Dholera in Gujarat to have largest greenfield smart city

With Larsen & Toubro being awarded the ₹1,734-crore EPC contract, work on the construction of ancient port city of Dholera in Gujarat, touted as India’s largest greenfield smart city, which comes under the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC), is all set to roll out.

A SPV has been created to manage the township on a sustainable basis. Cube Construction Engineering Ltd will construct the Administrative and Business Centre at Dholera, a company spokesman said.

EPC contract

The ambitious project is being jointly promoted by the DMIC and Dholera Special Investment Regional Development Authority (DSIRDA). The first board meeting of the Dholera Industrial City Development Ltd (DICDL), held on January 30, approved the EPC (Engineering Procurement Construction) contract for ₹1,734.04 crore for construction of roads and services by Larsen & Toubro.

A second contract for ₹72.31 crore for construction of the Administration and Business Centre of Dholera (ABCD) was approved for Cube Construction Engineering Ltd.

Alkesh Sharma, CEO, DMIC Trust, said the SPV has finalised the award of the two contracts and completed all other formalities. “Over the next few months, selected contractors will furnish the detailed design and construction should start around May 2016,” he said.

Infra development

The roads and services contract comprises construction of over 72 km of major and minor roads and an array of underground utilities, including stormwater drainage, water, wastewater, recycled water, power, gas and ICT (Information and Communications Technology).

Sharma said the ABCD would have over 17,000 sq mt built up area and features to comply with LEED Gold requirement. The facilities will include industrial zone, knowledge and IT zone, solar park, residential zone, high access corridor, city centre, agriculture zone, village buffer and tourism-resorts.

AECOM, a US-based consulting firm, is the programme manager to implement the project. By 2019, the city will be functional with manufacturing units and a population of around one lakh people.

Dholera, 30 km from Dhandhuka village in Ahmedabad district, was notified under the National Manufacturing Policy and obtained environmental clearance in August 2014. It was unveiled as India’s first smart city ahead of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas and the Vibrant Gujarat Summit in January last year.