DISCOVER RISINGDESTINATI NS

RANGE OF PROPERTIES SLEW OF INITIATIVES ADVANCED WASTE MANAGEMENT RICH SOCIO-CULTURAL HERITAGE

in association with

EDITORBOB ROY

EDITORIAL COORDINATORS

IRENE SAHAAAHELI GHOSE

DESIGN HEADPRABIR DAS

DESIGNINDRAJIT SEN ARNAB GUHA

CONCEPTAJAY MN

MARKETINGCOORDINATOR

SAIKAT GANGULY

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10

4 THE SUN NEVER SETS IN THE WEST6 SEAL THE DEAL8 CHANGE IS THE ONLY CONSTANT12 EDITOR’S NOTE 14 A TERRAIN TERRIFIC16 RISING LIKE A PHOENIX22 PARTNERS IN FUTURISTIC GROWTH24 JUMPING ON THE BANDWAGON 26 STRIKING A NOTE OF OPTIMISM28 A FANTASTIC VALUE PROPOSITION 30 UNLOCKING TRUE POTENTIAL32 KEY TO PEACEFUL POLICING 34 WAVE OF DEVELOPMENT 36 TOWERING WONDER 38 REALISING A GARBAGE-FREE LIFE 40 TECH’S THE WAY42 IT PAYS TO BE PROFESSIONAL44 LEGALLY BOUND 46 CONNECTED INSIDE SMARTLY52 THE SACRED STREAM 54 CONNECTING WITH CARE56 A NEW DAWN60 PRICE TRENDS64 AN EXPLOSION OF VARIETY 66 GALLERY OF INITIATIVES68 TRAVEL TREAT70 SHANKAR’S THOUGHTS ON HOWRAH76 TAKING THE SERVICE WAY TO SUCCESS80 TRANSFORMING STORAGE SOLUTIONS 82 SURGE IN DEMAND 84 BOND WITH THE BEST86 MANAGING COMMITTEE 88 THE SUB-COMMITTEE90 WINNING TOGETHER92 PROJECTS LISTING

INDEX

CREDAI HOWRAH-HOOGHLY153, Andul Road, Howrah - 711103Website: http://credaihowrahhooghly.com Email: Info@credaihowrahhooghly.com

credaihowrahhooghly@gmail.com credaihowrahhooghly@gmail.com

Housing in the adjoining districts of Howrahand Hooghly has been the subject of noteworthy reforms based on changes in

the economic growth of West Bengal. Large format residential, commercial and logistics devel-opments, expansion of growth corridors, infra-structural changes and availability of land parcelshave lured developers here. The focus on afford-able housing has also been successful in makingthe two districts focal points in such expansion.

LOOKING BACK When the Britishers came to India, they madeCalcutta, their elite British bastion, a capital ofsorts. The western banks and the other side of theHooghly river were gifted away to the lesserEuropean powers like the French and the Dutch,and also became the industrial hub where the factories and those who worked in them stayed.

Thus historically, a large number of prominenturban centres have emerged along the west bankof the river Hooghly in a narrow elongated stripfrom Bansberia in the north to Uluberia in thesouth during 17th to 19th century. Chandannagaris one of these older urban centres, which retains its legacy. While Bengal was ruled by theBritish East India Company, Chandannagar was administered by the French even for a period after Independence.

CORE ALWAYS DELIVERED MOREHowrah Station has remained central to Howrahand its economy. Transportation linkages led tothe development of the biggest economic activityof the region — haats which happened everyTuesday and later extended to Monday. Popularlyknown as Mangla Haat, it expanded to Metiabruz,playing a stellar role in the development of trade,commerce and employment.

RAY OF HOPEThe East West Metro Line is expected to be commissioned in 2021. The Howrah Maidan MetroStation is expected to have a daily estimated ridership of over 6 lakh commuters. The HowrahMaidan along with the Esplanade stations will bethe two deepest stations in the country. Probablythe busiest too! Hence, the imposing question is— Does Howrah have the infrastructure to handleso many commuters especially on the Haat days?

Haat traders realised this early, and moved tonew favourable business zones like Kona,Ankurhati and adjoining areas along NH-16. Thesehaats have started to operate on Wednesdays andThursdays as a supporting trade infrastructure toMangla Haat but in the near future they may wellbecome the primary ones.

LOGISTICS: THE NEW KID ON THE BLOCKWith enhanced connectivity along with proliferation of E-commerce, logistics has latelybecome the biggest buzz word. As major playersstarted scouting for space to set large formatwarehouses, the NH alignment came out a clearwinner. This shift was primarily a result of theavailability of superior connectivity — KonaExpressway-National Highways (Delhi Road andBombay Road) alignment and the SantragachiStation.

The Santragachi terminus is set to become Be-ngal’s biggest multi-model hub with modernisedSantragachi Station, the newly-commissioned busterminus as well the proposed Metro terminus.This with the ` 2,000 crore Kona elevated corridoris a future ready fantastic plan for the region.

These developments along with the traditionalbase of Howrah and Hooghly district as the indus-trial hub ensures that the region remains leader incontributing the highest GSDP in the state.

THE SUN NEVER SETS IN THE WEST

OVER THE PASTDECADE, MANY

RENOWNEDDEVELOPERS HAVEIDENTIFIED LARGE

LAND PARCELSOVERLOOKING THE

GANGES AND THUS,STARTED A NEW

MODERN PHASE OFTHE DEVELOPMENT

ALONG THE WESTBANK OF HOOGHLY

RIVER, STATESTAMAL GHOSAL,

PRESIDENT, CREDAIHOWRAH-HOOGHLY

RISE AND SHINE

4 Bricks & Bytes

6 Bricks & Bytes

SEAL THE DEALT he real estate scenario across the country was hit by the lockdown. It was no

different in case of Howrah. There was only 3-5% sales during that period. Bookingsfor those were based on the interactions that happened in the first two months of

the year. With the unlocking in July, things started looking brighter. Though enquiries arefew, Navratri on, it has picked up pace. It will get better from here on.

Compared to Kolkata, there is a pricing difference of about ` 2,000 per sq ft. In the pasttwo years, developers have got 25 lakh sq ft area from the corporation. This zone haspotential which is why reputed builders are coming here to invest. Around 2.5 crore flatsare likely to come up in the near future.

WAREHOUSING SECTORThere is demand for warehousing along the National Highways. Suburbs are where industries develop and once that happens, people look for places in the surrounding areasto settle down. This will also boost housing as people employed there will want to staysomewhere close to their workplace. Prime locations like Dalhousie, Race Course,Barabazar are in a 4-5 km vicinity of Howrah Maidan. A sizeable non-Bengali community,who has businesses in Barabazar, stays in Howrah as it is at an easy distance from theirshops. In any housing project in Howrah, 30% booking is done by them.

HOUSING IN HOWRAH-HOOGHLYThe new structures in Howrah are multi-storeyed buildings. In the past four to five years,Howrah Municipal Corporation has adopted a new rule and there is no bar to raise highrise buildings. Metro Railway arriving in Howrah Maidan area will be a game changer andconnect this part to every corner of Kolkata. The Metro Corridor, which is being developedbetween Salt Lake Sector-V to Howrah Maidan, for a total route length of 16.6 km willmake life easy for all those who need to access that part of the city. Between Kolkata’sbusiness district with the industrial city of Howrah in the west and Salt Lake City in theeast, the project aims to create efficient transit connectivity through an accessible, safeand comfortable public transport mode.

In Hooghly, real estate action is based on GT Road from Bally to Serampore. Loads ofhousing complexes are coming up on GT Road. Builders are focusing on this area as people up to Burdwan are ready to shift to good housing complexes at Uttarpara,Chandannagar and Serampore.

For any project to do well, the vicinity must have social infrastructure like markets,banks, hospitals, schools, etc. The state government should also support projects by making infrastructure available. Booking are bound to pick up when infrastructure devel-ops as they are interrelated.

TALK OF THE TOWNHowrah Hooghly as well as Kolkata can look forward to a marvel that is coming up atBelilious Park. It is an observatory, the highest tower in South East Asia with a 400 feethigh revolving restaurant. It will be thrown open in seven to eight months. An amusementpark is also being developed there.

THERE IS A SURGEIN REAL ESTATE

BUSINESS;HOME BUYERS

ARE COMING BACKAND BOOKING

TOO HASIMPROVED, STATES

RR CHAUDHARY,CHAIRMAN, CREDAI HOWRAH-HOOGHLY

8 Bricks & Bytes

THE HOWRAH–HOOGHLY BELT IS

POISED TO EMERGEAS AN ATTRACTIVEAND AFFORDABLE DESTINATION FOR

PROPERTY BUYERS ON THE

STRENGTH OF ITS LOCATIONAL,

LOGISTICALAND SOCIAL

INFRASTRUCTURALADVANTAGES,

SHARES SATYENSANGHVI,

SECRETARY, CREDAIHOWRAH-HOOGHLY

The only constant in real estate industry is change. From inflation,demonetisation, GST, rigid RERA acts to Corona, our industry has experiencedconstant disruptions on every front. With every passing crisis it has made our

will to succeed stronger and we have come to accept the changes and challengesmore humbly. It’s my belief that Howrah and Hooghly are long due for a bull-run andhas a great potential for future growth with the right ingredients of heritage infrastructure, location, catchment, connectivity and affordability.

NEXT COVETED DESTINATIONThe paradigm shift of ‘Seat of Power’ from the ‘Writers’ to ‘Nabanna’ is testimony tothe fact that the western frontiers of the river Hooghly is poised to be the next dreamdestination for major real estate projects and more. The strategic location of theHowrah-Hooghly region with excellent road and rail connectivity gives it an addednew age-new edge advantage over Kolkata and the North & South 24 Parganas.

The region historically had major industrial activity and developments due to theroad connectivity through the NH-2 & NH-6 to the rest of the country and rail connectivity through the Howrah station, Sankrail, Dankuni and Shalimar stations.Rich in natural resources with abundance of water, cheap labour and power — theregion has always had great potential for growth and development.

GOVERNMENT INITIATIVESThe government has proactively identified the grey areas and has already started modernising the municipal corporation and the municipalities which are working round-the-clock to provide the best of civic services including, roads, water,electricity, solid waste management, tree plantations and parks maintenance, healthand hygiene etc.

HOUSING OPTIONSMajor mass housing projects of national players like Shapoorji & Palonji, ShriramHousing, Tata Housing, Merlin Group, Eden Group and Alcove Realty have come up inthe region providing first-of-its-kind highly affordable, sustainable, modern lifestylehousing with state-of-the-art common facilities and amenities.

CALL OF CONNECTIVITYThe stretch along Kona Expressway such as Jagdishpur, Salap and Domjur is likely towitness rapid development due to excellent connectivity with Delhi and Mumbai highways. Warehousing, SEZ and logistics are emerging asset classes in the westbank of Hooghly owing to its excellent connectivity via the national highway network.Add to this, the almost ready East-West Metro rail network is likely to scale up thedemand for residential development in this region.

CHANGE IS THEONLY CONSTANT

12 Bricks & Bytes

Howrah and Hooghly belt is finally emerging from the shadows of history and colonial legacies,and treading onto the path leading to realisation of its true potential. New initiatives — both public and private — are enabling the city to embrace larger goals commensurate with Howrah’s

status as the twin city of Kolkata, Hooghly being the resource rich, immediate hinterland of the twin cities.With the new focus on developing Howrah as a mega city with better infrastructure facilities, more residents from different parts of the state have been attracted to move to Howrah.

Stretching across the sylvan plains west of river Hooghly, these areas enjoy excellent connectivity, lesscommuting time, quality housing, social and health infrastructure including real estate ventures byrenowned brands. No wonder these areas are turning out to be the latest hotspot for large-scale, highquality real estate development. Howrah’s connectivity to Kolkata through ferry services and the four riverbridges — Howrah Bridge, Vidyasagar Setu, Vivekananda Setu and the newest bridge called Nivedita Setu,together with the upcoming East-West Metro Line is set to augment the existing connectivity and transform the way people commute.

Bricks and Bytes from CREDAI Howrah and Hooghly in association with The Times of India providesexpert views and in-depth analysis of the emerging positivity in the socio-economical and historical backdrop of this famed region. This ready reckoner is sure to serve as a one-stop source for making aninformed purchase or sales decision involving any kind of real estate acquisition.

