Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari recently announced plans to develop Nagpur’s MIHAN area with the help of UAE-based Lulu Group.
The minister, along with Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis, had held talks with the group and they had expressed interest in investing Rs 2,000 crore in the project to create a world-class convention centre.
Gadkari added that the convention centre alone would create as many as 100,000 jobs once the international airport in Nagpur was fully developed, as per a Times of India report.
The Multi Modal international Cargo Hub and Airport at Nagpur (MIHAN) is the flagship project of Maharashtra Airport Development Company Limited (MADC).
The development of MIHAN special economic zone (SEZ) has driven the whole region around Nagpur to witness a boost in economic activity and also attracted qualified and skilled talent form Maharashtra, rest of the India as well as abroad.
Nitin Gadkari was speaking at a TedX programme in Nagpur, where he highlighted infrastructure and development opportunities in the region.
The minister also talked about plans for developing Futala lake by introducing a floating platform and hydrogen balloons to transport people from Telangkhedi Lake to Ambazari Lake.
The floating platform in Futala lake will have capacity to hold 1,000 persons where different events can be held.
He expressed that the projects in Telangkhedi and Ambazari lakes have a potential to create as much as 10,000 jobs.
“Along with the Futala fountain, an 11-storey building is coming up. This would also have revolving restaurants, parking for 1,100 cars and 800 scooters. There will be at least 25 restaurants in an area of 5,000 square feet. There will be street food joints on the same road. Even those vendors will be getting slots at rates within their reach,” he said.
The MIHAN region, is currently generating 68,000 jobs and the minister plans to generate one lakh jobs in the region.
Furthermore, speaking about infrastructure development opportunities in the region, Gadkari said he was interested in exploring the production of hydrogen fuel from sewage water.
He revealed plans to establish a significant educational institution in the region, providing students with an alternative to studying in Mumbai or Pune.
Additionally, with regards to job creation, the minister recognised that the region’s natural resources could serve as a basis for creating new economic prospects.