On record
Envisioned in 2007 as India's answer to Singapore or Dubai (a self-contained financial city with homes, malls, hospitals and nightlife around its office towers), GIFT City has built out only about 22 million of its planned 62 million square feet. Despite housing over 20,000 workers across 400+ companies, it has just one completed residential project, one five-star hotel, no malls, and Gujarat's statewide alcohol prohibition undercuts the after-work social scene finance professionals expect, leaving many firms' real operations still centred in Mumbai.
The official record states: "GIFT City's managing director "did not respond" to press queries about the shortfalls; a former Group CEO of the company acknowledged that "majority of their workforce is in places like Mumbai" despite firms nominally basing themselves at GIFT City."
“India's Singapore, a third built, with the nightlife still in the brochure.”— Blunderlust Editorial Desk
Sources
Visitor reviews Satire
“Walked from tower to tower at seven in the evening and met three security guards and no people.”
“India's answer to Singapore is a third built, with one hotel, no mall and one finished residential project.”
“Twenty thousand people work here and most of their firms still run the real desk out of Mumbai. Even the managing director would not comment.”