Integrated township concept to attract buyers in eastern suburbs
In the eastern suburbs of Kalyan, Dombivli, Titwala, Badlapur, the real estate profile is slowly but steadily moving from only small and mid-segment developers to integrated townships by leading builders. These townships are spread over hundreds of acres and offer amenities such as club house, gymnasium, kids’ play area, community hall, a water body and all features of gated townships.
“The new development happening in Dombivli is of international standard, inspired by Hong Kong and Singapore where a township is more of a district which has schools, grocery shops, malls and administrative offices in the same complex,” says Rajendra Chauhan, owner, Real Estate Investment Advisory, a property consultancy in Navi Mumbai.
Take for instance, Dombivli was perceived as a densely populated suburb of Mumbai, which faces water crises and poor civic and social infrastructure. However, the authorities have a different point of view. “Dombivli does not face any water shortage and is self sufficient for the next 20 years,” says RK Sonawane, commissioner, Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation.
Lack of basic amenities in the eastern suburbs has encouraged developers to come up with integrated community plans, which will provide all these facilities inside the township. Inspite of all this, traveling to the ‘island city’ will still be a challenge. “The local trains are crowded till Dombivli, as most of the commuters get down here only. Hence, it becomes difficult for a daily traveler to cope with the jam-packed trains especially during peak hours,” adds Chauhan.
There is a real transport problem in the eastern suburbs where Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Transport buses ply between Kalyan-Thane and Kalyan-Navi Mumbai, passing through Dombivli. However, because of less frequency and heavy traffic over various nodes in Thane, not many people prefer to take this option. Experts believe that the proposed Ring Road can bring some relief to the daily commuters as it will ease travel hassles between Navi Mumbai, Mumbai and Thane.