EDITOR’S NOTE

WORKING HAND IN HAND

CREDAI Howrah-HooghlyChapter has been in existence for over fouryears now. In this period, ithas grown from a group ofselect developers to a largeumbrella organisation thatspans across a very large

domain. From generating awareness on specific issues among our members to initiating dialogues between developers andother stakeholders, we have indeed come along way.

The organisation has contributed in volumes and helped the chapter to grow andachieve national recognition. Local initiativesby CREDAI members have worked to improvelocal building regulations and their implemen-tation, improving the prevailing processes.

Alok Agarwalconvenor, Magazine & Exhibitions, CHH

Real estate is a complex industryand each real estate product, beit a home, shop warehouse or anoffice space, is producedthrough a series of processesthat form a long supply chain.This chain involves stakeholdersfrom varying backgrounds — the

poor construction worker, the buyer, the developer,the contractor, the broker, the banker, the develop-ment authority, the fire inspector, the sewage engi-neer, the corporation authorities and many more.

The purpose of CREDAI Howrah-Hooghly is tocreate a common platform for all. A more holisticapproach to real estate and its countless complex-ities will be a better bet to rid the industry of anyailments. Everyone must perform to rectify theerrors in the system and ensure on-time delivery ofquality real estate at appropriate costs.

Ritesh Jaiswaljoint convenor, Magazine & Exhibitions, CHH

THE AIM OF THE CONVENOR AND JOINT CONVENOR IS TO ENHANCE THEIMAGE OF CREDAI HOWRAH-HOOGHLY THROUGH A SLEW OF INITIATIVES

llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

Bob RoyEditorTimes Response The Times of India GroupKolkata

14 Bricks & Bytes

FOREWORD

As a child, my parents often used to take me outon winter vacations. While going to HowrahStation to board the train, we had to

cross the Ganges. During one such trip, whenour transit vehicle chugged along theHowrah Bridge, my mother oncehanded over an orange and askedme to offer it to the holy river. Ipromptly made a safe travelwish and gently tossed the fruitinto the river. This incidentremained with me forever. So didmy bonding with the flowing fervour— Ganga, the river of our dreams!

Four decades later, when I sat writing thisnote — the evening images of the twin citiesand the western side of the Ganges kept flashing inmy mind. Howrah and Hooghly as a terrain, appeal tome in ways more than one. The sweet delicacies ofMrityunjoy (Chandannagar) and Felu Modak (Rishra),the zardozi and filigree artisans of Uluberia, the giftedelectricians of Chandannagar who light up theJagadhatri Puja pandals, the exotic locations ofJagatballavpur, Janai and Khanyan where Bengali matinee idol Uttam Kumar shot most of his films…the

list is endless.This is CREDAI Howrah-Hooghly chapter’s firstever real estate digest. Our mission is to provide

actionable, code-level guidance to develop-ers with projects in this terrain and

beyond. We’re here to create a platform to share their hard-won

insights with the greater community. Do you have an

innovative approach or anelegant solution to a

common challenge? Haveyou found a way to

leverage a new feature or toolthat hasn’t been widely explored in

the real estate market? Then this isthe right forum.

Creating a good forum or a community andbeing a part of it is like rocket fuel for your

credibility. Owning a niche is important. Throughthis magazine, we seek to improve understanding ofthis vital sector, and also to identify and share bestpractices. Bricks & Bytes aspires to transform thatutopian thought to realty.

Subhash ChakrabortyEditorial coordinator, CREDAI Howrah-Hooghly

A TERRAINTERRIFIC

The sweet delicacies ofMrityunjoy (Chandannagar) andFelu Modak (Rishra), the zardoziand filigree artisans of Uluberia,

the gifted electricians ofChandannagar who light up the

Jagadhatri Puja pandals, theexotic locations of

Jagatballavpur, Janai andKhanyan…the list is endless

PHOENIX

COVER STORY

RISINGLIKE APHOENIX

HAVING FOR LONGBEEN IN THE SHADOWOF KOLKATA,HOWRAH-HOOGHLYBELT IS FINALLY GROWING INTO ITSOWN IDENTITY AND ISPOISED TO BECOME ATRUE ALTERNATE TOTHE METROPOLIS

RISINGLIKE A

Irene.Saha@timesgroup.com

One of the oldest industrial support clusters, Howrah–Hooghly belt lies adjacent to Kolkata. Located on the west

bank of the Hooghly river and close to nationalhighways, this belt is an active industrial hub ofEast India. Till 1960s, Howrah as an industrial hubearned the sobriquet ‘Sheffield of the East’.“Since time immemorial, this belt has prospereddue to important industries like jute, engineeringgoods, automobile, to state a few,” states Harsh Vardhan Patodia, president elect CREDAI National and CMD, Unimark Group.

The upcoming real estate projects are chang-ing the industrial and residential landscape in theHowrah-Hooghly belt. “Less travelling time fromthe city and excellent connectivity is attractinglarge branded players and this indicates that thearea seems to be tantalisingly poised for a lot of

16 Bricks & Bytes

positive economic growth in near future,”opines Swapan Dutta, branch director– Kolkata, Knight Frank India.

SUPERIOR CONNECTIVITYAccording to RR Chaudhary,chairman, CREDAI Howrah-Hooghly,“Proximity to Kolkata and this belt beingwell connected to the city clearly works infavour of it.” Howrah’s connectivity to Kolkata isthrough numerous ferry services and the four riverbridges — Howrah Bridge, Vidyasagar Setu,Vivekananda Setu and the newest bridge, called NiveditaSetu. “Together with this, the upcoming East-West Metro Lineis set to augment the existing connectivity and transform the waypeople commute. Connecting Howrah all the way up to Salt LakeCity via Esplanade and Sealdah, the new Metro line will give residents of Howrah unparalleled access to Kolkata,” avers RishiNayar, MD – Kolkata, Cushman & Wakefield India. The region alsoenjoys great road connectivity. “In fact, this belt historically hadmajor industrial activity and developments due to the road connectivity through the NH-2 and NH-6 to the rest of the countryand rail connectivity through the Howrah Station, Sankrail Station,Dankuni Station and Shalimar Station,” says Satyen Sanghvi,secretary, CREDAI Howrah-Hooghly.

DRIVING DEMANDHowrah and Hooghly are completely different markets in compar-ison to Kolkata. The USP of this belt is clearly its affordability. The

regions are poised to grow in the future because of theaffordable price tags. “For instance, the average

property prices at Howrah region peripheries areanywhere between ` 2,500 and ` 4,000 per

sqft and mostly priced within sub ` 65 lakhbudget. The region has maximum demand for

affordable properties,” explains SoumenduChatterjee, city lead - Kolkata, ANAROCK Property

Consultants. Agrees Patodia. “The price differencebetween Howrah-Hooghly and Kolkata in a similar loca-

tion with the same kind of infrastructure would proveHowrah-Hooghly to be almost 20% cheaper,” he confides.Most of the affordable projects come loaded with lifestyle

amenities. “Buyers are mostly local and they are price sensitive.There is a sizable buyer segment from Kolkata who aspired to livea quality life but had limited budget. There are also people who arebuying properties here as second homes or weekend hideouts,”shares Atanu Upadhyay, owner and founder, Realty Quest.

INFRASTRUCTURE INITIATIVESMorning shows the day and a new history was created as theWest Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee shifted the seat ofpower from Writers’ Buildings to Nabanna at Mandirtala inHowrah. “The paradigm shift of the seat of power is testimony tothe fact that the western frontiers of the river Hooghly is poised tobe the next dream destination for major,” reminds Sanghvi.

Post this shift, the belt has seen a lot of infrastructure initiatives. “The western bank of Hooghly is witnessing major infrastructure upgradation with the widening of Kona Expressway,

The cosmopolitan wave is fast catching up and complexliving is being rapidly accepted.

It is an aspirational outlookwherein a mixed bag of amenities and spatial living is becoming the

order of the day

18 Bricks & Bytes

THIN

KSTO

CK

20 Bricks & Bytes

the upcoming East West Metro corridor, the proposed Ring Road inHowrah, and the ongoing modernisation of Santragachi andShalimar station to decongest Howrah station,” says Nayar.

POLICY INITIATIVESKey recent policy initiatives such as the WBHIRA, PMAY, etc toempower the customer has increased the demand for good residential properties in the influence zone with the real estatesector becoming more transparent and customer friendly. Therehas been consistent demand for housing here among the population that stays here and holds government and private jobs.“Howrah as well as important places in Hooghly like Serampore,

Chandannagar, Uttarpara are well connected to Kolkata by trainsand national highways. This has made its acceptability pretty highand led to a healthy demand of inventory of houses here. Peopleare happy to stay here,” points out Siddharth Pansari, director,Primarc Projects. With better policy environment in the state(WBHIRA implementation), lowering of home loans, increasing disposable income with the population, there has been a gradualchange in consumer sentiment in the market, with people investing in buying properties than renting.

LOGISTICS HUBHowrah and Hooghly are one of the most sought after destinationsfor logistics owing to its proximity to NH-2 and NH-6 that connects the region to Delhi and Mumbai respectively. “Withenhanced connectivity along with proliferation of E-commerce,logistics has lately become the biggest buzz word,” points TamalGhosal, president, CREDAI Howrah-Hooghly. It is already estab-lished as an industrial belt for Kolkata and a considerable count ofpeople are engaged in various industrial parks and upcoming logis-tic hub in the region. “Demand is a function of social infrastructure

and economic activity. Both are growing consistently in this belt,”adds Pansari. Logistics too is driving demand for property.

WAREHOUSING BOONWest Kolkata is presently witnessing the emergence of variousnew commercial developments driven by the logistics/ warehous-ing clusters in the area. Warehousing is an emerging asset class inthe region owing to its excellent connectivity via National Highwaynetwork. “While the market has been active, and prices have beenmostly stable, it is anticipated that Howrah has the potential forrapid growth in the future. The emerging corridors along the Delhiand Mumbai roads are expected to witness heightened activities

in the areas of warehousing andlogistics, which are expected togrow further in the region. It isanticipated that this region will behome to major players in thewarehousing and logistics, whichis expected to transform theregion,” predicts Nayar.

COMMERCIAL SCENEWhile this belt is no Sector V orDalhousie, commercial propertiesare in huge demand. “Howrah ismore of an industrial belt. In sucha scenario, logistics and warehousing space conceptworks better and fits into the classification. However havingsaid, that there is a huge untappedpotential of the retail segment asbig brands are yet to penetratethis market,” avers Sushil Mohta,

president, CREDAI West Bengal chapter and chairman, MerlinGroup of Companies. Howrah has developed as a commercial hubas most of the warehouses are located in Howrah NH-2/ NH-6 belt.“It is the entry point to Kolkata and caters to huge demands forcommercial and industrial spaces for most of the MNCs and otherindustries. Proximity to Kolkata is a huge advantage. Being a traditional commercial hub and presence of huge business community living in Howrah, there is a huge demand for commercials properties in and around that belt,” avers Upadhyay.

FUTURE WISEWith the changing lifestyle and aspirations of the people residingin the region, developments in the line of gated communities withmodern facilities are in demand. With the real estate market in themain city area reaching a saturation point, fresh developments aretaking place along the city’s periphery. “The East West Metro Lineis expected to be commissioned in 2021. The Howrah MaidanMetro Station is expected to have a daily estimated ridership ofover 6 lakh commuters,” concludes Ghosal. All this will further givea fillip to these peripheral areas.

