A bevy of private townships in the pipeline
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It's not just about numbers, but also providing lavish facilities, writes PRISCILLA JEBARAJ
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SHAPING UP: An aerial view of the site plan of Alliance Infrastructure's Orchid Springs integrated township in Padi.
There's nothing modest about the growing township phenomenon in Chennai. One developer's planning a thousand-unit site? Doesn't matter; he's eclipsed by another builder aiming for 5,000. And that's not such a big deal either when one hears of an 8,000-unit complex.
It's not just about numbers, but also lavish facilities. No one's talking in terms of gyms and swimming pools anymore. Instead, there are shopping malls and multiplexes on offer.
And as if the plans of Chennai's own developers weren't overwhelming enough, big names from Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore, even Dubai, are also elbowing in for their share of the pie. It's like a gold rush around here.
The main gold mine, of course, is concentrated around the Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR) and the Kelambakkam IT corridor. Techies picking up a fat paycheck every month are looking for more comfort and convenience in their homes. "What today's young IT professionals want is quality, a gated community with everything thrown in... and they're willing to pay for it," says P Suresh, MD of Arun Excello Foundations. As he points out, with start-up salaries so high and "housing loans available for the asking", these whiz kids are fuelling a housing boom on the outskirts of the congested city.
Big plans
Arun Excello Foundations is creating a 2,500 apartment township on GST Road. Bangalore-based Alliance Infrastructure has already announced a 1100 unit project on a 20-acre site in Padi. It also has a 1,000 unit township in the pipeline off OMR and a mega project with at least 8,000 homes, both apartments and villas, is being planned on a 600 acre site on the Chennai-Bangalore highway. Mumbai-based township pioneer Hiranandani Group is developing a 100 acre site on OMR. In a project likely to change the face of North Chennai, SSI is building a 5,000 apartment township on 70 acres in Perambur. Delhi-based giant DLF Group set up shop in Chennai just a month ago, but big plans are already on the drawing board, including a probable township to partner its IT Park in Manapakkam.
In fact, the township as a companion piece to the IT Park is fast gaining currency. After all, as Manoj Namburu, MD of Alliance Infrastructure says, it's the "walk to work" concept that's driving most townships. "It's a changing pattern," says K Ramanujam, chairman of the Builders Association of India-TN. So far, he explains, Chennai's IT and ITES employees living in the crowded heart of the city have been forced to travel to their offices in the suburbs, in company buses and private transport, causing and battling innumerable traffic jams on the way. Now townships are offering an alternative. No wonder, then that both Hiranandani and Alliance are incorporating IT Parks into their township plans. In fact, Alliance, which is considering creating an IT-focussed Special Economic Zone on its 600-acre site in Sriperambadur, says it's even offering a discount on homes at its Padi township to the employees of companies using its resident IT Park.
But moving out of the city centre means that all the other facilities must also follow. The shopping malls and department stores planned for almost every new complex are aimed at preventing the chaotic scenes that are seen in T Nagar every festive season. Apart from the shopping opportunities, there's an entertainment potential here as well.
While Orchid Springs incorporates a 1000-seat multiplex, there's a complete sports facility available at SSI's township, with tennis and basketball courts, swimming pools and gymnasiums.
If the executive lives close to his office, "there's no point in making his children drive 25 km to find a good school," says Mr Suresh.
All the big townships include at least a playschool, with SSI having roped in one of the city's top schools as a USP. Most of them also have referral and emergency hospital facilities to take care of family health.
Lifestyles on offer
It's complete lifestyles that are on offer, not mere facilities. "Exclusive", "luxurious", "elegant" -- those are the terms used to promote these complexes. "Your neighbours will be as cosmopolitan as you," promises one advertisement. Clearly, the concept of "neighbour's envy, owner's pride" rules.
Landscaping is taken seriously. "This aspiring young generation is looking for lung space and greenery," says Mr Namburu. His company also places a premium on international technologies, using a Singapore-based architectural firm and an advanced full-concrete, no-brick policy.
For a hassle-free experience, Alliance also has a two-year warranty on its homes.
All these luxuries come at a cost, of course. SSI has the lowest price tags around, with its flats costing between Rs 30 to 40 lakh.
An apartment at Alliance's Orchid Springs could cost as much as Rs 70 lakh. And for those who are prepared to shell out still more for extra space and exclusivity, there are the mini-townships with villas and row-houses. Prices go up to Rs 1.3 crore for each of these.
One prime concern for major developers, of course, is the procuring and assembling of land.
Mr. Ramanujam suggests that the government procure land and hand it over to private developers.
He estimates that the demand-supply gap will not be bridged for the next decade. In fact, he says that if the government carries out its big plans for high-speed connectivity and world-class infrastructure, the township boom could last till 2020. Clearly, the gold rush isn't getting over anytime soon.
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