The Centre’s indication to extend the proposed Delhi-Mumbai industrial corridor up to Ludhiana has supplied a ray of hope to Punjab for speedy development.
Under the extended industrial corridor, most part of the 200-km-long stretch along the Delhi-Ambala railway track will be developed. In this 200-km stretch, Punjab’s share would be just half of it. If seeing in broader perspective benefit to Haryana will be double with the proposed extension. Because Haryana’s Manesar-Bawal belt, adjoining Rajasthan boundary, are already covered under the corridor project before its extension to Ludhiana.
While on one hand both states hopes that corridor would assist with better flow of FDI, on the contrary the states complain that FDI flow in Punjab and Haryana had not kept pace with many states like Gujarat, Maharashtra and even Orissa.
Punjab was supplemented with meager FDI of Rs 164.6 million as against Haryana, which was provided Rs 4913.5 million during 2001-02. Similarly in 2002-03 Punjab had FDI of Rs 0.3 million as against Haryana’s Rs 1035.4 million. In 2005-06, Punjab’s share increased to RS 191.1 million as compared to previous year and Haryana’s FDI inflow decreased to Rs 575.4 million comparatively to the previous year but was still higher than FDI inflow to Punjab.
It is learnt that Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) Development Corporation will implement and assist the project.
The industrial corridor will be established with Japanese help and would cost about $ 50 billion (about Rs. 2,15,000 crore) along with the proposed Delhi-Mumbai dedicated rail freight corridor.
Besides the existing ports’ connectivity with the industrial corridor, three ports, six airports and a mega power plant would be constructed for the trio-corridor. The fund for Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) project would be allocated through public-private partnership (PPP) and foreign investment. Japan would invest as well as give grant for the project.
The Dedicated Freight Corridor is the biggest development programme being undertaken by the Indian Railways since independence. It is the single largest infrastructure project in the country, whose cost would be Rs 22,000 crores. After its completion not only will it take Indian Railways to new heights but will also change fortunes of the regions connected with it.
The DMIC is expecting to accelerate Japanese investment not only for the project, but to develop infrastructure sector, comprising industrial parks, roads, ports and rail connectivity along the routes, and facilitate exports from the regions covered by the corridor.
It took five years for Punjab, which had been trying hard for the approval to the project. First it was the hard lobbying by Amrinder Singh’s governmet, which culminated into the project’s sanction. However many sites were proposed initially, but were rejected later for various reasons.
Prakash Singh Badal elected Chief Minister later, who succeeded in getting the airport project sanctioned. Despite his invitation to Haryana and Himachal Pradesh to become part of the project, none of them showed interest. It was the day when MoU was being signed with Airport Authority of India; Haryana all of a sudden jumped and became equal partner in the project.
Primarily the industrial corridor was to extent to Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra. But later with the meeting with Prime Minister, the Punjab chief minister’s requested him to extend corridor to the Amritsar. On January 14 after a meeting it was decided to extend the corridor up to Ludhiana.
Earlier in a letter to Prime Minister, Prakash Singh Badal had requested to him that being a border state, Punjab needs special attention and only industry could help the state in reviving its economy.
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