Howrah-Hooghly belt is a price sensitive region

It is majorly dominated by affordable projects with few mid segment projects being launched

Around 52% of the investment grade projects has aticket size ranging from ` 10 to ` 39 lakh

Some 37% in the ticket size is of ` 40-` 69 lakh in regions like Uttarpara, Konnagar, Santragachi and Serampore

Absorption trend in projects depicts demand in the2 and 3 BHK configuration

The sales velocity lies in the range of five to six projects per month

The average unit size in the investment grade category ranges between 920 sqft to 1320 sqft in the 2 and 3 BHK category in the region

TRENDS TO WATCH OUT FOR

HIRA/P/HOW/2018/000087HIRA/P/HOO/2018/000046 HIRA/P/KOL/2018/000064

hira.wb.gov.in

CREDAI HOWRAH-HOOGHLY

HOWRAH ANDHOOGHLY BELT

IS TURNINGOUT TO BE

THE LATESTHOTSPOT FORLARGE-SCALEREAL ESTATE

DEVELOPMENTUNDER THE

AEGIS OFCREDAI

HOWRAH-HOOGHLY

PARTNERSIN FUTURISTICGROWTHThe apex body of private real estate developers,

Confederation of Real Estate Developers’Associations of India (CREDAI), was established

in 1999 to give a new direction to the Indian realestate industry along with promoting the cause ofhousing and habitat. In the years that followed, itsmembership grew manifold and today it is spreadacross 21 state and 220 city chapters.

The aim of CREDAI is to make the real estate industry more organised and progressive under a single umbrella by working closely with all the stakeholders involved — government representatives, policy makers, investors, financecompanies, consumers, and real estate professionals.Its sincere efforts have been recognised by the government and today it is represented in several committees working on policy formulationsand various committees of the government including Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs,Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), Bureau of

Energy Efficiency (BEE), Niti Aayog and others.The government values suggestions shared by

CREDAI — both at the national as well as the state level.

CREDAI Howrah-Hooghly is a city chapter underthe aegis of the state chapter CREDAI West Bengal,which in turn is under the umbrella of CREDAINational. While CREDAI National promotes the industry on a national level, CREDAI West Bengal promotes the state, and CREDAI Howrah-Hooghlyfocuses on the Howrah-Hooghly belt.

CREDAI Howrah-Hooghly is the bridge of communication between developers and consumersin this part of the state and works at credible rela-tionship-building between industry and government in this belt. It also holds sessions toenable knowledge sharing between its memberdevelopers and ensures there is transparent communication between industry and customer.

Buying a home is not the same as buying anything.It is an emotional process for it entails investing in adream of a lifetime!

22 Bricks & Bytes

GETT

YIM

AGES

24 Bricks & Bytes

WITHTIER 2-TIER 3

CITIES EMERGINGAS REALTY

DESTINATIONS,THE HOWRAH

AND HOOGHLYBELT IS LIKELY

TO GARNER KEEN INTEREST FROMBUYERS, OPINES

JAXAY SHAH

The unprecedented Coronavirus crisis hasimpacted the economy worldwide as most ofthe sectors are witness to disruption in their

businesses. Real estate sector, which remains one ofthe strongest pillars of the Indian economy, is alsograppling with its impact. The sector has startedshowing signs of recovery especially in the context ofthe upcoming festive season. The pandemic hasmade people realise the importance of investing inhomes, and thus, the importance of real estate inone’s life as the safest investment option.

The revival of the sector holds utmost importanceas it contributes to 7% of the country’s GDP, andremains the second largest employer. Recently, someof the timely measures announced by the state andthe central government have given a boost to thehousing segment. Reduction in stamp duty prices byMaharashtra and Madhya Pradesh government isone such immediate measure to boost residentialsales. Extension on moratorium for borrowers willhelp ease the financial burden. Banks are offeringhome loans at an all-time low which has led to anupsurge in people investing in homes.

Currently, it’s a buyers’ market. With the currentpandemic, some significant trends have emerged inthe real estate market. There is a growing demand inresidential segment in Tier 2 and 3 cities. Thereduced land cost coupled with the idea of comfort-able living has once again directed the attention

towards affordable housing. Tier 2-Tier 3 cities arethe next emerging realty destinations. There hasbeen a shift in preference of home ownership overrenting. This is validated by increased number ofinquiries coming in for affordable properties. Also,many developers have engaged buyers by providing360 degree virtual tour, digital consultations and easyregistration. Most significantly, with work from homebeing the new normal, people have started investingin larger living spaces.

Even non-residential Indians, looking from theinvestment perspective, are driven towards Tier 2market as it provides affordable, greener and spacious accommodation. Therefore, the new residential segment coming up in towns such asHowrah is likely to garner much interest from buyersas developers are ensuring advanced lifestylerequirements in these projects. We are hopeful thatin the coming days, the Indian real estate sector willwitness stimulation in demand. Reverse migrationwill also attract investors to smaller cities for bothresidential and commercial spaces.

In the end, I would like to thank the members ofCREDAI Howrah Chapter for their continuous effortsin supporting families of construction workers inthese testing times and would request them tomarch towards resilience with the spirit to win!

The author is chairman, CREDAI National

GROWING DEMAND

JUMPING ON THE BANDWAGON

Across the globe, billions of peopleare fighting against a prodigiousglobal health crisis. The Covid-19

pandemic has not only impacted the livesbut also livelihoods of many across theglobe. During these testing times, survivalfor the realty sector has not been easy.CREDAI has withstood the challengingtimes with utmost vigour as we took careof the construction workers and movedforward with the never-give-up spirit.

To prepare against the implication thatthis pandemic has caused, developershave prepared themselves for the timeahead. Various initiatives by CREDAI chap-ters have been implemented to ensurethat this sector is at par with the changingsocial-environment scenario. With the cur-rent pandemic, we have pledged tostrengthen our resolution for a sustainableenvironment. During the lockdown, we

began the million tree plantation initiativecalled Kalpavriksha to continue ourmomentum of sustainable developmentand for a greener and healthier India.

With phased unlock guidelines by theMinistry of Health and Family Welfare.Government of India, the sector has started showing signs of recovery. The situation seems to be more optimistic particularly in Tier 1 and Tier 2 markets.There has been a growing demand for residential properties in these markets.The shift in the trend is mainly due to achange in buyer’s perspective.

We are optimistic that in times to come,the sector will start recovering. Especially,the projects based in Tier 2 cities of WestBengal are expected to catch the buyersattention. The sustainable infrastructurepush along with developer’s vision will setthis trend further.

We have faced many roadblocks in thepast, however, the spirit of each memberhas ensured that we stand strong and tall. I urge you all to continue serving this sector with this determinationand positivity.

The author is president,CREDAI National

SHIFT IN TREND

STRIKING A NOTE OF OPTIMISM

THE REALTY SECTOR IS IN RECOVERY MODE,AND PROJECTS BASED IN TIER 2 CITIES OFWEST BENGAL ARE EXPECTED TO CATCH THE BUYERS’ ATTENTION, OPINES SATISH MAGAR

STRIKING A NOTE OF

26 Bricks & Bytes

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Howrah, as well as Hooghly, developedbecause of their proximity to the river bank.They are both old and well established

developments. Earlier, when maritime trade was practised the world over, any area near the river bankwas very important. Howrah and Hooghly have alwaysbeen industrial belts in Bengal. What make them standout from time immemorial are the different industries— jute, engineering goods, automobile, to state a few.They have all prospered and how!

These areas also happen to be densely populatedwith a diverse kind of people. Apart from that, theseareas have fairly good amount of social infrastructurecatering to education, health, welfare, social services,recreation, safety and emergency services, religious,arts and cultural facilities, civic institutions and community meeting places which have been developed over the years. But these places were neglected from the perspective of housing develop-ment though they are well connected to Kolkata, andall modes of public transport are available.

These two areas are a little underrated in terms ofpossibility of development. However, that is changingas land prices here are much lower than that inKolkata and other parts of South and North 24Parganas. As such to build a house or acquire a homein both these locations is a fantastic value proposition.A host of modern complexes too have started comingup in these two areas. There are a lot of projects onthe river bank. River bank projects are good tractionbecause of the view. Nothing can ever change that.

Having said that, there are also projects that are notcoming here as the land is mostly industrial land andcannot be converted to residential land. That is a limitation. Metro connectivity will further boost real

estate activity in this belt. Prices per sqft that arelower than in Kolkata will get corrected over a periodof time. The price difference between Howrah-Hooghlyand Kolkata in a similar location with the same kind ofinfrastructure would prove Howrah-Hooghly to bealmost 20% cheaper. Howrah-Hooghly is well connected with flyovers, bridges, railway and ferry todifferent parts of Kolkata. Whatever infrastructure wasnot there is coming up now — thanks to the govern-ment of West Bengal spending a fair amount of money.

The present chief minister shifting her government’soffice from Writers’ Buildings in the CBD to Nabanna,the blue and white high-rise in the industrial townshipof Howrah, sealed the fate of this belt for the better.That watershed moment heralded the rise of Howrahlike never before.

Hooghly, which is also an industrial belt, is not asdeveloped as Howrah but it has a huge potential fordevelopment. Compared to Howrah and Kolkata, landavailability is better there. Being underserved, there isa requirement there for gated communities since itprovides unique safety and security. Uttarpara andChandannagar are good localities to stay in.

There is a huge potential in terms of ongoing infrastructure development and quality of projects.Social infrastructure will push these areas further. Aspecial mention must be made of Howrah MunicipalCorporation and other municipalities which are puttingin a lot of effort in terms of infrastructure developmentto make lives of people staying there easier and morecomfortable. The aim is to give the people there a better quality of life and broaden their horizons by providing them multiple opportunities for social,physical and economic growth.

The author is president elect, CREDAI National

GIVEN THE PACE OF

INFRASTRUCTUREDEVELOPMENT,

THE PRICE DIFFERENCE

BETWEENHOWRAH-

HOOGHLY ANDKOLKATA WILL

GET CORRECTEDOVER A PERIOD OF

TIME, POINTSHARSH VARDHAN

PATODIA

PROPOSITIONA FANTASTIC VALUE

HOUSING DREAMS

28 Bricks & Bytes

A GOLD MINE

Howrah is becoming an alternative to the megacity Kolkata. This year has shown us how ductile the real estate market can

behave. From a total halt in constructionfrom the last week of March to anabsolute bounce back after lock-down relaxation, it has been aninteresting contrast. Realestate across Kolkata alongwith its twin the Howrah-Hooghly belt saw a surge whichwas never expected to be so closeto pre-Covid times.

Another interesting factor has been thesite visit to closure ratio. The quality of site vis-its has improved by leaps and bounds. The TAT toclosures is hovering at around 50-55 days. This pan-demic has created a paradigm shift in thought process— it has engineered the mind to think that a newhouse is as much a need as having life insurance cov-erage. This belt particularly has huge potential as mostof the mass are still in joint family format with proba-bly one room allocated to a family of four.

This region has remained untapped. Residents ofthis area would remain rigid on buying spaces in andaround this belt. Options available to this segment ofbuyers are comparatively less. Land bank availability isalso a challenge for construction. With the upcoming East-West Metro, property price appreciation isexpected. This year’s festive season, along with nextyear, would be crucial for customer gain.

Driving demand amidst the pandemic is the thoughtof having more space specifically for a class of peoplewho were happy with the limited space they owned

by virtue of ancestral inheritance. DakshineswarMetro is going to be operational in a few months. The

belt of Santragachi and Shalimar has been expand-ing manifolds. The road connectivity is improv-

ing immensely due to expansion work goingon. Since the time Howrah Municipal

Corporation has intervened, infra-structure has been improving.

As it is more of an industrialbelt, more than retail or com-

mercial space, logistic and ware-housing space concept works better

and fits into the classification inHowrah. However, there is a huge untapped

potential of the retail segment as big brandsare yet to penetrate this market. This makes the

area a gold mine of opportunity which is untapped.Scope of development in this belt is huge and shoulddefinitely be tapped as we are stabilising from thewhirlwind effect of the past two quarters.

There is immense opportunity of growth in the nexttwo to three years. Given the pace at which we aremoving, Howrah’s development would be beyondrecognition. There is a growing demand for residentialcomplexes in this area as the area is coming up thecurve and staying in a complex is highly aspirational.

Growth of this belt is a lot about perception building that would unlock the true potential of thisplace. We need to keep talking and working our waytowards unleashing the true potential. It is only with the growth of the periphery that you truly giveback to society, generate employment and contributeto the GDP.

