Dholera: The Next Name in the Smart City List

What is your definition of an ideal city? Is it the one that has 24x7 water, electricity and Wi Fi or the one that has centrally operated control systems? Is it the city where the traffic is smooth as butter or a city that is self-sufficient to meet all of its needs? Well! Now this is not just an imagination, but it is already on paper as the master plan of the Smart City of Dholera.

Located away from the maddening crowd, along the Delhi  Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC), Dholera is going to be one of the first smart cities of India. In addition to its state-of-the-art infrastructure, this futuristic city will be characterized by technology driven civil framework. It is expected to be developed in six phases and the completion is expected by the end of this decade.

Vision- The urban population of India will experience an increase from 28% to 36% by the year 2026 and as per reports we will need 20 to 30 new cities by the next decade. Dholera is one of the many smart city projects that have been proposed to meet this purpose. The DMIC will connect the political capital (Delhi) of the country to its economic capital (Mumbai) and Dholera can be called as the “influence zone” of this corridor. Situated 100 kms from Ahmedabad, this modern city will provide ample employment opportunities as well as high tech accommodations.

The Issue- The decision of rebuilding Dholera from a deserted village into a smart city was taken in 2013. To support the project and suppress the protests, the state took the support of the Special Investment Region (SIR) Act, 2009. But the opposition found it as a clever way to bypass the Land Acquisition issue as it gave way to the binding requirements of consent and compensation. A silent protest called Jameen Adhikar Andolan Gujarat (JAAG) was started to voice their concerns. Presently, the Dholera project is back on its track, but land acquisition is still an issue for this smart city.

Development- Sprawling over a humongous area of 903 sq km, Dholera's development is planned in six separate phases. The construction of the first phase (150 sq km) is likely to start next year. 540 sq km is committed for the development of ultra-modern residences, office spaces and townships. But before the work starts, the trunk infrastructure for the DMIC will be built by the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor Development Corporation Ltd (DMICDC). The globally renowned company Cisco has taken up the job of integrating Information and Communication Technology (ICT) with the civil infrastructure. The ICT master plan has already been finalised.

Location- Dholera is located about 100 kms away from Ahmedabad and about 130 kms from Vadodara. The two important roads of Gujarat, Bhavnagar-Pipali Highway and Gujarat State Highway 20, are situated very close to the area. If you visit the place now you will only find a vast low lying field but in the next 10 years, the same place will have a complete new look. With excellent road infrastructure and smooth connectivity options, the city will be no less than a metropolitan.

Facilities- The technology driven nature of Dholera will make every job easy for the residents. Traffic management, water management, street lighting and road infrastructure will be centrally monitored. Internet will be provided in homes like other basic amenities to keep everyone in the city connected to each other as well as to the control systems. To offer easy mobility and transport, interactive maps will be placed across different regions. Social services like grievance redressal and land record management will be much more simplified. Single window clearance will make it easy to set up services in the area.

By integrating next gen technologies with cutting edge physical and social infrastructure, Dholera will undoubtedly be one of the most sought after destinations for residential as well as commercial purposes. Land acquisition is still an issue for this smart city for which changes in land acquisition law is critical. This winter session is important for it to become reality. Apart from Dholera, plans for smart cities at Khushkhera in Rajasthan, Manesar in Haryana and Shendra in Maharashtra are also underway. It seems like Modi's dream is gradually taking shape with these high tech smart cities.