Sanand's dream to become a 'smart community' will still take some more time to materialise, as there has hardly been any work on the ground.
Japan's Mitsubishi consortium had plans to develop a 'Smart Community Project' along the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC), and Sanand is part of that. By the term 'Smart Community' the consortium basically referred to an energy-efficient community; one that uses low carbon and energy conserving technology, apart from using next-generation urban infrastructure and transportation systems. "According to the plan, the project was to start on a pilot scale by running electric buses along the Ahmedabad-Sanand route last year, apart from work on some solar projects along the corridor as well. Things have been moving at a slow pace, however", said state government sources admitting that not much has happened on ground.
An e-mailed query to Mitsubishi Corporation India went unanswered. Keichi Nakagaki, chairman and managing director of Mitsubishi Corporation India Private Limited had said earlier that the consortium had plans to ask for funds from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) or New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) for the project.
Once the pilot project proved the economic viability of the venture, the 'Smart Community' project was planned to be scaled up along the entire DMIC.
"Things are expected to move soon, as Mitsubishi Corporation chairman, Keichi Nakagaki met Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi recently to discuss investment plans in the state", the government official said.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd (MHI) had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with government of Gujarat and the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor Development Corporation Limited (DMICDC) to collaborate in the development of an environmentally friendly Smart Community at the Vibrant Gujarat Summit 2011. MHI was to form a consortium with four other Japanese companies that included Mitsubishi Corporation India.
The Smart Community plan is a part of DMICDC's ambitious plan to develop the regions in the corridor between Delhi and Mumbai, which include industrial parks, power plants, airports, ports, railways, roads and commercial facilities.
The consortium is also looking at business development opportunities in renewable energy projects along the corridor.
