Rajkot: Saurashtra’s commercial capital - Rajkot - is all set to get a swanky and a sprawling business centre on the lines of Gandhinagar’s Mahatma Mandir.Under the Smart City project, the Rajkot Municipal Corporation (RMC) has decided to build a convention management centre along with a five-star hotel beside it. Despite being a hub of engineering goods, ceramics, watches and several other products, Saurashtra has no dedicated place to hold summits and conventions.The convention centre, which will be built in 40,000 sq m area, will come up in Raiya Smart City and the state government also approved a town planning (TP) scheme for the project on September 21. It will require an investment of Rs 150 crore which will be disbursed by the central government under the Smart Cities Mission.Officials said that the design for the convention centre will be finalized by December and thereafter the tenders for construction will be floated.Municipal commissioner Banchha Nidhi Pani said: “Businessmen from Saurashtra they conduct their business activities, seminars, meetings and functions at this modern centre. It will have a capacity to accommodate nearly 6,000 people.”Considering that the maintenance of the building could be challenge, the project is likely to be developed on build, operate and transfer (BOT) model.An officer close to the development told TOI: “There are many industries in Saurashtra that can utilize this facility to boost their business at the international level, be it Morbi’s ceramic industry or Jamnagar’s brass industry. They won’t have to go to Ahmedabad to organize mega events. Moreover, once the new international airport at Hirasar starts operations, delegates from all over India and other countries can easily reach Rajkot and this centre will be better utilized.”The government has finalized TP scheme for all development projects under ‘smart city’ and all the decisions will now be taken by Rajkot Smart City Development Ltd (RSCDL), a special purpose vehicle floated by RMC on August 21, 2017.

Stay updated with all the Latest Rajkot headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.