hub for large manufacturing projects, especially in high-technology sectors. Officials of Dholera Industrial City Development Ltd (DICDL) said they are in touch with companies.
In her maiden budget speech, the finance minister said, "The government will launch a scheme to invite global companies through transparent and competitive bidding to set up mega-manufacturing plants in sunrise and advanced technology areas such as semi-conductor fabrication, solar photo voltaic cells, lithium storage batteries, solar electric charging infrastructure, computer servers, laptops, etc." She added that exemptions under the Income Tax Act and other indirect tax benefits would be provided.
Dholera has vast tracts of undisputed land and so the synergy is natural, feel state government officials.
"The budget will help Dholera significantly. It is most suitable for high-technology and mass production facilities. We are analysing budget proposals and will try to maximise benefit," said M K Das, principal secretary of the state's industries and mines department.
Jaiprakash Shivhare, managing director of DICDL, said no other project in India can offer large land parcels and cheap electricity like Dholera. Infrastructure work worth Rs 3000 crore on six-lane roads, water, telecom, electricity, piped natural gas, solid waste collection and disposal, is underway and is likely to be done by end-2019.
"Investors will be able to start construction immediately. Power tariffs are the lowest, so it's ideal for power intensive sectors. Tata Chemicals Ltd is setting up with a lithium-ion battery manufacturing facility," Shivhare told DNA.
He added that Dholera is being projected as a hub for defence and aerospace production too. "We are also proposing a firing range across 100 square km, so that companies can carry out tests," he said.
