An ambitious $90-billion industrial project along side the Delhi-Mumbai dedicated rail freight route will be ready with manufacturing and trading hubs by 2013,a senior official said on Wednesday.
However, the project faces daunting tasks ahead in terms of meeting requirements of water and electricity.
"The electricity capacity that exists and the capacity being planned is not adequate. Water availability in sufficient amount is also an issue," Adviser of the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) Ajay Dua said at a Confederation of Indian Industry and Japan External Trade Organisation function in New Delhi.
Dua who was instrumental in finalising the project, as DIPP Secretary, said Japan is committed to make big investment in DMIC. He has since retired from that post advises the DIPP on the project.
The 1,483-km corridor would cover six states Delhi and NCR, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra.
The corridor, for which a company has been incorporated, would have a 4,000-MW power plant, three greenfield ports and six airports. It would also link 10 cities with over 10 lakh (1 million) population including Faridabad, Surat, Delhi, Greater Mumbai, Meerut, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Pune and Nashik.
Industrial units would come up along major transport arteries such as highways and railways connecting to ports to facilitate internal and external trade.
Meanwhile, the industry body CII and Japan External Trade Organisation have launched a portal for investors.