The sluggish pace of work is leading to delays in the proposed Integrated Manufacturing Cluster (IMC) near the airport in Hisar taking shape. The project is being developed under the National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (NICDC) as part of the Amritsar–Kolkata Industrial Corridor (AKIC).
Government sources indicated that delays in on-ground execution, despite strong initial structural advantages, are a matter of concern. The IMC is projected as a transformative industrial smart city expected to reshape the economic landscape of western Haryana.
The sources said it is among the 12 industrial smart cities planned under the ambitious AKIC programme across the country. “The IMC-Hisar was envisioned as a major manufacturing, logistics and advanced industrial hub aimed at attracting large-scale domestic and global investment. However, years after approval, the project remains largely confined to the planning stage,” said an official.
Notably, unlike several other industrial smart city projects in the country, IMC-Hisar began with a significant advantage, as nearly 2,988 acres of encumbrance-free government land has already been transferred by the state government.
“Since land acquisition is one of the biggest bottlenecks in industrial corridor development nationwide, the Hisar project has this initial advantage,” the official said, adding that despite this, procedural progress has remained slow, with the appointment of consultants still under process and the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) tender—which marks the beginning of physical infrastructure work—yet to be floated.
“The slow pace is more evident when compared with other corridor-linked projects such as the IMC at Rajpura, where EPC-level execution has already advanced, strengthening investor confidence,” the government official added.
Industry experts, however, maintained that in the current competitive investment environment, execution speed is as critical as policy intent, particularly as states compete aggressively for manufacturing investments amid global supply chain diversification under the “China Plus One” strategy. A senior industrial policy analyst observed that investment decisions are increasingly driven by execution certainty.
“Investors today evaluate not just incentives but also infrastructure readiness and administrative speed. Prolonged procedural delays reduce execution credibility and push investments toward faster-moving destinations,” the analyst said.
Concerns are also being raised in regional industrial circles about potential investment diversion, including the proposed trainer aircraft manufacturing initiative associated with Shakti Aircraft Industries.
The project gains significance as Hisar is emerging as an aerospace and advanced manufacturing hub, especially in view of the developing ecosystem around Maharaja Agrasen Airport.
Experts said sectors such as aerospace, defence-linked manufacturing and advanced engineering are particularly sensitive to ecosystem readiness, logistics connectivity and implementation certainty, making execution timelines crucial.
Meanwhile, the state government has maintained that the project remains a priority. In a high-level review meeting held on April 15, Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi reviewed the progress of the IMC-Hisar project and directed all concerned departments to ensure timely and expedited implementation of decisions related to the project. The meeting reiterated that the NICDC-backed project under AKIC will play a key role in attracting investment to Haryana and generating large-scale employment opportunities.
IMC-Hisar is seen as a growth engine with the potential to span manufacturing, MSMEs, logistics, warehousing, aviation-linked activity and urban infrastructure development, due to its strategic location and improving connectivity through highways, rail and aviation infrastructure.
Hisar Industries Association president Devender Jain said the project has the potential to accelerate growth in the western region of the state and transform it into a next-generation manufacturing and aerospace hub. He added that the association had met state authorities about six months ago, conveying that there is significant growth potential and demanding smaller industrial plot sizes to support wider participation in industrial development.
