Experience the Thrills of India’s First Aerotropolis City

It was about more than a decade when the world first heard of the Aerotropolis concept. Dr. John Kasarda from United States introduced the concept of an Aerotropolis. Soon after this, the Aerotropolis took shape and came into existence following the formation of aero cities around many cities of the world. India too went ahead in this series and it indeed saw its first Aerotropolis in the year 2015, when a company named Bengal Aerotropolis Projects Limited (BAPL) was formed having Mr. Partha Ghosh as its Managing Director, which launched the Aerotropolis in the city of Durgapur, West Bengal. 

The company was formed in a view to introduce and implement the Aero-cities in some Indian states, among which the two main starting points were the states of West Bengal and Punjab. In West Bengal the city chosen was a small industrial town named Durgapur. It had many inbuilt industries among them a few were the steel plants. Why BAPL had chosen this city for transformation into an Aerotropolis was because the city already had an old abandoned airport that was not been used since the time of World War II. The company thought of using these resources to cut down set-up costs and the total project was planned accordingly. It was the foresight of Mr. Partha Ghosh of BAPL, which gave Durgapur a new shape and a new life. 

BAPL not only build a 600 acres airport but also formed a skycity right into the heart of the Durgapur. This skycity named Sujalaam was aimed at people who work and live around this industrial town. It had many high rise apartments, entertainment centres, business hubs, schools, colleges, universities and multi-speciality hospitals. Mr. Partha Ghosh gave Durgapur what it owed after having the Aerotropolis city introduced. The planned the Sujalaam skycity in a way where it met all the expectations of a perfect Aerotropolis. 

The airport was built at Andal which is adjacent to Durgapur. The Airport enjoys all the infrastructures required for the smooth running of this Aerotropolis. It had Educational institutions, Information technology hubs, Free trade zones, Special economic zones, Convention centres, Exhibition centres, Hotels and Offices, Special manufacturing and distribution centres, Retail centres, Wholesale establishments, Entertainment centres, Transportation hub, Business centres, Research and technology parks. The airport had two passenger terminals that are equipped with latest transmission systems. It has a grand lobby and large air strips, which can accommodate jets like – Boeing 707 and narrow body aircrafts. All of these infrastructural facilities together make it a great Aerotropolis. 

Author’s bio: Bengal Aerotropolis Projects Limited (BAPL) is one of the pioneers among infrastructure companies. Mr. Partha Ghosh of BAPL had a foresight that allowed him to implement the Aerotropolis project and it was done with huge success. It was the endeavours of Mr. Partha Ghosh only that helped build up their first high-rise residential tower that was named Sujalaam skycity.