Godrej Properties has entered the Sohna real estate market to develop a Group Housing Project in Sector 33. This project will offer approximately 157,000 square meters (approximately 1.7 million sq. ft.) of saleable area and will be developed as a modern group housing development.
In a business that lacked the critical element of trust and transparency, forget brand equity, the entry of corporate conglomerates was widely perceived to be change of business outlook for the sector. The collective consciousness accepted the promise that the corporate giants would change the brand perception of the sector in no time. This load of trust & opportunity goaded many corporate houses into the non-core expertise area of real estate.
The development is currently under construction and is expected to be completed in the last quarter of 2018. The project has been one of the star performers of the London residential market with over 78 units worth almost USD 170 million (GBP 130 million) sold since its launch in May 2016. Construction is being carried out by Multiplex, the construction arm of global investment major, Brookfield.
Largely viewed in the collective consciousness as the most affordable market of Delhi-NCR, probably the authorities did no justice to this market by positioning it as yet another micro market to supplement Noida and Greater Noida. More than the controversies and the litigations, the positioning of the market has been a challenge.
Urban planning experts believe this is a much deeper question because it is not just about the existing urban centres but also about the way urbanisation is eventually going to happen in this country. As per the UN statistics the urban population of 40 crore in India would be 60 crore in less than 20 years of time. It clearly suggests that the existing cities won’t be able to fit in this additional 20 crore population, whether indigenous or migrants.
The supply of quality housing even today is confined to eight key cities. It is not that the new cities are not coming up, but neither the investors nor even the end users want to buy a house in Tier II cities today. The dream and aspiration is always Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Pune kind of life.
Virtuous Retail South Asia has acquired the 2 million sq ft North Country Mall from Sun Apollo/Gumberg for INR 700 crores (USD 108 MM), including paying down debt. With this acquisition, VRSA establishes its presence in North India, adding to its existing award winning portfolio of community-centric centers VR Surat and VR Bangalore, and the 2 million sq ft. VR Chennai slated to open in Q4 2017.
Are the CBDs really losing out as the benchmark of economic activity in the major cities of India? Well, if only Gurgaon business destinations as against Connaught Place or Nehru Place in Delhi-NCR are any indication, or if only BKC and Navi Mumbai as against Nariman Point in Mumbai is any indication, then the CBDs have lost a significant ground by all means of reputation and economic scale.
The proposed Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) also promises to change the Faridabad landscape opening floodgates of opportunity. The DMIC stretch that touches Faridabad-Palwal is poised to open floodgates of economic opportunities with world class infrastructure at the doorsteps of Faridabad.
Las Vegas, London and also Ghaziabad in the same league! Believe it or not but the western hinterland of Uttar Pradesh was chosen to be having the potential to be among the 10 most dynamic cities of the world. A Newsweek survey, which put the city on the global map, said so as early as in 2006, but since then it seems the city has weathered many challenges in its quest for glory and fame as an urban metropolis city.