Decks Cleared For Dholera Airport Near Ahmedabad, Ground-Breaking To Take Place This Year

Senior government officials have said that the ground-breaking for the new international airport at Dholera, around 100 km south of Ahmedabad would take place this year itself, reports DNA. Dholera airport is one of the five new greenfield airports that the Central government approved recently.

The airport has received clearance from the defence and civil aviation ministries and will be funded by the centre. It is being built as part of the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) as well as the Dholera Special Investment Region (SIR).

The Dholera Special Eonomic Zone (Dholera SEZ) was among the three business hubs proposed by then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi along with the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City) near Ahmedabad and the Diamond Research and Mercantile City (DREAM City) near Surat.

The Dholera SIR is being developed as a manufacturing hub with major works to the tune of Rs 25,000 crore including roads, river bunding, water and sewerage services and more already underway and due to be complete by next September.

Occupying 1,423 acre of land, the Dholera Airport will be built at a cost of Rs2,125 crore with two runways, one of 2,910 metre and one of 4,000 metre.

The airport itself is located around 80 km away from the Ahmedabad and connectivity is being worked out. The Centre and the state of Gujarat would spend Rs 7,000 crore on building a six lane expressway and another Rs 7,000 crore on a mass rapid transit system to connect the airport to the former capital. A railway line is also being laid between Dholera and Bhimnath at a cost of Rs 300 crore.

The financial model of the airport is still being finalised by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) will hold majority state in the project.