GIFT City update

Chief minister Narendra Modi's biggest dream project, the Gujarat International Finance Tec (Gift) City is soon likely to get a kiss of life from the US-based networking and internet global leader, Cisco. The project, which hit rough seas over issues pertaining to land acquisition, will soon find its sail smooth in the coming months as the state government plans to ink a memorandum of understanding with the American networking and Internet technology giant.
According to state government sources, the state government, top officials of the GIFT City project and the Indian representatives of Cisco company will sign MoUs for technical support in the presence of the CM on Wednesday. The project, which has reached advanced stages need international technology and knowledge support for translating itself into a success story. The government will need technical know-how for developing powerful internet network, urban infrastructure among a host of other technicalities, which Cisco will provide. Along with creating required internet network, the state government will also take help of the American company in bringing investors. Cisco goodwill may also aid the project in attracting international clients.
To speed up the sluggish pace of development of the ambitious project, the state government has also started a special 'Gift area development cell' under the Gujarat Urban Development Company Ltd (GUDC), which is the regulatory agency for the GIFT project. This Gift area development cell will identify, demarcate and chalk-out development plan for the surrounding areas, which will come under influence of the project. The cell will thus look after works that include housing and other development activities in the nearby areas after the Gift takes shape, and to come up with some guiding plans to halt haphazard development in the area.