AURIC city to attract Rs 70,000 crore investment: Devendra Fadnavis

AURANGABAD (MAHARASHTRA): Maharashtra Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis today said the first smart industrial AURIC city being developed in the state will be completed in 2022, and will attract investment of nearly Rs 70,000 crore.

Fadnavis laid the foundation stone for the first administrative building of the city, which is located in Shendre in the district.

AURIC is part of the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) located at Shendra and Bidkin near Aurangabad, an existing urban and industrial hub in the state.

"AURIC has been planned to tap the huge potential for industrial advancement within the region. The city is being developed in two phases and will be completed by 2022. We expect an investment of nearly Rs 70,000 crore to come into this new industrial city once developed," Fadnavis added.

In the first phase, development will be undertaken on 9 sqkm area of Shendre, which will be completed by 2018.

The work on the second phase which includes development of Bidkin, will commence from 2017 and will be developed in three phases. The entire project will be completed by 2022.

"This city is expected to create massive employment opportunity for the locals here. We expect nearly 3,00,000 people will get direct employment. This city will be a game changer for the Marathwada region and will put it on the global industrial map," said the Chief Minister.

Fadnavis also said Marathwada has been the pioneer in the industrial field as it already has an auto cluster here.

"An ecosystem for industrial development is already here, and with the Auric city, we intend to create a bigger ecosystem," he said.

The Chief Minister also formally inaugurated the manufacturing facility of UK-based engine manufacturer Perkins here. The facility has been operational since 2015 and produces 8 engines per day.