The author is president, CREDAI West Bengal chapter

HOWRAH IS GOINGTO BE THE NEXT

IMPORTANTLOCALE AFTER

KOLKATA,JUST THE WAY

RAJARHAT REGIONHAS GROWN

BEYONDRECOGNITION,

VOUCHESSUSHIL MOHTA

UNLOCKINGTRUE POTENTIAL

GROWTH OF THIS BELT IS A LOT ABOUT

PERCEPTION BUILDING THATWOULD UNLOCK ITS TRUE

POTENTIAL. WE NEED TO KEEPTALKING AND WORKING OUR WAY TOWARDS UNLEASHING

THE POSSIBILITIES HERE

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Howrah Police Commissionerate is the gatewayto Kolkata from different parts of the country.It also serves as the connector to other dis-

tricts like Howrah Rural, Purba and Paschim Midn-apore, BKP Commissionerate, BDN Commissionerate,North and South 24 Parganas, etc. Ever since the statesecretariat Nabanna was shifted to Mandirtala, thisbelt’s importance has increased manifold.

STANDING BY SENIOR CITIZENSShroddha is a unique initiative of Howrah City Police(HCP) for the elderly people living alone in its jurisdic-tion. HCP has a 24x 7 helpline (9051200100) for them.An alarm bell has been installed in every Shroddhamember’s residence to help them in any crisis. HCPhas roped in two private hospitals — one each insouth and north Howrah — to cater to the treatmentneed of members. Both indoor and outdoor servicesare given at reduced rates. The membership card istreated as their medical card. HCP has six ambulances(Kiran) to transport Shroddha members.

The nodal officer and his team in every police sta-tion (PS) under the direct supervision of respective OCand zonal AC and DC, visit the members. This visit iscalled the Shroddha Para Meeting. The OC, communi-ty and his staff call up all the members every day toascertain their problem and solve them accordingly.

In midst of the pandemic, HCP reached out to thesenior citizens and helped them with medicines, gro-cery items provided vehicle, gas cylinder supplies,water, etc. At present, 153 members are registered

with the Shroddha project. There is also an AC library-cum-office. Every year, HCP organises Durga PujaDarshan in an AC bus in and around Kolkata. Shroddhamembers are also invited to take part in social func-tions like blood donation camps, green projects.

CCTV COVERAGETo monitor traffic situation as well as to detect crimes,HCP has installed more than thousand CC cameraswith two different control rooms. All PSs under HCPtoo have installed CC cameras additionally in their PSjurisdiction along with PS-level CCTV control rooms.

CYBER SECURITYThe pandemic has seen a rise in cybercrimes. Lack ofawareness and netiquette make most users easy tar-gets for cybercriminals. Phishing traps naive people.The Cyber Crime PS of HPC continuously fights againstthese frauds while Social Media Monitoring Cell isdoing its bit in Misinformation Management.

SOCIAL MEDIA MONITORING CELLA team of HCP monitors social sites like Facebook,Twitter, etc on a daily basis to rule out anti-govern-ment posts or anything derogatory which can createlaw and order situation. Posts related to major festi-vals are also scanned.

SAFETY & SECURITY

STANDING BY THE AGED OR

PROVIDINGTRAFFIC UPDATES

ALONGSIDESAFEGUARDING

CITIZENS ANDMAINTAINING LAW

AND ORDER AREALL A PART OF THE

DAY’S WORK FOR HOWRAH CITY POLICE,

INFORMS KUNALAGGARWAL, IPS,COMMISSIONER

OF POLICE,HOWRAH CITY

POLICINGKEY TO PEACEFUL KEY TO PEACEFUL

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Over the last couple of decades there has been atremendous growth and development inHowrah. Historically, this district is known for its

industrial growth, MSME sector as well as unorganisedsector which provides input to almost all kinds of indus-tries. It also provides affordable housing to all who wantaccommodation near Kolkata. In a nutshell, sectors suchas MSME, large scale industries, real estate industry hasfavourable environment to accelerate their growth forwhich Howrah was ranked amongst the best districts forscheme like Anandadhara for credit support to SHGwomen and credit support by state to MSME sector.

HOWRAH ON A ROLLI have been posted in Howrah since June 2019 and havewitnessed two phases of pre Covid and post Covid.During the lockdown, when everything came to a standstill, Howrah did not cease to work as it housesessential industries like ITC, Amazon, Pespsico, etc whichinvolved in food production, food packaging, medicine,apart from road transport with two railway divisions.Howrah continued to work in these tough times whilefighting the invisible enemy with active support from different non-government organisations like PlasticFederation, CREDAI chapter of Howrah Hooghly, UluberiaChambers, Hosiery Association, Foundry cluster andmany others who participated and worked tirelessly withdistrict administration and police in making peopleaware and distributed masks, sanitisers, food packetsand medicine to the needy.

COVID-19 EFFECTAt present, Howrah has 1,233 hospital beds spread overeight Covid hospitals including 218 ICU beds in fourCovid hospitals. Other than Covid hospitals, Howrah has10 safe homes with total bed capacity of 486 spread overHowrah Municipal Corporation and rural areas for pro-viding effective institutional care to asymptomatic/ mild-ly symptomatic patients depending on their require-ments. Overall positivity rate figure for the district hascome down from 6% in August to 4.2% in October tilldate. Since inception, Howrah has already conducted95,150 Rapid Antigen Tests and 99,369 RTPCR samplestill date. Hence, total number of tests conducted standsat 1,94,519 as on date, taking RTPCR and antigen togeth-er. Currently, Howrah is testing 2,500 to 3,000 sampleson daily basis. Of total positive cases, 89.2% has recov-ered/ discharged. Number of containment zones hasalso come down from 152 in May-June to 59 in October.

FOCUSED APPROACHThe state government has done a lot in implementingseveral reforms. Recently, the government has come upwith schemes like Utkarsh Bangla, Anandadhara,Kanyashree, Rupashree and Swapna Bhor Programme topromote development at the grassroots level. Peoplehere are disciplined and determined to move the wheelof economic growth and restore normalcy. This positiveattitude and determination will definitely place Howrahamongst the best place for housing, industry, education,tourism in the next five years to come.

DEVELOPMENTREALISING THE

IMPORTANCEOF HOWRAH

AND THE NEEDOF THE HOUR,MUKTA ARYA,

IAS,DISTRICT

MAGISTRATE,HOWRAH,

SHARESHOW THE

GOVERNMENTIS FOCUSING

ON THEGROWTH OF

THIS DISTRICTAND ITS

SURROUNDINGAREAS

WAVE OFWAVE OF

MOVING AHEAD

GETT

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36 Bricks & Bytes

Belilious Park was developed and inaugurat-ed in early 2007 under a direction of theHigh Court of Calcutta (Green Bench).

Initially, the project was not a big success. Therewere hardly any visitors and the Big Bazaar, whichwas a part of the park premises,closed down because of dimin-ishing footfalls. That wasbefore Ram RatanChaudhary stepped in. Avisionary developer ofthe Howrah-Hooghlyterrain with over fourdecades of experiencein real estate, he pro-posed a makeover on amammoth scale. The taskwas extremely uphill. Butall that is history now.

Come 2021, and Howrah’sbiggest amusement park spreadover 25 acres, a gigantic 400+ feet hightower with multiple observation glass decks,complete with rides, water parks, mini-audito-rium, lake and museum will be a reality foreveryone. Each deck will have a coffee shop, asnack bar, an ice-cream parlour, a curio shop forsouvenirs….among many other attractions.

Panchdeep Tower, when complete, will bealmost four times the height of the Shaheed Minarat Esplanade and even taller than the Qutub Minar

PANCHDEEP CONSTRUCTION LTD

in Delhi! “Standing on the decks, visitors can enjoya panoramic view of Howrah city, the flowingGanges and also Kolkata,” vouches Chaudhary. Atthe top two decks, there will be telescopes thatwill help visitors to get a long-range view ofascending and descending of aeroplanes.

There will be two jet speed elevators with acapacity of 27 persons each in the tower that willtake visitors to the decks in just 1 dizzy minute.“There are two escape stairs for emergency usefor the visitors,” mentions Chaudhary.

The park is situated at East West Road (part ofproposed Ring Road) and is around 5 km awayfrom Second Hooghly bridge and 3 km fromHowrah Railway Station. It connects with SouthEastern Railway within a distance of 100 metres.

This project is being implemented along withHowrah Municipal Corporation (HMC) as a PPPproject and the tower will be a part of this projectonly. “The design of the tower has been approvedby the Civil Department of Indian Institute ofEngineering, Science and Technology (IIEST). Wehave also received clearance from the Civil

Aviation Department, GoI for the talltower,” explains Chaudhary.

Earlier, this 25-acre park onBelilious Road, Howrah had an

entry fee of ` 25 per head withextra charges for rides andboating. A 15 bigha lake in thepark provides for entertain-ment, including boat rides.This amusement park will also

have Water Sports, Giant Whe-el, Striking Cars, Scary House,

Carousel Ride, Rock Climbing, GoKart, Kids Zone, Mini auditorium,

guest rooms, banquet halls and manyother facilities. This Panchdeep Tower, once com-

plete, will be one of the tallest tower in South EastAsia. There will be a revolving restaurant at aheight of 400 ft. “It will be the pride of India andboost tourism here,” concludes Chaudhary.

TOWERINGWONDER

AT FOUR TIMES THE HEIGHT OFSHAHEED MINAR, AND EVEN TALLER THAN THE QUTUB MINAR,PANCHDEEP TOWER WILL BE AGAME CHANGER IN THIS PART

PAST PROJECTS

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Howrah stands out with a population densityclose to 22000 per sqkm and concentration ofindustrial and commercial centres. Constrain-

ed by resource crunch and an ever-growing daily pro-duction of garbage, the city administration is keen ona comprehensive plan to tackle garbage menace.

THE STRATEGY IN PLACEA robust strategy holds key to any solid waste man-agement (SWM) reforms. Though there are many suc-cessful models across India, each is unique to a par-ticular city. Instead of heavy upfront investment increating waste processing facilities, the aim was tofocus on the upstream activities — waste segregationat household level, collection and transportation.Capacity building was initiated through procurementof more than 250 battery-operated vehicles for pri-mary collection and training the human resources.

Overall strategy was a three-pronged one — (1) T-5000: The target is to develop in-house SWMarrangements within large housing complexes, initial-ly including 5,000 apartments, as a self-sustainablemodel, (2) Focus on one large ward with at least25,000 population and create a comprehensivemodel of waste segregation, collection andtransportation, and (3) Massive IEC activ-ities on the focus area and among chil-dren. SWM needs involvement of citi-zens. There must be a partnership withorganisations that are capable of playingthe role of a conduit between the citizensand the administration.

ROLE OF CREDAI HOWRAH-HOOGHLYT-5000 involves large housing complexes to segregatewaste by household, and the rest of the activity istaken care by the third party agency engaged by theRWA after being recommended by the joint task forceof the corporation and CREDAI. Objective is to divertat least 75% of the solid waste generated from suchcomplexes from entering into municipal stream ofwaste management. CREDAI has been playing the rolethe partnering organisation and engaging with HMC,developer and the RWAs. As part of the ward level ini-tiative, every household in Ward 22 was provided withtwo bins — blue and green — for segregation ofwaste. Street corner meetings were held simultane-ously with GPS mapping of households and commer-cial establishments, marking litter spots in consulta-tion with stakeholders and extensive IEC activity.

SPREADING AWARENESSA one-day conclave, organised by HMC in associationwith CREDAI Howrah-Hooghly, was attended by morethan 150 student volunteers of the Green Volunteersgroup who had already been trained in SWM. The part-

nership with Nature Mates helped HMCto engage with children and instill

the sense of responsible wastemanagement in them. These arebaby steps. What makes it sig-nificant is its ‘right’ directionand the institutional

arrangements and systematicmode of implementation.

THE JOURNEY OFMEANINGFUL

PARTNERSHIPSWITH

ORGANISATIONSTO HANDLE SOLID

WASTE MANAGEMENT

HAS JUST BEGUNAND THERE IS A

LONG WAY TO GO, AVERS

BIJIN KRISHNA,IAS,

EX-COMMISSIONER,HOWRAH

MUNICIPALCORPORATION

REALISING AGARBAGE-FREE LIFE

CLEAN & GREEN

REALISING A GETT

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40 Bricks & Bytes

COMING OF AGE

Aaheli.Ghose@timesgroup.com

Being a major contributor towards India’s GDP, the con-struction industry employs around 33 million people.According to a research by KPMG, the development of

India is highly dependent upon the infrastructure sector and thecountry has become a large market for infrastructure and con-struction activities contributing US $738.5 billion in FY 2017, andis expected to become third largest market in the world by 2025.

