Ranchi, July 29: State government?s urban development department is working on a proposal to develop at least three major townships into planned cities ? on the lines of Chandigarh, Bangalore and Hyderabad.

Ranchi, Jamshedpur and Dhanbad have been marked under the ?Million-plus cities? scheme and the infrastructure will be developed through a master plan. The proposed city, near Jamshedpur, would be developed in the non-Tisco areas.

The urban development department is also trying to identify spots near Dhanbad and Ranchi, which could be developed into planned cities. Apart from this, there is also a proposal to set up industrial townships near Ranchi and Dhanbad, on the lines of New Okhla Industrial Development Area (NOIDA).

The department has already identified two spots where this development can be done ?Ratu near Ranchi and Barwadda near Dhanbad.

State urban development minister Raghubar Das said the government would soon appoint consultants to prepare a blueprint for the master plan. ?We have mooted the proposal and are still working out on the details. Once it is finalised we would advertise for consultants who can prepare a modern blueprint for the million-plus cities plan,? Das told The Telegraph.

If these plans do not get shelved, like the ?Greater Ranchi? project, the new cities would have the infrastructure to meet the expansion for the next 25 years. ?Flyovers, state-of-the-art government buildings, wide roads and a most-modern drainage and electricity supply system are some of the salient features of the proposal the state government is working on,? Das pointed.

The urban development department would soon float tenders for appointment of consultants, the specifications of which are being drafted, said the minister adding that once the plans are drawn the department would work out the costs and then formally begin the work.

Department sources, meanwhile, said the first phase of the Ranchi Ring Road project is due to start soon.