In a first-of-its-kind project, the Maharashtra authorities are planning to develop a tourism park inside Multi Modal International Cargo Hub and Airport, Nagpur (MIHAN), a special economic zone (SEZ) in Nagpur. The SEZ authorities have sought expressions of interest (EOIs) for appointing a consultant to prepare a feasibility report for a tourism park inside the SEZ limits or outside the SEZ.
What is MIHAN?
MIHAN is the country's first multi-product SEZ, located adjacent to the existing international airport in Nagpur. It leverages the dry port of Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) and benefits from its proximity to the under-construction 700-km-long Mumbai-Nagpur Expressway.
The overall MIHAN project is spread over an area of 4,354 hectares, which houses an international airport on 1,364 hectares, SEZ having units of maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) for aircraft, information technology (IT) parks followed by manufacturing and value-added units on 1,238 hectares. In the non-SEZ area of 614 hectares, land has been reserved for a rail terminal, road terminal, residential and commercial projects and an international school including AIIMS Hospital, IIM Nagpur, etc, that have already come up.
What are the plans now?
According to officials, MADC has floated an EOI to appoint a consultant for preparing a feasibility report. "The objective of the agency would be to conduct a feasibility study for developing a tourism park in SEZ,” said an official. "Once the report is prepared we will be in a position to give details on how much employment will be generated, how much investment will be required for coming up with a tourism park in SEZ or non-SEZ area of MIHAN," the official added.
"The consultant will have to submit a detailed report regarding whether such kind (tourism park) of activity is permissible and recommendable at the referred location. It should include analysis of potential activities in tourism parks, case studies, its advantages & disadvantages with respect to the proximity of the airport/ Defence Area, its impact on the overall development of MIHAN and clear inferences," the tender document added.
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According to officials, the consultant will have to do an assessment of the multiplier effect of selected economic activity, assess the potential employment generation, identify the influence zone and target end users/customers, and determine the financial viability of the project.
The consultant will also have to recommend if such activity is permitted in the SEZ area. If not, the consultant will have to come up with a location in the non-SEZ area. The SEZ area might be a problem considering there are restrictions on entry inside it.
Which companies are currently present in the SEZ area?
The Maharashtra Airport Development Corporation (MADC), the nodal agency for the MIHAN project, till now has leased out about 600 hectares of land in MIHAN-SEZ to major IT companies including HCL, Infosys, TCS, Tech Mahindra, and other blue-chip companies like Tata Advanced Systems, Hexaware BPS (Caliberpoint), Lupin Ltd and Air India Inc, for setting up of IT parks, manufacturing units and MRO facilities etc.
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According to the tender document, in the non-SEZ area, about 130 hectares of land and built premises have been allotted to various companies like Mahindra Babenco, Container Corporation of India, Future Supply Chain Solutions, TCL, Gati, Moraj Infratech, etc, for various uses. Some of the residential townships by private realty developers are on the verge of completion.
The officials Moneycontrol spoke with said no major entry or exits are planned as of now inside the SEZ area of MIHAN.
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