The firing range will be used for development and testing of weapons and defence exercises. (EXPRESS PHOTO BY PRAVEEN KHANNA)Acting on a proposal moved by the Indian Army, the Gujarat government on Thursday earmarked over 200 square kilometres of land to set up a firing range at Dholera SIR (Special Investment Region). Confirming the development, Jai Prakash Shivhare, Managing Director of Dholera Industrial City Development Limited (DICDL) said that the range will come up in a 5 km wide and 25 km long patch.
“We are proposing a firing range in Dholera. We have already earmarked over 200 square kilometres of land. It will be 5 kilometers wide and 25 kilometre long patch, which will be used for testing of weapons. The project of the firing range was taken up after we got a request from the Indian Army,” Shivhare said at the second Gujarat Aviation Conclave 2019.
“There are only a few firing ranges in India, including the ones at Pokharan and one at Balasore. Most of the time, these firing ranges are occupied and there is a long queue for tests to be done,” Shivhare said adding that the Gujarat government got a similar proposal for the development of a firing range from Baba Kalyani Group. “Initially we were looking at two sites, one in Kutch and the other in Dholera. We have zeroed in on the Dholera,” said Shivhare while adding that the proposed firing range will be open for private players as well.
The proposal for the firing range was moved by the Indian Army. (Express Photo by Ashish Kale)The 200 square kilometres of land that has been identified for the range is “mostly” government-owned and is closer to the seashore. “Once the firing range starts, it will become easier for defence manufacturers to come and set up their manufacturing units,” the IAS officer said.
Tata Group to invest Rs 4000 cr in Dholera SIR
The Tata Group has already said that it would be investing Rs 4,000 crore in Dholera SIR to set up a lithium-ion battery manufacturing unit. “Torrent Power will be providing electricity to this unit at Rs 4.65 per unit which will be cheapest in the country,” Shivhare said.
International airport to come up at Dholera SIR
The IAS officer also said that over 7 million cubic meters of soil will be needed for earth-work for the development of the proposed international airport at Dholera SIR. “Two large reservoirs are being made in the region which will yield about 10 million cubic feet of soil which will be used for the international airport,” the official added. Currently, the Airport Authority of India (AAI) owns a majority 51 per cent stake in the international airport, 33 per cent is owned by Gujarat government, while the National Industrial Corridor Development and Implementation Trust own the remaining 16 per cent.
