New Chandigarh coming up as the state’s first self-sustained Smart City

New Chandigarh is coming up as the state’s first self-sustained intelligent Smart City equipped with hi-tech facilities and having low carbon emission. Wiser after the experience of Mohali and Panchkula, the Punjab Government is aiming to develop New Chandigarh as a self-contained city, well planned with better amenities in education, healthcare, residential housing and commercial development and not just a satellite town of Chandigarh. The city is being developed on an area of 15,000 acres on the lines of a smart city.

The plotted residential development under GMADA, Ecocity is the upcoming ultra-modern Township in New Chandigarh. Huge residential and infrastructure projects by leading real estate developers like Omaxe and DLF are also coming up with various options of residential living like plots, floors, bungalows, villas etc. as well as office and retail spaces. A world-class cricket stadium by the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) is also in the pipeline. Metro rail connectivity along with a 300 acre Medi city and 1700 acre Education City have also been proposed. Sites for these projects have been identified in the Master Plan for New Chandigarh prepared recently.
 

In fact, the foundation for a Cancer Hospital has already been laid.
The Government plans to develop the areas as a knowledge village with service oriented businessesin the IT/ITES sector, training centres, science park and higher education institutions in order to attract knowledge workers and provide more job opportunities in the area and make it more eco-friendly. The city’s beautification needs are being especially looked into with golf courses, lakes, waterfronts being developed and brick kilns and waste lands being removed.

- Mr Mohit Goel, CEO Omaxe

Proposed 20 lakh homes by DDA will ease demand in Delhi

The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has un-leased a housing bonanza in the capital giving a ray of hope to the LIG/MIG segments by contemplating the development of 20 lakh residential units equipped with the latest infrastructural facilities on the outskirts of the Capital on about 24,000 hectares of land. According to the Master Plan of Delhi (MPD) 2021, the Capital has about 27,000 hectares which can be developed as sub-cities. The master plan estimates a requirement of nearly 24 lakh residential units for an estimated 23 million people by 2021.

 

DDA’s step to develop residential units on the outskirts of the Capital will give a much needed boost to the realty sector in Delhi, which has been devoid of supply especially in the affordable to middle income segment. With ever increasing population in Delhi due to job opportunities available here, the demand for world-class infrastructure and housing has been on the rise and a sharper rise in prices, too, have been witnessed. This step by DDA will help in easing out the ever increasing demand of homes and provide enough opportunity for developers to operate in the Capital.

A lot of the success of DDA’s initiative will be dependent on how effectively the housing authority and the Ministry of Urban Development plan and manage the ambitious land pooling policy by creating housing pockets in the city. It will also enable private players to assist in creating housing pockets in the capital.The DDA must have learnt its lessons from the acquisition policy adopted in the Delhi Master Plan 1961 which has failed to keep pace with the rapid pace of urbanization witnessed in Delhi. The land pooling policy proposed in the new master plan, if implemented effectively with the help of professional consultants will play a key role in filling the huge gap of residential requirements. Reports suggest that for each 1,000 Ha of the pooled land, the government will be able to provide around 50,000 dwelling units for the EWS sections which will go a long way towards fulfilling the housing needs in our country. It will also give an impetus to realty development in the Capital like Noida, Gurgaon etc in the NCR.

- Mr Mohit Goel, CEO Omaxe