Bhopal, May 12: An empowered committee would be constituted under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary Rakesh Sahni for development of the area falling in Madhya Pradesh under the proposed Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor. The MP Trade and Investment Facilitation Corporation (TRIFAC) would be announced the nodal agency for implementation of the project. A sum of Rs one crore has been sanctioned for preliminary preparations under the project.

This was decided at a meeting chaired by the Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan held at Mantralaya today to review progress of the project. Prominent among those who attended the meeting included the Minister for Finance Raghavji, Minister for Medical Education Dr Gaurishankar Shejwar, Minister for Industries Jayant Malaiya, Minister for Revenue Kamal Patel, Chief Secretary Rakesh Sahni, Principal Secretary Industries Satyaprakash, principal Secretary Finance AK Das, Secretary to Chief Minister SPS Parihar and other senior officers concerned.

The development of this industrial corridor would boost development in western Madhya Pradesh. Areas of Uttar Pradesh, Hariyana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra would come under the project between Delhi and Mumbai. The ten-year project would cost Rs 3,60,000 crore of which Rs 2.42 lakh crore is proposed to be provided by Japanese government. A sum of Rs 40,000 crore is to be spent on development of the area in Madhya Pradesh. This amount would be mobilised from Government of India, Japanese Government, financial institutions, private sector and state government.

The corridor would be developed in 1483 km area from Dadari in Delhi to Jawaharlal Nehru Port in Mumbai. There is a plan to develop 140 km area along either sides of this road with the financial and technical co-operation of Japanese government by Government of India. Under this, necessary facilities would be provided for transportation of raw material and ready products along with industrial development. A target has been fixed to double the employment opportunities and production in next five years and increase the export by five fold in next five years.

The industrial areas of Pithampur-Dhar-Mhow, Dewas-Shajapur, Ratlam-Nagda and Neemuch-Nayagaon are to be developed under Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor. Besides, construction of Indore-Chhota Udaipur-Pratapnagar, Neemuch-Ratlam broad gauge, Dahod-Indore, Dewas-Maksi rail routes would be constructed on priority. Moreover, Jaora-Maksi road would be widened and Sarangpur-Akodia-Shujalpur-Ashta-Kannod road would be developed and Dewas-Sehore-Bhopal road and Indore-Nasik road would be made four-lane. A knowledge city would be developed near Dewas and a logistic hub would be set up between Dewas and Indore. A diamond park has also been included in the project.