Zaheerabad Industrial Smart City (Zaheerabad IMC) Master Plan: Area, Phases, Land Use and Targets

Two different area figures — don't confuse them

Two area figures get used interchangeably for this project, and it is important to keep them apart. The total NIMZ / industrial node footprint is the large area originally earmarked in 2012–2013: the State government, in 2012, had decided to acquire 12,634 acres of land in 17 villages in Nayakal and Jharasangam mandals in the Zaheerabad Assembly constituency. NICDC's current project page describes the Zaheerabad Industrial Node, spanning 12,635 acres across 17 villages in Sangareddy District, Telangana, as part of the Hyderabad-Nagpur Industrial Corridor.

The Phase 1 activation area that is actually under active development now is smaller: the overall project area (Phase 1 and 2) measures approximately 12,500 acres out of which Phase-I activation area of 3,245 acres is proposed under the National Industrial Corridor Development and Implementation Trust (NICDIT) framework for a project cost of Rs.2,361 crore. Some allotments to anchor companies were carved out before this figure was finalised: Vem Technologies received 511 acres, while Hyundai was allotted 408 acres, and following these allocations, the total area for Phase I was finalised at 3,245 acres, excluding the land already allotted to these companies.

Planning horizon

The project traces back to the National Manufacturing Policy of 2011. To promote manufacturing in India, the Government of India unveiled the National Manufacturing Policy in 2011, and the Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation Limited proposed the establishment of a National Investment and Manufacturing Zone at Nyalkal and Jharasangam mandals near Zaheerabad. The scheme stalled for a decade before being folded into the Hyderabad-Nagpur Industrial Corridor: the previous BRS government neglected this project from 2014 to 2024 is the local political framing of that gap. The Union Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs revived it on 28 August 2024, when it approved a project to establish an Industrial Smart City at Zaheerabad in Sangareddy district, as part of the 12 Industrial Smart Cities to be established under the National Industrial Corridor Development Programme with an estimated investment of Rs 28,602 crore. Construction on Phase 1 formally began with Prime Minister Narendra Modi laying the foundation stone for the Zaheerabad Integrated Industrial Smart City in Telangana on 10 May 2026. As of July 2026, no single published document sets an explicit completion year for the full 12,635-acre node; only a Phase 1 construction timeline and a 2029 jobs milestone are officially cited.

Land-use split (Phase 1)

The only land-use breakdown officially released so far applies to the 3,245-acre Phase 1 activation area, not the full node. Phase I of the development will span 3,245 acres in Sangareddy district, with 1,900 acres earmarked for industrial use and 650 acres allocated for green zones. The remainder will go to amenities, logistics, residential, and commercial infrastructure. This gives roughly 59% industrial, 20% green/open space, and 21% for residential, commercial and logistics uses combined — no further sub-split (e.g., residential vs commercial percentages) has been published. Earlier NIMZ documentation described a broader concept for the same land: the site master plan is prepared to integrate work (industrial zone), live (residential, education, health, recreation, cultural) and learn (training institute, vocational institute, etc.) functions, with green spaces based on the need of the particular zone built in throughout.

Phasing

The original 2013-era NIMZ land-acquisition plan itself was split into two tranches: officials had planned to acquire 3,501.33 acres in the first phase and 8,219.10 acres in the second phase, though actual acquisition lagged for years. Under the revived NICDP-backed project, only Phase 1 has a firm area and cost: Phase I will be developed on 3,245 acres in the Zaheerabad area of Sangareddy district, with future phases planned in adjoining areas. Construction timing for Phase 1 is tied to infrastructure tendering: tenders for infrastructure work are expected to be finalized by October, and project completion is targeted within 18 months of that (i.e., roughly late 2026 to early/mid-2027), a timeline that was still current as of the tender-stage reports from mid-to-late 2025. No hectare-and-year breakdown for a defined "Phase 2" of the smart city has been published as of July 2026; only the residual ~9,000+ acres of the original NIMZ footprint are referred to loosely as future expansion land.

Population, employment and investment targets

Targets have been restated more than once, with figures drifting between announcements, so both versions are given with their dates. At the time of CCEA approval in August 2024, officials said the project is expected to attract investments worth over Rs 15,000 crore and create nearly two lakh direct and indirect jobs. Trade-press coverage through 2025 repeated this: Phase I will be developed on 3,245 acres, aiming to attract ₹15,000 crore in investments and generate nearly two lakh jobs. By May 2026, at the foundation-stone event, the Union Coal Minister gave a more conservative and specifically dated figure: the project has the investment potential of more than Rs.10,000 crore generating 1.74 lakh jobs by 2029. No official residential-population target for the smart city has been published; only workforce/jobs numbers are quoted in government statements.

Planner, consultant and governance

Master planning for the original NIMZ was contracted out by the state industrial agency: a 2017 tender record is titled "Selection Of Consultant For Preparation Of Integrated Master Plan & Designs For Nimz Near Zaheerabad, Sangareddy Dist, Talangana State, India", issued by TSIIC (now TGIIC). Under the revived NICDP structure, master planning responsibility sits with the national agency: NICDC has been mandated to act as a project development company which undertakes various pre-feasibility, feasibility, master planning and engineering studies for developing greenfield industrial smart cities, and it also functions as the Knowledge Partner to all Project SPVs, State Government agencies and the Central Government for the implementation of these projects. Project delivery on the ground now rests with a dedicated SPV: NICDIT, GoI (49%) and TGIIC, GoT (51%) has been incorporated as NICDIT Zaheerabad Industrial Smart City Limited. That SPV has separately tendered for an execution-stage consultant: the Programme Manager for New Cities (PMNC) will be responsible for monitoring the overall execution of the project, ensuring alignment and coordination between various stakeholders including the EPC contractor. Company records show NICDIT ZAHEERABAD INDUSTRIAL SMART CITY LIMITED is an Indian Private Limited Company incorporated on 14-Feb-2025.

Where to find official documents

Primary and semi-official sources for this project, rather than reproduced text, are:

• NICDC's own project page for the node — nicdc.in/projects/12-new-projects/zaheerabad-telangana
• The SPV's RfQ-cum-RfP for the Programme Manager for New Cities (infrastructure delivery scope, project background) — api.nicdc.in tender PDF
• Environmental clearance and EIA documentation for the NIMZ footprint, filed with the state pollution control board — tspcb.cgg.gov.in executive summary and the related clarifications on the national EC portal — environmentclearance.nic.in
• Zaheerabad Municipality's town master-plan page (covers the municipal town plan, distinct from the industrial node) — zaheerabadmunicipality.telangana.gov.in

No single consolidated, publicly downloadable "master plan" PDF specific to the post-2024 Zaheerabad Industrial Smart City (as distinct from the older NIMZ master plan) was found as of July 2026; the documents above are the closest official sources.