A multi-storey trade facilitation centre being planned on 8,000 square metre land at Parvat Patiya near Amazia Fun Park by the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) with an aim to project the city as an emerging start-up city. This centre will provide an eco-system for new startups to connect with national and international businesses and facilitate innovations.

SMC has appointed a consultant to prepare a vision document for a start-up and trade facilitation centre at Parvat Patiya. It will provide nodal support to all kinds of start-ups along with new innovators in textiles and diamond sectors. The centre is expected to be ready in two years.

SMC will work as facilitator by bringing in all the stake holders under one umbrella. New innovations and research in textile and diamond sectors would also be a key facet of the centre where in advents and innovations in new technology would lead city's two major industrial segments to be indigenous and make their products cheaper following upgradation of the tools and machinery and innovations made at the centre.

This centre would provide a working space to new start-ups with established ones along with incubation facility and help building advance technology and research infrastructure.

Special commissioner for Smart City project M Nagrajan said that this centre could work out to be a game changer for Surat in coming decade. Along with textile and diamond sector, this start-up facilitation would actually pillar the future growth of Surat city.

P M Shah, president of South Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SGCCI), one of the major stakeholders in the project said that this would further propel growth of the rapidly developing city. With local governance endorsing the innovations and research on a world scale, it would have a tremendous effect. This is for future of the city.

SMC commissioner M Thennarasan said that the centre would auger well for the future of the city once it is ready in two years time. They already have an eco-system set up for segments like textile and diamonds. But their further foray would become much faster with local innovations, research and decrease in dependence of foreign machinery.

The new facilitation centre will create a right atmosphere or ecosystem for investment in Surat.