Gujarat to develop five new satellite towns around major cities

The Gujarat government on Monday (November 2) announced plans to develop five dedicated satellite towns near its major urban hubs — Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Vadodara, Surat and Rajkot — to manage escalating urban expansion and distribute growth more evenly.

The identified towns are Kalol (Gandhinagar region), Sanand (Ahmedabad), Savli (Vadodara), Bardoli (Surat) and Hirasar (Rajkot), reported The Times of India.

The Urban Development Department (UDD) has constituted a high-level committee to oversee the project, which has been allocated an initial Rs 50 crore for early planning and development.

Each town is tied to a key growth corridor: Sanand is already being groomed as India’s semiconductor hub with global majors establishing units; Kalol forms an industrial corridor; Savli, Bardoli and Hirasar have strong existing industry or airport linkages.

A senior official said the move aims to not only “ease pressure on major city centres but also create new zones of balanced investment and growth”.

The step is seen as integral to Gujarat’s long-term urban strategy and is expected to provide new residential, commercial and industrial spaces, easing congestion in the core cities.