Amid the Coronavirus pandemic, one state which has made enormous efforts to attract the companies which are relocating due to disruption in the supply chain is Uttar Pradesh. The state has become a favoured destination for investors in the last few months given its pro-industry policies. As per the report by Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority, 69 firms have been allotted industrial land near upcoming Jewar airport. These companies will bring investment worth 2,300 crore rupees and employ around 86,000 people.
In May, June, and July, when the whole country including UP was suffering from Coronavirus pandemic and economic activity was on a halt, the government of Uttar Pradesh was making efforts to bring investments in the state.
“Altogether, 69 firms were allotted industrial land in sectors 29, 32, 33 near the upcoming Jewar airport during May, June and July with expected investments of Rs 2,388.11 crore and creation of 86,445 jobs in the region,” said YEIDA’s officer on special duty, Shailendra Bhatia.
The Jewar Airport, which will be spread over an area of 1,334 hectares and initially start with two runways, is going to cost around Rs. 29,000 crores. Eventually, the airport will have as many as six runways, making it India’s biggest airport. Currently, the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport of Delhi is the biggest airport in India, with three runways.
Upon completion, the Jewar Airport will emerge as one of the three biggest airports in the world, including O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, Daxing International Airport in Beijing, China, and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport in Texas, US.
Sector 29 of Noida is being developed as an apparel park project which will house many readymade garments manufacturers. The government of Uttar Pradesh is aggressively marketing the Jewar airport to bring investments in the state.
Airports play a crucial role in the development of any city and its economy. The IGI airport of New Delhi helped Gurugram to become a millennial city which now houses thousands of MNCs and contributes billions of dollars in GDP as well as tax collection of Haryana.
However, over the years, Gurugram has become very congested and very costly, and therefore, companies are looking for an alternative which is cheaper than the city in Haryana but also have facilities like an airport and offers a very high standard of living. And this is where the UP government envisages the role of Jewar airport, which will help Noida and its surrounding areas to become an industrial hub. Unlike Gurugram, which is facing land availability issues, Noida has large swaths of land which is ripe for industrial activity and also has a metro, connectivity to other cities, a large consumer base, and so on.
Therefore, Noida is aggressively being marketed as a cheaper and better alternative to Gurugram, and the UP government is succeeding in this to a large extent. Previously, UP MSME Minister Siddharth Nath Singh held talks with Indian ambassador to France to attract French companies in the state.
“There is a huge opportunity to increase the percentage potential of exports from India and UP to France. A large land parcel has been earmarked for maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) near the Jewar Airport in Greater Noida which can provide investment opportunities to French companies,” said UP MSME minister. The state aims to double up the MSME exports to 2.4 lakh crore rupees in the next three years from 1.2 lakh crore rupees as of now.
What makes Jewar Airport a game-changer is the fact that its location and connectivity has been meticulously planned. It is going to be merely 700 metres away from the Yamuna Expressway connecting Delhi and Agra. Also, it will be just 30 kilometres away from the National Highway 22-A connecting Palwal and Aligarh.
Moreover, the southern side of the airport is planned to be connected to the proposed Palwal-Khurja airport. What also boosts connectivity for other towns dependent upon Delhi-NCR for air connectivity is the fact that it is expected to be connected to the Eastern Peripheral Expressway. This will ensure ease of access for cities like Palwal, Manesar, Ghaziabad, Bhagpat and Meerut.
Therefore, apart from ensuring better connectivity for the Delhi-NCR region especially East Delhi and the neighbouring areas of Noida, Greater Noida and Ghaziabad, this airport will also cater to several other towns from where people have to currently travel right up to the IGI Airport that is a costly and time-taking experience.
IGI airport helped Gurugram to become an industrial and services sector hub and Jewar airport can do the same for Uttar Pradesh. Gurugram and Noida are major industrial centres of Haryana and UP respectively. While there are 28 Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in Gurugram, there are 21 notified SEZs in Noida and Greater Noida.
Uttar Pradesh is seeking a large pie of the companies leaving China amid the ongoing disruption in supply chain and the state has the existing capacity to replace China as the ‘factory of the world’ with a population of 22 crores and a young demography. Unfortunately, the state was deprived of an investment-friendly government before, but with the arrival of Yogi, things have been moving rapidly.
The Yogi government must be applauded for transforming the state from a nightmare for industrialists to heaven for law-abiding companies. We are hopeful that his untiring efforts for the state might soon bear fruits.