Gujarat appoints consultant for HCC's water front city project

Gujarat appoints consultant for HCC's water front city project
The Hindu Business Line, December 1, 2009, Page 17

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HCC had shortlisted three foreign-based town planners for the project after the company signed an MoU with the State Government at the Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors' Summit in January.
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Virendra Pandit, Ahmedabad

The Gujarat Government has appointed a consultant for the preparation of a development plan for the Rs 40,000-crore water front city project proposed by infrastructure and engineering major Hindustan Construction Company Ltd (HCC) at Dholera in Ahmedabad district.

Earlier this year, HCC had shortlisted three foreign-based town planners for the project after the company signed an MoU with the State Government at the Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors' Summit in January 2009. HCC was in the process of finalising a Concept Development Report for the water front city and have requested details of location and infrastructure being proposed in Dholera Special Investment Region (SIR), a company official told Business Line.

The State Government, through its nodal agency, Gujarat Industrial Development Board (GIDB), has appointed Halcrow Consulting India Pvt Ltd for the development plan preparation for the project off the Gulf of Cambay.

GIDB has also appointed various consultants for water, power and seismological studies necessary for finalisation of the development plan which is likely to be completed in the next three to four months.GIDB would conduct a final presentation of the development plan for the anchor tenants in the first or second quarter of 2010 and would propose alternatives for locations. The nodal agency is also finalising the land acquisition strategy.

Three projects

HCC is in the process of finalising strategy for one of the three water pipeline projects for which it had signed MoU during the Vibrant Gujarat, with a total investment of Rs 1,500 crore.

Recently, HCC had been awarded a Rs 167.67 crore contract for water supply scheme by Gujarat Water Infrastructure Ltd.

It is an EPC contract for pumped water supply scheme and will be completed in 18 months. In this scheme, water will be drawn from Narmada Main Canal and carried through a 62.28-km-long pipeline for supplying water to over 100 villages in Amreli and Junagarh districts.