by Probalika Boruah
DMIC's Shendra-Bidkin Nodes To Get New Highway Link
In a move that further boost the prospects of the 1,483-km Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) , the Centre has planned to link the Shendra and Bidkin nodes in Maharashtra’s Aurangabad through a new highway under the project.
Being pegged as the world's biggest infrastructure project with an estimated investment of $90 billion, the DMIC will give much-needed push to the to the realty market in the country, and a leg-up to the government's 'Make in India' campaign. It is being estimated that the project will bring about a positive change in the lives of as many as 180 million people, which is 14 per cent of the population.
What the project is about?
Inspired by Japan's Tokyo-Osaka industrial corridor, the project will upgrade nine mega industrial zones, three ports, six airports as well as the country's high-speed freight line in two phases. A 4,000-mw power plant and a six-lane intersection-free expressway will also be constructed, which will connect the country's political and financial capitals. Conceptualised by the Congress-led UPA government, the project will cover Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. The corridor claims to urbanise 12 per cent of India over the next three decades. The first phase is expected to be completed by 2019.
Salient features
Who's funding?
To come up at a cost of $90 billion, the corridor is partially being funded by the government along with loans and investment by Japanese firms. A substantial part of the fund is expected to be utilised for developing better transport facilities, including a robust public transport network.
Its influence
Spread over 1,483 kilometers, eight investment regions will be developed in the Phase I. These include Dadri-Noida-Ghaziabad (in Uttar Pradesh) ; Manesar-Bawal (in Haryana) ; Khushkhera-Bhiwadi-Neemrana and Jodhpur- Pali-Marwar (in Rajasthan) ; Pithampur-Dhar-Mhow (in Madhya Pradesh) ; Ahmedabad-Dholera Special Investment Region (SIR) in Gujarat; the Shendra-Bidkin Industrial Park and Dighi Port Industrial Area in Maharashtra.
The change