The volume of construction output is predicted to grow by85% to $15.5 trillion globally by the end of this decade. As per aPWC report, India, along with China and the US, will drive thesegment by accounting for 57% of the overall growth.

As India is witnessing rapid urbanisation, the government isgiving massive importance to infrastructure development of thenation. Several plans in this ambit like smart city mission, AtalMission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT),New Metro Rail Policy, Housing for all, North East SpecialInfrastructure Development Scheme (NESIDS) etc points at theaugmented focus in this direction.

To maximise expedi-ency, environmental sus-

tainability and cost effi-ciencies, the construction

space is now looking atsolutions:

BUILDINGINFORMATIONMODELLING(BIM)

This technolo-gy is used for

planning,designing, con-

struction, andoperation of the facility. It helpsarchitects, engineers and con-

structors visualise what is tobe built in a simulated envi-

ronment to identify anypotential design, constructionor operational issues.

DRONESDrones are the most widely

used emerging construction technologyas they can conduct jobsite inspections, identify potential hazards and can monitor workers throughout the day to ensureeveryone is working safely.

ROBOTICSGlobally, the use of robots is growing at the rate of 6.73% annu-ally, while the growth of usage in India has been around 12%.Robots can tackle the complexities of mega projects and canalso help cope with mundane activities like lifting, shifting, load-ing-unloading and other repetitive jobs, reducing dependence onhuman intervention and external factors such as fatigue, inter-est, skills, work timing and human errors.

3D PRINTING3D printing allow construction companies to print out an entirehome faster and cheaper compared to the traditional method. Ithas become a part of the preconstruction process and helps pre-vent problems or disasters before construction begins.

CLOUD AND MOBILE TECHNOLOGYCloud-based solutions help contractors to work on the samesets of data across the back office and you will find projects run-ning in real-time with accurate data and digitisation.

SITE SENSORSThese sensors are mounted in the construction sites to monitorthings like temperature, noise levels, dust particulates andvolatile organic compounds to help limit exposure to workers.

FOCUSING ON IMPLEMENTINGDIGITALISATION ANDNEW CONSTRUCTIONTECHNIQUES TOENHANCE THE QUALITY AND SAFETYOF PROJECTS, THESENEW TECHNOLOGIESARE RESHAPING THE CONSTRUCTIONINDUSTRY

TECH’STHE WAY

42 Bricks & Bytes

DESIGN CALL

Any real estate industry is support-ed by two important aspects —The evolving aspirations of the

prospective customers, and Resourceoptimisation which essentially is layeredby time, technology and pricing. In ourcountry, a majority of the real estate sector is not professionally supported andhence, they address the former by speculation or manipulation rather thanresearch and innovation and later just byhard negotiations rather than smart working. There are two importantapproaches towards creating efficienciesin Indian realty industry, namely the 3P(Planning, People and Procurement) and the 4M (Mix, Manpower, Methodologyand Management).

EFFICACY OF PLANNINGThe planning component, a part of the 3Papproach, in a project life is laid primordialimportance. This is because a well-donedesk work is a project half done. It startsfrom the importance of homework - prod-uct profiling, product mix and productpositioning being concluded by properdemand surveys and market research.Most of the promoters, builders and devel-opers rely on architects to suggest theproduct mix rather than scientifically pro-viding them a product/ design brief or pro-gramme. This often leads to an evolving

design brief over time which results intime inefficiencies and design fatigue.

Planning should highlight the SWOT —strength, weakness, opportunity andthreats — ensuring we spend 70% of ourtime on the strengths and the opportuni-ties and devote 30% to the weaknessesand threats. Planning in a design project isoften 25-30% of the project life, whiletoday we often budget only 3-5% in ourtime schedule. One should employ architects and consultants for their superior skills and structure formalaccountabilities for efficiencies. PMC orproject management team, either in-house or outsourced, should be respon-sible for effective coordination and boundby structured schedule of calendar.

Surveys, feasibility reports, land/ legalclearances, consultant commissioning,departmental liaising, DPRs clearances,budget financing, contingency planning,EIAs, master planning, concepts design,schematics design, design developmentetc are some subparts of this calendar.There should be a minimum of 4-stagebudget making in place. A well-laid plan can contribute to almost 25-30% ofprofit margin!

PEOPLE POWERFirst, one should aim at hiring by qualifica-tion, experience and accountability index

and not just by reference or convenience.Starting from the induction of a vision, theteam should be reviewed periodically forimprovements and training. A clearaccountable hierarchy should be estab-lished in the office and the field. We shouldallow the project lead enough freedomand discretion to structure his team andmodify processes. A heterogeneous mix,radial networking work culture against lin-ear, formal and informal review system,care and concern, consultant interactionprogrammes etc are a few suggestions torender an effective and committed team.A well-conducted team gets you almost12-5% of profit margins.

PROCESS OF PROCUREMENTIt often referred as purchase lead by astrict negotiator has to be completelylooked into. A well-laid procurementprocess contributes to 10-12% of the prof-it margins. The entire process involveseducation of product updates, training ininstallation process, understanding ofprocess engineering, vendor interactionworkshops with the team of consultants,site engineering and planning teams, etc.

It is often not prudent for go for L1 ten-dering. It is found that 65 out of 100 pro-curement closures in Indian real estateindustry based on L1 system fail to keepup with marketing expectations, or pro-vide efficient aftersales services or pro-vide for an extended technical support inexecution processes, accountabilities, etc.

CERTAIN APPROACHES NEED TO BE ADAPTED TO CREATE EFFICIENCIES IN THEREAL ESTATE INDUSTRY AND FORTHE BEST OUTCOME, STATES VIVEK SINGH RATHORE

IT PAYS TO BEPROFESSIONAL

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The author is principal architect, SALIENT

the booking amount and refund the bal-ance amount. Since the term ’bookingamount’ has not being defined in theWBHIRA Act, reference can be made tosection 13 (1) of the WBHIRA Act andsuch forfeiture will be limited to 10% ofthe amount received by the developertowards the cost of the apartment/ plotprior to execution of the Agreement toSale. Few points to be considered are:

RESALE AS A CONDITIONFOR REFUNDIt has been noticed that the developerstweak the language of the Agreement forSale in such manner that, the developerreselling the said apartment to a newallottee is made a condition precedentfor the refund to the cancelling allottee,and differential price, if any, is adjustedfrom the said refund. Here, it is relevantto discuss Clause 7.5 of the proformaAgreement for Sale as appended with theWBHIRA Rules. The said clause meansthat no amount other than the bookingamount, can be forfeited by the develop-er in case of aforesaid cancellation by theallottee, and the balance amount shall berefunded to the allottee within 45 daysfrom the date of such cancellation.Adding a condition of resale by the devel-oper prior to making the said refund oradjusting the differential price against therefund amount in case the resale is car-

ried out at a lower price, defies theobject of timely protection to

home-buyers under the WBHIRAAct. Therefore, it is recommended

that the purpose and intention ofthe proforma Agreement for Sale

is adhered to in principle andany deviation changing the

core essence of the samemay be litigated.

Dasgupta is ED andhead of Taxes, AQUILAW

while Chanda is seniorassociate, AQUILAW

The Real Estate (Regulation andDevelopment) Act, 2016 (RERA)aims to strengthen the regulations

of the real estate sector and to provideprotection to home buyers. West Bengalhas separate a legislation - West BengalHousing Industry Regulation Act, 2017(WBHIRA Act) similar to RERA, togetherwith the West Bengal Housing IndustryRegulation Rules, 2018 (WBHIRA Rules).

Section 13 (1) of the WBHIRA Act man-dates inter alia that no developer shallreceive any sum more than 10% of thecost of the apartment/ plot without firstexecuting and registering an Agreementfor Sale. The term ’cost of the apart-ment/plot’ in terms of the Explanationprovided in Clause 1.2 of the proformaAgreement for Sale as appended with theWBHIRA Rules, includes applicable GSTcomponent in the total price of the apart-ment/plot. Thus, the sum paid by theallottee under the head of applicationmoney or booking amount, being 10%of the total cost of the apartment/plot,is inclusive of the GST component.

CANCELLATION OF BOOKINGThe developer at the time of can-cellation, at its discretion mayrefund the entire amount to theallottees or may deduct

RULES/ REGULATIONS

In case the amount forfeited is termed as ’cancellation fee’, the same would entail the levy ofGST. Since, it’s a complete separate transaction, thedeveloper should raise an invoice on the allottee,and non-compliance may entail penal provisions.

Since the forfeiture amount cannot exceed 10%of the amount received by the developer towardsthe cost of the apartment/ plot, GST should alwaysbe included and computed on a cum-tax basis.

However, the forfeiture amount is termed as’liquidated damages’ so there is a possibility that itmay not attract GST.

The clauses of the agreement should be worded carefully to incorporate necessary amend-ments, to safeguard the rights of the developer.

In case of cancellation, the option of raisingcredit note for cancellation of booking and adjust-ment of GST paid is allowed only tillend of September of the nextfinancial year. Hence, for cancel-lation beyond such period,any refund of GST to theallottees needs to becarefully looked into andexamined as such pay-ment may entail unduefinancial hardship in thehands of the developers.

KEEP IN MIND

LEGALLY BOUNDA DEVELOPER SHOULD HAVEA ROBUST MECHANISM OFCHECKS AND BALANCES TOENSURE COMPLIANCE BOTHUNDER THE GST REGIME ANDWBHIRA; THE AGREEMENTSSHOULD BE WORDED CAREFULLY TO PROTECTINTERESTS, STATE RAJARSHI DASGUPTA AND SWARNALI CHANDA

44 Bricks & Bytes

GETTYIMAGES

46 Bricks & Bytes

Shelly.Singh@timesgroup.com

As a habit, Tom Joseph, 50, bathes twice aday. This routine makes him reach for thegeyser switch at least four times daily. A

couple of months ago, Joseph bought a smart plugand his life changed. He doesn’t have to bother abo-ut switching the machine on or off. It is progra-mmed to function for an hour at 7:00 am and thenat 7:00 pm. The smart plug also responds to voicecommands. So Joseph, based in the National CapitalRegion, gets hot water whenever he asks for it.

Impressed by the technology, Joseph has nowretrofitted his old air conditioner and TV to make

them smart. He now uses a voice-enabled remoteto control all these equipment, instead of depend-ing on manually operated remote controls for each.

“When I return home in the evening, it is like thedevices know what I want — the air conditioner andTV start even before I get a snack from the kitchento settle down and relax,” says Joseph, president ofTuya Smart India, an internet of things (IoT) startup.

He is excited about getting rid of mundane tasks.“We no longer call it the future. Smart is current.”Next on his list are smart curtains and locks.

Across households in India, people like Josephare making a quiet shift to smart equipment as theylook for more gear that can take care of routine

SMARTLYMOVE OVER

SCIENCEFICTION;

INTERNET OFTHINGS IS

DRIVING HOME AUTOMATIONAND SMART

HOMESTHEREBY

ADDING TO ASENSE

OF SAFETYAND SECURITY

AND MAKINGLIFE

SIMPLER

ART OF LIVING

CONNECTEDKITCHENSmart fridge,washing machine,chimney, exhaustfans, smokealarms.Exhaust fans start working onsensing risinglevel of fumes

LIVING ROOMSmart TVs, ACs,tubelights, bulbs,air purifiers.All have IoT sensors toswitch them onand off

BEDROOMOperating lights,ceiling fans, ACs,smart TVs.All respond tovoice commands

INSIDE

48 Bricks & Bytes

tasks — operating lights, fans, air conditioners,heaters, air purifiers, door locks, cameras and more.

The smart home market comprises net-worked devices and related services thatenable automation. It could be a camera thatmonitors the house or a ceiling fan that increaseor decreases speed sensing the comfort of the occu-pants of the room.

At present, a smart home is about connected things.Devices, each with a unique IP address, are connected directlyor indirectly to the home WiFi making it easy to control them.These devices can also monitor certain aspects of a user’s life. Software tracks a person’s habits, like the music they like in the morning and play that, smart mattresses adjust to a person’s back, smart mirrors point out health issues,sensors in toilets check for potential health issues by scanningwaste before flushing.

