Most Indian cities have experienced growth that is essentially unsustainable. Core infrastructure is typically lacking; for instance, in Delhi, 18 percent of houses lack access to drinking water, 30 percent either dump wastewater into open sewers or have no drainage system at all, and 17 percent lack bathrooms. With complete disregard for the environment, rapid urbanisation has resulted in the careless management of resources like land and water. Urban commons have been severely underutilised due to unchecked growth in the form of unauthorised buildings and a lack of land-pooling policies to enable coordinated development. Due to the creation of densely populated areas with little to no green space, the urban heat island effect is exacerbated. With the rise in the demand for dholera sir residential plots, developers are more cautious into creating more planned expansions.
The Smart City Mission's goal is to use technology and data to enhance city services and infrastructure. In order to encourage other cities to become "smart," it seeks to produce replicable models. The policies it supports range from cutting-edge concepts like intelligent traffic management systems, smart metres for electricity and water, e-governance, and citizen services to more well-established solutions like waste-to-compost or waste-to-energy, recycling, and waste reduction.
India's cities frequently fall short of incorporating social and environmental sustainability into their resource management. This is partially caused by a lack of demand for environmentally friendly goods and services or by an inadequate evaluation of this need by the authorities. The Smart City Mission seeks to close this gap by offering cutting-edge ways to foster greater communication between people and municipal authorities, among other organisations. It urges the construction of brand-new greenfield projects around cities, inclusive development, and "area-based development," which focuses on transforming particular urban areas according to their unique needs through redevelopment plans or by repurposing facilities that were not present when the areas were first built. For instance, they are planning to create banquet halls in kandivali west or focusing on residential projects in dholera sir which will have all teh necessary amenities
Redevelopment plans prioritise slum regions, and greenfield projects include inclusionary zoning with a requirement that 15% of housing be affordable. But a tough issue, urban poverty. Many of the poor in cities have moved there from rural areas, and because they lack skills, they frequently end up in menial professions. Smart cities will be evaluated on their capacity to offer cheap housing, as well as training and skill-transfer to the urban poor.
Local governments must create planning plans that take into account the ambitions of the local populace, the local environment, and the availability of resources. It is unclear, nevertheless, how area-based planning and development would resolve tensions between competing goals, such as hopes for higher living standards with a lack of funding.
The Smart Cities Mission emphasises technology's role too much while downplaying participatory governance. One of its objectives is to enhance the use of internet- or mobile-based methods for linking residents to local government offices, so obviating the necessity for in-person visits. For instance, it suggests virtual tours of work sites, which could help boost transparency. Nevertheless, it does not outline how citizens might contribute actively to the ongoing process of decision-making. Both increasing openness in urban planning and management and merging residents into decision-making processes are aspects of citizen engagement, and these structural improvements cannot be made just through technological means.
Top reasons to invest in Dholera Special Investment Region
India’s Electric Vehicle (EV) manufacturing centre
Even while the Gujarat government's effort to subsidise electric vehicles has drawn attention and praise, there is something even more intriguing for investors. A lucrative special subsidy of 12 percent on fixed capital investment is being offered to EV producers by the Gujarati government. In the ensuing four years, it also wants to see two lakh EVs on Gujarat's roadways. The region is anticipated to evolve into a significant EV production hub when this is paired with Dholera's infrastructure development and equivalent investment opportunities sought by significant automakers. This phenomena will create job opportunities in the neighbourhood and subsequently spur expansion in residential real estate.
The flagship Special Education Region
The Dholera SIR project recently included the addition of the Gujarat Special Education Region (G-SER). This initiative is the first of its type to power a worldwide education centre using a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) strategy. Up until recently, Vallabh Vidyanagar in the Anand District of Gujarat was thought of as one of the nation's top educational districts. G-SER is now preparing to raise the bar by assisting in the development of top-notch educational facilities connected to domestic and international educational institutions, hence enhancing the neighborhood's social amenities.
Giga factories and Jio smartphone factory
On June 24, 2021, Mukesh Ambani made an announcement at Reliance's 44th Annual General Meeting (AGM) on the construction of four Giga plants and the introduction of the "JioPhone Next" in collaboration with Google. A gigantic industrial facility called a "giga plant" is able to generate thousands of gigawatts of electricity. Real estate investors have taken advantage of the developments in Dholera SIR. The "JioPhone Next" manufacturing plant will be located in Dholera. The top brass at Google has already started scouting the area. The development of the project and the eight billion dollars' worth of Giga plants together indicate that Dholera is undergoing the next stage of industrialization.
Push for green energy alternatives
With approval from the Central Government, the largest single-location "Ultra Mega Solar Power Park" in the world with a 5,000 MW capacity has been planned in Dholera SIR. A 2,000 MW solar cell manufacturing facility is now under construction in the Dholera Special Industrial Area (DSIR), with 15 Megawatts already close to completion. The Gujarat government has approved the state's first monorail project, which would run between Ahmedabad and the Dholera SIR, in addition to the metro line.
