The first high-level meeting of the state Special Investment Region (SIR) Apex Authority chaired by Chief Minister Narendra Modi was held last week on fleshing out the idea and to discuss the strategy for developing the notified and proposed SIRs. Sources said the meeting was attended by all key ministers and top bureaucrats who assessed individual progress of the five notified and 11 proposed SIRs in the state.

An official said: “It was decided to expedite the process of notifying the land acquisition for industrial and other purposes (township, commercial and other developments) in all SIRs. The task of notification and land acquisition will be highly challenging on such a large scale. So far, GIDC has acquired or developed about 305 sq. km area for industrial estates in the last five decades, but for the proposed SIRs, the government plans to acquire around 4,188 sq. km area. Some of the land is government owned, while a major chunk is private farmland.”

The notified and proposed SIRs are in various stages of development. The government is finalising the draft development plan for Dholera SIR and the Dahej Petroleum, Chemicals and Petrochemical Investment Region (PCPIR), while studies and draft development plans for other SIRs are at various stages. Dahej Special Economic Zone (SEZ) will now become a part of Dahej PCPIR under the new plan.

But the 4,188 sq. km area to be acquired do not include land required for the 60 proposed SEZs in Gujarat. The state government has proposed 319.68 sq. km land for SEZs which is a mere 13 per cent of the proposed land for SIRs in the state.

The government has also proposed various industrial parks in the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) and the Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) routes in the state. The state government is also developing industrial estates of the old GIDC (Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation) estate model.