Sumit Padmakar Joshi, vice-chairman & MD of SignifyInnovations India (formerly Philips Lighting India), says, “Frombeing a concept, the word smart has gradually evolved.Consumers now have access to intuitive technologies and virtualassistants which can remind them about daily chores, plan theirday and operate their appliances.”

Companies are responding to this demand by flooding themarket with smart devices capable of responding tovoice and the ambience. According to marketresearch firm IDC, 753,000 smart speakerswere shipped to the Indian market in 2018. In 2019, this is expected to reacharound 1 million.

BOOM IN BUSINESSThe Indian smart home market is expected tobe around $6 billion by 2022, a two-foldincrease from $3 billion estimated in 2020,according to Statista. Globally, that number isexpected to reach $53.45 billion by 2022.

Panasonic, for example, launched an all-smartrange of appliances Manish Sharma, president& CEO of Panasonic India & South Asia, says,“Machines equipped with sensors will beable to comprehend whether an activity ina room is normal or if there is discomfort forthe occupants. That is intelligence.” Customers canoperate the devices from anywhere and know howmuch power an appliance consumes.

The technology also does self-diagnosis. Let us sayan air conditioner is drawing more electricitybecause of a choked filter. A sensor will send an alertto a technician to come and fix it.

Then comes personalisation — depending on the temper-ature, an air conditioner automatically adjusts its settings.Smart devices will also call customer care automatically

when it is time for service. This almost lifelike behav-iour in machines can also help a user secure his

home better. A smart doorbell, for example, cansend an image of a person outside the door to

your smartphone.You can remotely talk to the visitor and

even open a digital lock via the app.While smart speakers like Amazon Echo and

Google Homemade users familiar with the concept ofusing voice commands to stream music and news, it is

now light bulbs to curtains that are getting a smart makeover.Sanjay Gupta, senior VP and business head of consumer light-

ing at Wipro, reckons that up to 2 million homes in India have atleast a smart bulb that can be switched on or off and can adjustthe brightness on a voice command.

This shift to smart homes with intelligence in-built in appliancesis accelerating. Google works with 3,500 brands that have 30,000smart products in the market. Wipro Lighting gets 3% of its business from smart bulbs in 2019-20 and expects to get 15% byFY22. The starting point to make a home smart could be anappropriate light bulb or speaker.

IDC India says there are four broad uses ofsmart home devices: entertainment and video,

lighting, surveillance and appliances. The firstcategory is the most popular with smart TVs

and streaming videos. According to IDC,60% of the premium TVs sold last yearwere smart. Jaipal Singh, lead analyst for

smart home and wearables, IDC India,says, “Alexa, Google Home sharpenedthe users’ focus towarsexploringmore use cases on voice com-mands. Music and entertainmentremain the top use case in smart

homes.”

DEVICES, EACH WITH A UNIQUE IP ADDRESS,

ARE CONNECTED DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY

TO THE HOME WIFI MAKINGIT EASY TO CONTROL

THEM FROM ANYWHERE

THIN

KSTO

CK

50 Bricks & Bytes

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The most important river of WestBengal, since time immemorialHooghly has also been the centre

for industrial development. Until the 17th

century, when the main course of theGanges shifted resolutely eastward, theHooghly was the major waterway throughwhich the Ganges entered the Bay ofBengal.

The land on both sides of the river wasextremely fertile. Archaeological evidenceconfirms that rice farming communities,probably from the Himalayas and Indianplains, first settled there some 3,000 yearsago. By the 11th century, the river wasattracting merchants from China,Southeast Asia, Ceylon, western India andthe near east. When Europeans sailed upthe Hooghly for the first time in the early

16th century, they found a diverse popula-tion living along its banks.

The Hooghly and Ganges were vitalarteries linking Bengal with the Hindustaniheartland. The principal attraction ofBengal to Europeans was the tradingopportunities that it offered. Word spreadamong Portuguese traders that Bengalwas a land of abundant natural wealthand possibilities for trade. The Portuguesetraders on the Hooghly arrived each springwith a shipload of produce—usuallyspices from across the Indian Ocean—tounload on the markets of Bengal.

The boom of Portuguese Hooghlywould last just 50 years. By the close ofthe 17th century, Dutch, French, andEnglish settlements had been founded.

The English settlement of Calcutta was

founded at the close of the 17th centuryon the site of an earlier village, Kalikata, onthe Hooghly’s left bank. After the SevenYears’ War (1756–1763), which broughtBritain and France into conflict across fivecontinents, the English East IndiaCompany emerged as the dominant Eur-opean power on the river. Calcutta begana period of growth that would transform itinto one of India’s greatest cities; secondonly to London among the most importantcities of the British Empire.

In the 1830s, Dwarkanath Tagore shotto prominence as an enterprising Bengalibusinessman who became wealthy trad-ing in silk, indigo, and sugar before invest-ing in ocean shipping and beginning asteamer service on the Hooghly to rivalthe British steam navigation firms. Later,the Swadeshi movement included thelaunch of new Bengali-run steamer servic-es that once again turned the Hooghly intoan arena of commercial competition.

Calcutta served as the exit for the thou-sands of indentured labourers from Biharand other areas of East India who weresent to the West Indies to replace themanual labour that had previously beenprovided by enslaved Africans; and whichis the reason there are cricketers’ nameslike Kallicharran in West Indies.

In the 20th century, Calcutta was one ofthe most significant ports for migrationacross the Bay of Bengal, welcomingmigrants from East and Southeast Asia inparticular—not least during the tumul-tuous upheavals of World War II.

The turn of the 20th century witnesseda remarkable flourishing of Bengal litera-ture and art, epitomised above all by thewritings of Rabindranath Tagore. In his cre-ative outputs, and those of many contem-poraries, the Hooghly was endowed withan otherworldly quality.

The Hooghly today faces critical chal-lenges. Though the river remains an arteryfor the transport, and an important basefor Indian naval ships, industrial activityhas stagnated. Like most rivers on thesubcontinent, it has suffered hugely frompollution. But for many, the river remains adivine as much as a secular force.

The author is a former journalist andeminent columnist with leading dailies

AN ETERNAL JOURNEY

THE SACREDSTREAM

SUBHASH CHAKRABORTY PROBES HOW THE INTEGRATION OF HOOGHLY RIVER INTO THE GLOBAL NETWORK FOR THE EXCHANGE OFGOODS, PEOPLE AND IDEAS WAS SHAPED BY THE PORTUGUESE, DUTCH, DANISH, FRENCH AND BRITISH COLONIAL PRACTICES

Irene.Saha@timesgroup.com

Think of Kolkata and the first thing likely to cometo your mind would be the Howrah Bridge. Abridge with a suspended span over the Hooghly

river, it is one that never sleeps except on bandh daysmaybe. Though the bridge is crowded with all meansof transportation possible through the day, take awalk on it and you will be struck by a sense ofimmense beauty in the way the huge expanse of riverHooghly flows under it.

Commissioned in 1943, the bridge was originallynamed the New Howrah Bridge, because it replaced apontoon bridge at the same location linking Howrahand erstwhile Calcutta. Twenty-two years later in1965, it was renamed Rabindra Setu after Tagore.However, it is popularly known as the Howrah Bridge.The daily traffic on this bridge is approximately100,000 vehicles and more than 150,000 pedestrians,making it one of the busiest cantilever bridge in theworld. The third-longest cantilever bridge at the timeof its construction, the Howrah Bridge is currently thesixth-longest bridge of its type in the world. It servesas the gateway to Kolkata, connecting it to theHowrah Station, one of the five intercity train termi-nus stations serving Howrah and Kolkata.

VIDYASAGAR SETUNamed after the great erudite and reformer PanditIshwar Chandra Vidyasagar and called SecondHooghly Bridge, Vidyasagar Setu is reckoned as one ofthe longest bridges of its type across India. It is alsoacknowledged as one of the longest bridges of Asia.This cable-stayed bridge covers a little over 457meters and has a deck of 35 meters width. The build-ing process of the bridge was initiated in 1978 and itwas eventually opened to public in 1992. The bridgecarries the NH 117, also known as the KonaExpressway. With six lanes of traffic, the bridge cancarry more than 85,000 vehicles every day.

NIVEDITA SETUAlso called Second Vivekananda Setu, this bridge isIndia’s first multi-span, single-plane cable supportedextra-dosed bridge; with short pylons and seven con-tinuous spans of 110 m, totalling a length of 880 m(2,887 feet). Nivedita Setu has won an Award ofExcellence from the American Segmental BridgeInstitute, USA. Belghoria Expressway that connectsthe meeting point of NH 16 with NH 19 at Dankuni toNH 12, NH 112, Netaji Subhas Chandra BoseInternational Airport and northern parts of Kolkatapasses over the bridge.

CONNECTINGWITH CARETHE ICONIC HOWRAH BRIDGE, VIDYASAGAR SETU AND NIVEDITA SETU, AMONGOTHER BRIDGES ACROSS THE HOOGHLY RIVER, ARE LIFELINES FOR THOSE WHO DWELL IN THIS REGION AND NEED TO ACCESS THE OTHER SIDE

Do Bigha Zamin

Bari Theke Paliye

Parash Pathar

Neel AkasherNeechey

Howrah Bridge

China Town

Amar Prem

Calcutta 71

Padatik

Gandhi

Paar

Ram Teri Ganga Maili

The Bengali Night

City of Joy

Shadows of Time

Yuva

Parineeta

Mon Amour

The Namesake

Blessy’s 2008Malayalam FilmCalcutta News

Aadhavan

Love Aaj Kal

Ekti Tarar Khonje

Kahaani

Barfi!

Piku

Lion

Dhadak

HOWRAHBRIDGE IN

MOVIES

54 Bricks & Bytes

GETT

YIM

AGESCONNECTING

WITH CARE

The rise of the Howrah-Hooghly region started inearly 2005 when development of residentialprojects started coming up across Kona

Expressway and gradually progressed in multiplepockets of Howrah and Hooghly over the subsequentyears. Post development of Kona Expressway,improvement of roads also took place, which in turnhelped in reducing travel time from south Bengal toKolkata. This in turn helped to improve demand in thisregion. One could say that smooth connectivity ofroads, along with widely-spread suburban rail networkhelped to develop these areas over the years. TodayHowrah and Hooghly region is self-sufficient with itsown infrastructure related to healthcare, education,

industries, logistic parks, organised markets, etc.Connectivity has been the primary demand driver.

Subsequently, availability of large land parcel in thisregion helped city-based developers to offer bettervalue products to end-users at an affordable price.Over the past few years, Howrah-Hooghly hasemerged as a stronger value proposition for buyerslooking for properties with world-class amenities andeventually attracted a wide profile of home buyers.

The project New Kolkata is at Serampore in Hooghlydistrict. Located strategically on GT Road, it can beeasily accessed by local train from Howrah Station andis also connected to other parts of south Bengal by railand road. In addition, our project is the first in easternIndia to have its own ferry service connecting it toKolkata through river Hooghly. We strongly believe thatthis service will not only help the residents of NewKolkata to commute easily to their respective workplace but also make travelling a delight.

New Kolkata boasts of countless USPs that makes itdifferent from any other project — right from thetallest towers in Hooghly to the largest residentialclubhouse. It is also the first pre-certified platinumrated green building in this part of the country. Whilemany other amenities are being developed for the res-idents, the most unique proposition is its three-wayconnectivity, making it the only project in eastern Indiaaccessible by rail, road and river.

This project has received overwhelming responsefrom not only Bengal, but across India and abroad.Participation has been received from all segments andprofessions which include doctors, professors, sportspersonalities, teachers, engineers, senior executives oftop MNCs, IT professionals, executives of PSUs,business people and so forth.

On offer is a special payment plan for home buyers.No EMI. No load offer. A buyer has to pay only 20% ofthe consideration at the time of agreement, while theremaining 80% to be paid at the time of possession.So, one who doesn’t want to bear the EMI burden soearly on can directly benefit from this offer. They canavail the loan at the time of possession and start pay-ing their EMIs once they start living at New Kolkata.

