Gaya Industrial Smart City (IMC Gaya): Master Plan and Land-Use Notes

What IMC Gaya is and where it sits

IMC Gaya is one of 12 new industrial smart cities cleared by the Union Cabinet as part of the National Industrial Corridor Development Programme (NICDP), run by the National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (NICDC). The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs greenlit the development of 12 industrial smart cities across six major industrial corridors in 10 states, with an estimated investment of Rs 28,602 crore. Gaya's node falls under the Amritsar-Kolkata Industrial Corridor (AKIC).

The IMC Gaya project site is spread over 1,670 acres, situated in Dobhi block, Sherghati sub division of Gaya district, and the land is under possession of the State Govt. The project site has been notified as an Industrial Area by the State Govt. Approvals came in two stages: the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) accorded approval in August 2024, and the State Cabinet had accorded approval in May 2023.

The site's pitch rests heavily on connectivity: it is positioned near NH-19 (Golden Quadrilateral), NH-22 (Gaya-Chatra), Gaya International Airport, Gaya Railway Junction, IWAI waterways terminal at Gaighat, Patna, the proposed multi-tracking railway line (erstwhile EDFC), Fathua MMLP and Patna ICD. It offers strategic connectivity with National Highways, Gaya Junction, and the upcoming New Paharpur Railway Station, with key airports including Gaya International, Patna International and Ranchi, and proximity to inland terminals like Haldia Port, Gaighat in Patna, and Ramnagar in Varanasi. A proposed bullet train rail line under the Delhi–Varanasi–Howrah high speed rail corridor is passing through Gaya, which will provide faster connectivity to the site.

Total planned area vs. area actually under development

There is an important distinction between the total notified footprint and the land parcel currently in active development.

• Total planned area: 1,670 acres (~676 hectares) — the full site cleared, notified as an industrial area, and covered by environmental clearance.
• Land actually transferred and under construction (as of early 2026): a 414-acre parcel has been transferred by the State government to the Project SPV, with matching equity of Rs. 132.22 crore released by NICDIT to the SPV — roughly a quarter of the full site.

No publicly available document sets out a hectare-by-hectare, year-by-year build-out schedule for the remaining ~1,256 acres. The practical status is that engineering works have begun on the first transferred tranche while the balance land awaits further transfer and detailed engineering.

Land-use split

A full residential/commercial/green-space breakdown for IMC Gaya has not been published in any source found. The one land-use figure that is officially confirmed relates to industrial plotting: the IMC in Gaya will cover a total area of 1,670 acres, with more than 1,000 acres dedicated to industrial use through carefully zoned plots. This implies roughly 60% of the site is earmarked for industrial plots, with the remaining ~40% going to roads, utilities, common infrastructure and other non-industrial uses — but this residual figure is our own arithmetic from the two published numbers, not an officially stated percentage.

Non-industrial infrastructure that is confirmed to be part of the plan includes: a skill development center, fire station, administrative office, parking, and commercial space to support industries, plus a Common Effluent Treatment Plant, Sewage Treatment Plant, Water Treatment Plant, Solid Waste Management, stormwater drainage, and green landscaping.

Phasing and implementation milestones

IMC Gaya has not been publicly described in named 'Phase 1 / Phase 2' hectare terms. What is documented is a sequence of implementation milestones, which functions as the closest thing to a phasing timeline:

• May 2023: Bihar State Cabinet approval for the project.
• 28 August 2024: CCEA accorded approval.
• 12 November 2024: Shareholder Agreement (SHA) between BIADA and NICDIT, and State Support Agreement (SSA) between the State Government of Bihar, BIADA and NICDIT, both executed for IMC Gaya.
• SPV formed: Bihar Integrated Manufacturing City Gaya Limited (BIMCGL) was set up to implement the project.
• First land tranche: a 414-acre parcel was transferred by the State government to the Project SPV, with matching equity of Rs. 132.22 crore released by NICDIT.
• 28 July 2025: Letter of Award issued by the SPV for a Programme Manager for New Cities (PMNC).
• June 2025: board-level approval of the master plan and appointment of a programme manager were reported, with the Engineering, Procurement and Construction tender process set to begin immediately after receipt of final vetted bid documents from NICDC, marking the transition from planning to active implementation.
• 24 September 2025: project reviewed by the Prime Minister during the 49th Pragati Meeting.
• 16 October 2025 – 11 February 2026: EPC tender second call floated on 16 October 2025, with a Letter of Award issued by the SPV on 11 February 2026 to M/s NKC Projects Pvt. Ltd.
• 25 February 2026: kick-off meeting held with the EPC contractor.
• 29 April 2026: Bihar Cabinet approved upgradation of external connectivity (a 1.6 km stretch) for the project, including construction of a new bridge on the River Falgu with an approach road.

As of July 2026, site establishment, clearing and grubbing, design/drawings and survey work are reported to be in progress on the transferred land, per NICDC's own project-status reporting.

Population and employment targets

No separate resident-population target has been found in official material — IMC Gaya is planned as a 'plug-n-play' and 'walk-to-work' industrial township rather than a standalone new town with a stated demographic target, consistent with how NICDC describes its wider portfolio of new industrial cities.

The headline economic targets that are documented are investment and jobs, not population: the project aims to attract ₹16,524 crore in investments and generate over 109,000 jobs, with one government-linked estimate putting the figure at approximately 1,09,185 jobs. Targeted sectors driving this employment include agro & food processing, readymade garments, technical industry (auto components, steel-based products, aerospace & defence, building materials, furniture & handloom, and handicrafts), as well as leather goods, engineering, fabrications, and medical equipment.

Planner, project cost and who is building it

No named master-planning or urban-design consultancy for IMC Gaya was found in the sources reviewed. What is documented is the institutional structure: the project is being executed by Bihar Integrated Manufacturing City Gaya Limited (BIMCGL), a special purpose vehicle formed through a partnership between the central and Bihar state governments, supported by the National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (NICDC) and the Bihar Industrial Area Development Authority (BIADA). BIADA's managing director also serves as CEO of BIMCGL, and has described the project's aim as building a world-class industrial hub through high-quality infrastructure, an investment-friendly environment and effective governance.

On costs: the IMC project, spanning over 1,670 acres, will be developed at a cost of Rs 1,339 crore including land cost of Rs 462.14 crore. Construction is now with an EPC contractor rather than a planning consultant: the EPC tender's second call was floated on 16 October 2025, with the Letter of Award issued to M/s NKC Projects Pvt. Ltd. on 11 February 2026.

Where to find official plan documents

A single, downloadable 'master plan' PDF for IMC Gaya was not located as a public document at the time of this research. The closest official sources are:

• NICDC's own project page for IMC Gaya, which carries the summary figures used on this page.
• BIADA/BIMCGL's project brief (PDF), published on the BIADA website, covering site location, connectivity, land status and environmental clearance.
• NICDC's periodic Delhi-Mumbai/National Industrial Corridor status/progress reports (e.g., the "DMU Report" series), which log SPV, SHA/SSA, land-transfer and EPC milestones for IMC Gaya alongside other NICDP nodes.

Investors and residents wanting primary confirmation of any figure on this page should check these three sources directly, since NICDC/BIMCGL update project status periodically and some numbers (land transferred, EPC progress) are likely to change as construction proceeds.