The state government is going to begin auctioning land for public and private buyers at the upcoming Smart City Project in Ranchi’s HEC area to garner investment for the proposed state-of-art township, the urban development department announced on Wednesday at an introductory webinar.

State urban development secretary Vinay Kumar Choubey said that so far, the government had spent around Rs 800 crore on creating key facilities like a drainage system, a command and control system and a convention centre.

He said Ranchi Smart City Corporation Limited (RSCCL), a special purpose vehicle created for the project, is now getting ready to auction land to invite investments for asset creation. “Today’s (Wednesday) webinar was an interactive effort to apprise people about our intentions and explain why investing in Ranchi’s Smart City plan will be a great opportunity for the future,” he said.

Ranchi is among 100 cities under India’s Smart City Mission. In 2017, vice-president M. Venkaiah Naidu had laid the foundation stone for this project. Ground work began last year which included creation of a master plan, building basic infrastructure for power, water and transportation, among others.

The Smart City project is spread over 657 acres in the HEC area. Choubey said the site will emerge as a key landmark in the coming years and is well connected. “It is hardly a 6km drive from the airport, 8km from the railway station, 2km from the international cricket stadium and is open Greenfield area,” he said, adding that as per the master plan, 37 per cent of the total area has been set aside for open space and greenery.

Officials at the Ranchi Smart City project webinar in the state capital on Wednesday. Telegraph Picture

Explaining the facilities to be created at the Smart City, RSCCL’s CEO Amit Kumar said, “As far as basic infrastructure is concerned, it will have storm water drainage, smart street lighting, waste water management, 24/7 power and water covering an area of 647.08 acre, among others.”

On the auctioning process, which is likely to be held in january 2021, Kumar said they would notify a date soon. Around 278.52 acres will be open for auction under various categories, like institutional, residential, commercial, public/semi-public and mixed use covering a total of 52 plots.

“Under institution, 11 plots will be up for auction, six under residential, 16 commercial, two for public/semi-public projects and 17 for mixed use,” said another official.

Those willing to apply for bidding will have to initially pay a non-refundable application fee of 0.01 per cent of the reserved base price of the particular plot. “After scrutiny of their application, eligible bidders will then have to pay (refundable) 5 per cent of the reserved base price before taking part in the online auction,” said the official.