ALCOVE REALTY

A NEW DAWNCONNECTIVITYHAS BEEN THE

PRIMARY DEMANDDRIVER FOR

RESIDENTIALPROPERTY IN

HOWRAH ANDHOOGHLY

OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS,HOWRAH-HOOGHLY HAS EMERGED AS A STRONGER VALUE PROPOSITION FOR BUYERS LOOKING FOR PROPERTIES WITH WORLD-CLASS AMENITIES AND EVENTUALLYATTRACTED A WIDE PROFILE OF HOME BUYERS

Ajay Kumar Shroff,managing director, Alcove Realty

A NEW DAWN

56 Bricks & Bytes

PRICE TRENDS

Howrah Amta Road ` 2,206 - ` 3,604 per sqft

Howrah Maidan ` 2,431 - ` 4,405 per sqft

Shibpur ` 3,010 - ` 4,454 per sqft

Santragachi ` 2,222 - ` 8,036 per sqft

Ramrajatala ` 2,708 - ` 3,504 per sqft

Kadam Tala ` 2,600 - ` 4,500 per sqft

Botanical Garden Area ` 3,125 - ` 4,455 per sqft

Tikia Para ` 11,875 per sqft

Bamangachhi ` 1,467 - ` 2,545 per sqft

Ankurhati ` 1296 per sqft

Sankrail ` 3,604 per sqft

Liluah ` 1,091 - ` 8,682 per sqft

Hindmotor ` 1,812 - ` 2,903 per sqft

Kona ` 1,304 - ` 2,961 per sqft

Das Nagar ` 3,009 per sqft (average)

Uluberia ` 1,667 - ` 3,115 per sqft

Belur ` 1,818 - ` 4,110 per sqft

Bally ` 2,328 - ` 3,791 per sqft

Rishra ` 2600 per sqft

Konnagar ` 1,978 - ` 3,042 per sqft

Dankuni ` 1,897 - ` 4,444 per sqft

Uttarpara ` 2,324 - ` 3,833 per sqft

Serampore ` 1,918 - ` 3,680 per sqft

Shalimar ` 3,750 - ` 5,000 per sqft

G T Road ` 2,737 - ` 21,951 per sqft

Salkia ` 1,600 - ` 6,250 per sqft

Bhattanagar ` 3,763 - ` 3,807 per sqft

Chandannagar ` 2,000 - ` 7,000 per sqft

(Prices are indicative)

60 Bricks & Bytes

Domjur ` 2,333 - ` 3,988 per sqft

Bagnan ` 1,019 - ` 5,455 per sqft

Mourigram ` 2,000 - ` 3,507 per sqft

Baksara ` 2,145 - ` 12,500 per sqft

Salap ` 1,488 - ` 14,880 per sqft

Hatisal ` 4,545 per sqft

Makardah ` 2,400 - ` 2,647 per sqft

Mali Panchghara ` 3,846 per sqft

Manikpur ` 4,202 per sqft

Andul Road ` 2,264 - ` 3,069 per sqft

Chunavati ` 2,150 - ` 4,861 per sqft

Ichapur ` 2,600 - ` 7,200 per sqft

Singur ` 1,921 - ` 2,182 per sqft

Bandel ` 1,555 - ` 3,524 per sqft

Tribeni ` 1,400 - ` 3,000 per sqft

Baidyabati ` 2,200 - ` 2,300 per sqft

Danesh Sheikh Lane ` 2,271 - ` 3,728 per sqft

Belilious Road ` 2,300 - ` 8,515 per sqft

Foreshore Road ` 2,441 - ` 4,405 per sqft

Nimta ` 2,592 - ` 3,230 per sqft

Panchla ` 1,850 - ` 3,651 per sqft

Bhadrakali ` 2,252 - ` 2,932 per sqft

Uttarpara Kotrung ` 2,168 - ` 3,018 per sqft

Bakra ` 1,543 - ` 3,600 per sqft

Tarakeshwar ` 1,883 - ` 2,800 per sqft

Dobson Road ` 2,300 - ` 4,515 per sqft

Jagadishpur ` 2,500 - ` 4,521 per sqft

(Prices are indicative)

Source: www.magicbricks.com

62 Bricks & Bytes

Bengalis are known to be greatconnoisseurs of food (khaddoroshik). In fact, there is a saying

that Bengalis don’t eat to live, they liveto eat. In traditional Bengali householdevery meal is detailed and elaborated.Needless to say, it is extremely crucialfor a Bengali to have a sweet or curdafter each meal.

STEEPED IN SYRUPYHISTORYIn ancient Bengal, Hooghly, was thecentre point of all operations. Bandelwas a part of the Chinsurah Portuguesecantonment and later became home tosome of the Portuguese who employedcooks and taught them the technique ofcurdling milk. Thus began Bengal’s culinary history with Sandesh andRosogolla followed with theinvention of ‘Jolbhora’(a large sweet filled

with palm jaggery or rosewater) bySurjya Kumar Modak.

ULTIMATE DELICACY So, what is so special in Howrah andHooghly when it comes to food? Ah!the Posto or poppy seeds are a delicacyin every Bengali household with its origin in Hooghly. A lunch here mustinclude a Posto Chingri (prawn curryprepared with poppy seeds). Kumro isyet another delicacy. From the crispyKumro Phool er Bora (dried pumpkinpulse ball), to the sweetness of Kachu-Kumror Ghonto (mixed vegetable dishcooked with pumpkin), or Kumro Phooler Daal Bata (Dried pumpkin in soakedlentils) followed with Machher Ombol(fish chutney) are considered to be an

eclectic part of Bengal’sculinary heritage.

CULINARY EXTRAVAGANZADuring my childhood, I used to hatetravelling in trains. But during my vaca-tion, we used to take the train to meetmy grandmother who lives in Hooghly.My only motivation in the entire journeywas to have lebu lozenge which wouldbe sold in different flavours and colours.Today, the cultural tapestry of Hooghlyand Howrah has become colourful yetcomplex. Each area is recognised forbeing unique in its sweets. Monohora(sweet of the heart) of Janai, Khaichurof Dhaniakhali, Sondesh of Guptipara,Pantua of Jangipara, Karakanda ofKhanakul, Babarshah of Kheerpai(sweet soaked in jaggery). Don’t get sur-prised if you happen to come across thejalebis or the boondi to be white incolour (known as Shaada Jilapi &Shaada Bondey) found in Kamarpukur.

Despite increasing urbanisation andthe growth of urban culture, the curiouscombination of culinary cultures devel-oped in the 18th century Bengal has stillits relevance to an extent even today.

The writer is an Indian hotelier andfounder of speciality restaurants

FOOD FERVOUR

64 Bricks & Bytes

SWEETS AND SAVOURIES ARE AN INTEGRAL PART OF BENGALI CULINARYTRADITION. ANJAN CHATTERJEE TALKSABOUT THE FOOD ORIGINS IN HOWRAHAND HOOGHLY

AN EXPLOSIONOF VARIETY

SWEET BENGAL

GALLERY OF INITIATIVES

66 Bricks & Bytes

Irene.Saha@timesgroup.com

Atreat for the eyes, food for the soul and thebest stress-buster ever, there is hardly any-thing more rejuvenating than travelling.

Howrah-Hooghly belt stands out with its offerings ofnatural beauty, historical monuments and religioussites. Here’s taking a look at a few prominent ones:

PANITRAS-SAMTABERIt is the home place of the immortal Bengali novelistSarat Chandra Chattopadhyay. His two-storied house,at Panitras, is a museum now. It was here that he cre-ated some of his masterpieces like Abhagir Swarga,Bamuner Meye, Ram er Sumati, Mahesh, Srikanta.

INDIAN BOTANIC GARDENThe Indian Botanic Garden on about 1,000 bighas, lieson the bank of the river Hooghly just outside theMunicipal area of Howrah bordering its southernboundary line and adjoins the compound of the IIESTon the south. This green belt is considered to be thelungs of the industrial and urbanised city of Howrah.

GADIARAA popular picnic spot in Howrah district, Gadiara is atthe confluence of the Hooghly and Rupnarayan rivers.The ruins of Fort Mornington Point built by Lord Clive,and the lighthouse are prominent attractions there.

BELUR MATHBelur Math is the headquarters of the RamakrishnaMath and Mission, founded by Swami Vivekananda, achief disciple of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. On thewest bank of Hooghly river at Belur, it is a place of pilgrimage for people from all over the world professing different religious faiths.

KAMARPUKURComing to Hooghly, Kamarpukur is renowned all overthe world as the birthplace of Sri Ramakrishna and isfrequented by lakhs of visitors every year. Devoteesvisit Kamarpukur not only to pay their homage but alsoto get spiritually elevated.

GURAPNandadulal Temple, an aatchala temple with triple-arched entrance porch, and fully decorated facade,stands within a large temple complex. It was built in1751 by Ramdeb Nag. A more famous scion of thisfamily is Keshab Chandra Nag, whose Bengali mathematics books is a must for students.

GUPTIPARAGuptipara in Chinsurah is known for its terracotta temples. The temples here have a unique architecture— thatched hut-shaped structures with terracotta carvings, the unique aatchala temple with colourfulpaintings and ekratna or single pinnacled temples.

68 Bricks & Bytes

QUICK GETAWAYS

FROM LAKES POPULAR WITH

MIGRATORY BIRDSAND PICNICKERS TO

HOUSES OFRENOWNED

NOVELISTS ANDPLACES OF

PILGRIMAGESTHROWN IN, THE

HOWRAH-HOOGHLYBELT IS A HOTSPOT

OF TOURIST DESTINATIONS

TRAVEL TREAT

70 Bricks & Bytes

Howrah is not my birth place; it is the place which hasnursed me. We had come to Howrah a few years beforethe World War II from Banagram, the land of Pather

Panchali, and it really gives me a lot of pleasure at this fag end ofmy life to think how upon reaching it, I unknowingly became aminiscule part of this much maligned place.

We were fine amidst the lush greenery of Banagram. But then,one day Ma said, we were all moving to Kolkata. The reasonsbehind were best known to Baba. Once we disembarked atSealdah Station, Baba hired a horse carriage and we started trotting along Harrison Road with our luggage. We graduallyreached the periphery of the city, but the journey did not end.Then we started crossing the river onto the other side westwardover a bridge and carried on.

Initially, I thought it was a mistake on part of the coachman,but then I got to know that we were on the way to Howrah, ournew abode.

The first sight was saddening. Bihari Chakraborty Lane inHowrah is extremely congested, and on top of that our house wasat a dead end. It was easy to enter, but difficult to come out.

An accomplished lawyer from Banagram had come here insearch of greener pastures. The entire life of Baba is full of

mistakes. Once a teacher at Hindu School, a successful playwrightat Kohinoor Theatre, close to Girish Ghosh, in fact his first book isdedicated to him, cleared his BSc and BN, it is still unclear whysuch a person would reach Banagram and start practising law.

Banagram lost its importance much later and the jurisdiction oflocal court became smaller. Pursuit of higher earnings drove Babaaway from Banagram into the unknown territory of Howrah.

I was a bit too mature for my age, and would eavesdrop into hisconversations with his clients and friends. Baba used to lament tothem about his entire life being full of mistakes. It was a mistaketo go to Banagram, and maybe it is again a mistake to come toHowrah, because Howrah is no good either. Why? What is the mistake now? Baba used to tell them, “Amulyadhan Babu came asa judge to Banagram. He used to love me a lot, and used to askme why I was not shifting to a bigger court. Then one day he gottransferred as a District Judge. We met at Sealdah later, and heasked me to come to Kolkata. I told him that it is not possible topractise law with so many responsibilities to fulfil. He said he hasan opportunity to employ someone as a receiver of an estate of azamindar, and if I moved fast and enrolled myself in Howrah Court,it would take care of ` 100 to ` 150 each month.”

