BUSINESS NOTES

A green new way to live

In the past two decades or so, most Maharashtra cities and even towns have been facing the problem of unorganised urbanisation, leading to increasing fragmentation of agricultural lands and haphazard growth of unauthorised constructions. This has been rather evident in Pune too. Magarpatta was one location within city limits where some 120 families grew agricultural products in over 400 acres for over 300 years. Seeing that many agriculturists had started selling their lands to private builders and contractors and realising that urbanisation was about to overtake them, resulting in further fragmentation of land, the Magarpatta farmers under the leadership of Satish Magar, a highly educated technocrat from among their own kinsmen, decided to pool their landholdings to create an innovative township within Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) limits, first to avoid haphazard growth in the area, and secondly, to get suitably rewarded for getting into a business venture together.

The project got instant approval from the PMC and state government, and Magarpatta City, with an initial loan amount of Rs2 crore from HDFC is now taking shape as a unique 'walk to school, walk to office' township concept. A unique dwelling-working centre that promises a superior quality of life, it provides both dividends and employment to most of the Magarpatta farmers who had given up their lands for the township without charging a single paisa for the land.

Satish Magar, MD of Magarpatta Township Development and Construction Company Limited, who took the lead in getting together all the agriculturist families, including his own, which possessed some 120 acres of land, speaks about the origin of the concept: "The idea came from the growing fear of continuous fragmentation of landholding among the families from the present generation to the next. So, we all decided to pool our lands (currently valued at about Rs500 crore) together free of cost, thinking of Magarpatta City not only as a place of dwelling but as a new way of life; about breathing fresh air, providing schools for children in the neighbourhood, providing offices, world-class shopping malls, an IT centre, family club, swimming pool, state-of-the-art sports complex, restaurants, a manmade lake, golf course with meditation spot, etc. In toto, a self-sufficient township keeping in mind the present-day requirements of dwelling-cum-workplace."

Prakash Deshmukh, architect of Magarpatta City, says: "In a novel, innovative way, the concept brings all members of the family closer together. The township is developing schools, world-class business and IT spaces, and premium apartments ranging from 1,462 to 1,965 sq.ft. priced at Rs18­24 lakh. There are also 350 bungalow plots and 500 row houses. The entire city is planned in such a way that the parents' office, the children's school, and their home, are all within walking distance of one another, eliminating the need to commute daily and helping the family spend more quality time together."

The project, at an estimated cost of Rs2,500 crore, much of which is likely to be accrued from the sales of premises, is created around five islands based on the forces of nature ­ water, wind, earth, sky, and fire ­ to maintain a regularity and balance. The meticulous planning encompasses well-paved 48m-wide roads, 6m-wide footpaths, and green belts of thick plantation to reduce noise and air pollution. Moreover, all footpaths will have service trenches and ducts for laying of power and telephone cables, water lines, drainage lines, and stormwater drains so as to avoid excavation of roads in future. The entire township is networked, equipped with solar water heating, a major power back-up, eco-friendly garbage disposable system, and 24-hour water supply.

Besides, Magarpatta City has over 120 acres earmarked for gardens -- over 28 garden pockets covering 2­3 acres each, all based on the rituchakra, the time wheel of nature. Sunil Bajaj, a leading real estate consultant, says: "International norms require one tree every 100 m². Magarpatta City provides one tree for every 50 m²." All in all, 320 out of the 400 acres is open spaces.

Magarpatta City's four quadrants are being developed as 28 elaborate neighbourhoods to house 50,000 people in about 12,000 apartments comprising 2/3BHK flats, duplex penthouses, row houses, and 3/4/5BHK independent bungalows with concealed wiring and plumbing, modern fittings, and earthquake-resistant construction. With a large number of apartments already being occupied by families the township has already started humming.

Featuring excellent architecture and exclusive block gardens, the residences are designed to receive maximum air and light. For the convenience of residents a total of five acres in each of the quadrants has been reserved for internal amenity centres which include supermarkets, banks, clinics, dispensaries, and restaurants.

The township has another major project: Cybercity Magarpatta, with over four million sq.ft. of office space in intelligent highrise buildings, fulfilling the requirements of a networked, technology-driven society. It has been approved and classified as one of the few Software Technologies Parks of India (STPI), prompting Maharashtra chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh to observe, "Until now the Magarpatta farms grew sugarcane; now they will grow software here."

Yet another major attraction is the MegaCenter ­ probably India's largest shopping mall ­ under construction. Amit Joshi, manager of HDFC Realty, says: "When completed, with a spread of 525,000 sq.ft., it will be one of the largest commercial complexes in the country." It is located just 5 km from M.G. Road and is located on the junction of Solapur Road and Magarpatta Road. Conceived as a six-storeyed mall with over 800 units, MegaCenter is being built to international standards and will cater to both global and national brands. The premises have parking space for 800 cars and 1,000 two-wheelers at any given time with banking and ATM facilities, high-speed elevators, four theme cafeterias, and restaurants. Adjoining it will be marriage lawns, a multiplex, a well-equipped 200-bed hospital, and a BSNL telephone exchange. Reliance Infocomm has already set up base here.

Paying a tribute to the new township concept, Sherna Gandhy of the Times of India, Pune, says: "Maybe cities are just too big for municipal corporations to administer, or maybe professionally managed townships are an idea whose time has come. What interests me is this idea of an independent township sufficient unto itself and there may really be no need for you to step out of the confines of the township at all..."

* DEVENDRA MOHAN