Kerala firm bags contract for Gwalior magnet area

Cochin-based Mir Projects and Consultants has been awarded the consultancy for the master plan preparation and development of Gwalior Counter Magnet, which is the first among five such cities.

The counter magnet areas were mooted after Delhi and the National Capital Region, or NCR, witnessed massive migration of population from neighbouring areas because of employment opportunities and well-developed infrastructure.

They are aimed at attracting people to these areas and thereby assisting in the decongestion of the NCR, Mir Group Managing Director K. Arun Kumar said.

Kota (Rajasthan), Hissar (Haryana), Patiala (Punjab) and Bareilly (Uttar Pradesh) are other counter magnet cities aside from the recent additions of Kanpur, Ambala and Dehradun.

The master plan for developing Gwalior West is being conceived on a large area of land measuring 75,000 acres which will house well-planned educational and health institutions, commercial establishments, parks and recreational facilities, utilities and infrastructure to support road, rail and air connectivity.

A new airport and a mass rapid transit system is also under consideration at Gwalior, the seat of erstwhile Scindia royal family. Once developed, Gwalior will emerge as a functional and modern model that offers an eco-friendly environment.It seeks to provide improved quality of life, excellent economic opportunities, better housing, state-of-the-art infrastructure, sewerage, waste management and water treatment facilities, solar power management systems and direct road linkages.

The region is expected to attract large-scale investment from Delhi,mother neighbouring areas and non-resident Indians.

Since Gwalior West has considerable heritage sites of great historical value, relevant steps will be taken for its restoration and conservation.

Necessary planning will also be done to improve the tourist infrastructure of the city in proportion to its potential in heritage, adventure and business tourism.

Mir will be developing the master plan in association with Prointec, its international partner from Spain which is considered a leader in urban development that played a pivotal role in the Regional Planning of Almería Metropolitan Area and the Master Planning for Bilbao Metropolitan Area in Spain. The development plan will be finalised early next year.

Mir, which started as a builder, has been focusing on consultancy for the past two years. It has several urban development consultancy projects in pipe line in other states in the country and Sri Lanka.

The company has done consultancy for many seaports in India and is the consultant for India’s dream railway project for the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation India linking the national capital to the commercial capital of Mumbai.

Mir Group’s real estate and construction wing, Mir Realtors, is also developing three eco-friendly township projects in Cochin, Trivandrum and Kannur in the state of Kerala.

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