Baba carried on, “I thought that there was no difference

HOWRAHHERE WE COME…HOWRAH

72 Bricks & Bytes

between Howrah and Kolkata, and hence, I quickly reachedHowrah Court. As it is, the job of a receiver was rare. On enquiring, I got to know, that job was already assigned to anotherHaripada lawyer. When Judge Saheb enquired, his office let usknow that it was their mistake. They were confused between theHari with the moustache and the Hari without it…”

The clean shaven Hari turned out to be a real gentleman. Hereturned the job of the receiver, my moustached father Haripada.With an assured income of ` 150 a month, my father started hisnew life at Howrah on the western bank of the Ganges. Thoughpeople from a distance know Howrah as a part of Kolkata, noth-ing could be farther from the truth. It took me a while too tounderstand that there is a heaven and hell difference betweenthe two places. While visiting relatives’ place, they would jokearound, “Oh, Howrah? So when is the bridge opening today?Finish off your dinner early and return fast…”

And then we lived and grew up in Howrah for the next many years…

Howrah was referred to by many names then — ‘As good asVaranasi’, ‘Birmingham of Bengal’… Birmingham, I heard, was amassive industrial city in England. Howrah was at par withBirmingham then. Later it came to be known as the ‘Sheffield ofBengal’, the second largest industrial city of the British Empire.The productivity of the citizens was indeed the reason behindthis. But still, the ill fame of the middle class was not to be gottenrid of so easily. The middle class Bengali lacked cooperationbetween the head and the hand. I still do not know for sure whywe left Banagram, the land of Pather Panchali and the IchhamatiRiver, for Howrah. Nor is it clear still, why Baba, HaripadaMukhopadhyay, came to this land full of mistakes in search of hisfortune. Ma used to explain to us later that the scope of work asa lawyer decreased there as the jurisdiction was reduced.

The ill fame of the city of Howrah, and narrow bye lane of

Chowdhury Bagan was depressing indeed. There was no comparison between this place and our lush green Banagram. Iwas not a kind of person who would question why one had tocome to Howrah leaving that place. Even the famed HowrahBridge had not come into being then. In its place was this strangebridge across the river, which opened up from both sides to letmedium sized steamers pass by.

There is no place in this city if you do not use your brain. To thestudents in our school who were weak in English and Bengali, theteachers used to suggest employment in one of the factories inBelilious Road. No one was scared of rustication, in fact a few ofthem mustered up the courage to leave and join the factorieswhere their family members worked, and started earning. And therest would dream of the day when, if at all it comes, they wouldbe able to join some merchant office of Kolkata as a clerk.

Bengalis then were quite influential in the factories of thisindustrial town. Varying in size and capacity, some of these factories were as huge as Burn Standard, while some others were much smaller, but all were prosperous and used to supplytheir products regularly to the bigger factories.

Howrah was also named ‘Coolie Town’. People from far andwide, without any knowledge of Bengali, used to come in hugenumbers and flock to the jute mills and factories of the city. They too gradually built their own cultural coterie within the city. It wasnot only the Hindi speaking community, but also fortune seekersfrom Andhra Pradesh and other south Indian states who camedown, who had no complaints against anyone, but only a desireto live on…

This city, however, is much older than Kolkata. While the latteris over three centuries old, the history of Howrah dates back totwo centuries further. The farsighted officials of the East IndiaCompany were rarely wrong in their decisions. However, in theface of the sudden attack from the Marathas in the night, theychose Kolkata on the eastern bank of the Ganges as their hideout,building a temporary bridge over the Ganges, thereby segregatingit from the mainland of India. If they stuck to their initial plan,Uluberia of today would be Kolkata, thereby being a part of themainland of the country, and not requiring bridges or boats toferry across. As per planning experts, Howrah would naturally bethe capital of Bengal, and not this swampy Kolkata.

It is said, that no one could correct this mistake for a long time. Even covering up wetlands to build Salt Lake was not fruitful, and Howrah went on to become the hub of industries, jutemills, yards and several types of factories, as well as a place ofresidence for the less affluent.

It was amidst these less affluent that there was a possibility ofbeing successful in industries and trade. Hence, affluence seepedinto the Dey, Das, Daw, Dalui families during the World War II, whowanted their next generation to study and become educated.Beside them, there was the so-called outsider middle class, whocame in search of a new lease of life. Moreover, there were theoffended Mukherjee, Banerjee, Bose, Ghose, Mitter families wholeft Kolkata as a mark of their protest against the injustice andmisrule of Maharaja Nandakumar, and crossed the Ganges to

HOWRAH WAS ALSO NAMED ‘COOLIETOWN’. PEOPLE FROM FAR AND WIDE,

WITHOUT ANY KNOWLEDGE OF BENGALI,USED TO COME IN HUGE NUMBERS AND

FLOCK TO THE JUTE MILLS AND FACTORIESOF THE CITY. THEY TOO GRADUALLY BUILT

THEIR OWN CULTURAL COTERIE WITHINTHE CITY. FORTUNE SEEKERS FROM SOUTHINDIAN STATES ALSO CAME. THEY HAD NOCOMPLAINTS AGAINST ANYONE, BUT ONLY

A DESIRE TO LIVE ON…

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settle down on the west coast in Howrah.People complain about the narrow roads of Howrah being unfit

for cars. Historians reply that these roads were built much beforethe advent of motor cars. Kolkata is indeed lucky in this regard.

Moreover, we used to hear that though the children of Howrahstudy in local schools, their colleges and job places are almostalways in Kolkata, where they have to walk down, or cross theriver by the ferry, or spend a couple of hours each day in trafficjams along the road. Hence, the 24-hour day reduces to 22 hoursautomatically, and no one keeps track of the undue expenses onfuel. There is no one to worry about these; Howrah continues toremain ill-treated.

Everyone mocks Howrah, but not a single soul thinks of improving the living standards of its citizens. Let Howrah remainneglected, we all are there to be concerned about the bettermentof Kolkata. Neither has Howrah had a single minister since ShailaMukherjee, nor does any minister of prime importance set his orher foot in Howrah unless compelled to, worrying about thewastage of time in traffic jams. The irritated senior citizens ofHowrah, Kasundia and Salkia have always prayed that an important minister should get stuck in Howrah for a couple of days— only then would they realise! There has been no one to feel forHowrah over the last 500 years, and there would probably be noneto do so over the next 500 years as well.

As a result, the inevitable happened. Those who had the foresight moved to Kolkata given the first opportunity. Non-resi-dent citizens of Howrah got lost in the crowds of Kolkata and therest of the country forever.

But still, it is surprising to see that many accomplished peoplefrom Howrah could not forget their roots, and have felt a strangeunspoken attachment to the city. According to them, Howrahretains its pride of place despite the deterioration all around.

Otherwise, why would Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, the mostfamous Indian novelist, settle down in Ghonadanga and Shibpur inHowrah on his return from Burma? Even before him, why did oneof the most popular poets of Bengal start writing in Howrah itself?Despite all its shortcomings, thinking of the centuries to come,why did Swami Vivekananda choose Belur to set up Belur Mathwith aid from a foreigner lady, rather than in the vicinity of theDakshineshwar temple? Later, why did the British set up therenowned engineering college in Shibpur, Howrah? How is Howrahthe home to the largest banyan tree in the world? Why is theHowrah Bridge the best known landmark of Kolkata?

And, the Howrah lovers dream on. They take tremendous pridein Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, homeopath BholanathChakraborty, Dr R L Dutta, Panchanan Chatterjee, Sheetal Ghosh,Suniti Chattopadhyay (who grew up in Howrah), Professor Hejoda(Asit Bandyopadhyay), the vice chancellor of Visva BharatiUniversity Nimai Sadhan Basu and so many more such names, allof whom belong to Howrah. Incidentally, the name of yours truly too comes up in that list. It is in Howrah that I burned mymidnight lamp for days on end to write my novel Chowringhee,which has been so well appreciated by my readers around theglobe. And of course, this list remains incomplete without a mention of Shankari Prasad Basu, the foremost researcher onRamkrishna and Vivekananda.

When have narrow and broken roads, congested lanes, shutdown factories and lack of affluence been able to stand in the wayof love and humanity?

There was one regret though — lack of recognition. Here, thesilent success has come very recently. Where is the capital ofBengal now? I express my heartfelt thanks to Mamata Didi. Turningdown the centuries’ old allurement of pride and prestige of theWriters’ Building, today the name which silently makes Howrahproud is Nabanna.

It is not a hush-hush anymore. Proving the British wrong, it istime to return to Howrah once more. The first bridge connectingHowrah to Kolkata was named after Swami Vivekananda, the second one after Nivedita, the third one after Rabindranath andthe last one after Vidyasagar. It is indeed a pleasure to watch anew Howrah being born on the western bank of the Ganges, thenew emerging city which fills the heart with wonder.

For those who are still averse or shy towards this rebuilt ren-aissance, it is the ‘West Bank’ to them. This new city has indeedattracted a lot of love and attention in recent times. Maybe a daywill come when people would discuss this metamorphosis ofHowrah into the West Bank, and talk about the five centuries oftears and perseverance which went behind this transformation ofa caterpillar into a butterfly.

Howrah Nabanna and West Bank will emerge victorious for sure.Maybe it is time to rectify the mistake committed by an official ofthe East India Company of yesteryears, who belittled the westbank of the Ganges.

Mani Shankar Mukherjee, better known by his pen nameShankar, is an acclaimed Bengali writer

Translation: Subhajit BhattacharyyaEditorial assistance: Sourabh Ghosh

HOWRAH RETAINS ITS PRIDE OF PLACEDESPITE THE DETERIORATION AROUND.

OTHERWISE, WHY WOULD SARAT CHANDRACHATTOPADHYAY SETTLE DOWN IN

GHONADANGA AND SHIBPUR IN HOWRAHON HIS RETURN FROM BURMA? DESPITE

ALL ITS SHORTCOMINGS, THINKING OF THECENTURIES TO COME, WHY DID SWAMIJICHOOSE BELUR TO SET UP BELUR MATH

WITH AID FROM A FOREIGNER LADY,RATHER THAN IN THE VICINITY OF

DAKSHINESHWAR TEMPLE?

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LT ELEVATORS

LT Group of Companies, a name synonymous with engineeringexcellence in vertical mobility, is now the fastest growing technology company in eastern India. The 2 lakh sqft automatedmanufacturing facilities in Mahestala has given it an edge overother multinationals.

Over the past 22 years, LT has become one of the most crucialpartners of the real estate industry. Its tested, certified elevators,multi-level car parking’s and escalators have ensured value creation at every step. LT Group is one of India’s largest indigenouselevator manufacturers, and the largest indigenous multi-levelparking manufacturer. A 2 lakh sqft manufacturing setup, which isresponsible for producing nearly 80% of an elevator and a car parking units in house, is where the company has started its journey. Technology-intensive assembly lines with the latest automated machinery ensure that each product is rolled out witha mission to add a certain amount of value and a sense comfort.

TAKING THESERVICEWAY TOSUCCESS

TAKING THESERVICEWAY TOSUCCESSOVER THE PAST 22 YEARS, THE ELEVATORSEGMENT OF LT GROUP OF COMPANIESHAS GAINED THE REPUTATION OF BEING THE MOST TRUSTED PARTNER

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LT is the only medium scale enterprise with a coun-trywide presence catering to all segments.Engineering being its forte, it is the only Indian eleva-tor company to be working on high rise, high speedprojects. The company takes great pride in puttingIndian engineering on the global map. Fuelled by itsdrive for customer satisfaction across the value chain,it believes in zero contractual work, thus achieving thestatus of the only Indian vertical transport company tobelieve in total in-house support, ensuring the bridgebetween expectations and delivery.

Slowly and steadily, over the past 22 years its elevator segment has gained the reputation of beingthe most trusted partner. The ideology of base levelmanufacturing and zero contractual work has helped

it achieve and sustain its goals. Today, it is the onlyIndian company to be self manufacturing and workingin a project like a G+32. Client commitment has helpedit become people’s trusted choice and the singlelargest vendor for low-income and mid-income hous-ing projects. The brand revolutionised the way goodswere being carried in the factories and now severalindustries solely rely on it no matter where they planto expand. Step by step, winning and then maintaining

the client trust, today it is the most preferred elevatorpartners of West Bengal.

The year 2017 saw LT Park Smart. It had two primaryobjectives. First, was to be able to manufacture thebest quality hydraulic and mechanical parking’s. Upuntil LT started its manufacturing process, the parkingindustry was primarily dependent up on dealers andchannel partners. Thus, adding huge dealership costs.So, it set its secondary target around the same lines —to eliminate dealers from the market.

In three years, the company has not only achievedits primary targets but has also been fortunate to beassociated with the biggest builders in the best of theprojects across the city. It is now in the process ofmaking the first ever robotic parking system manufac-turing facility which will be ready by early 2021. Thiswill not just create major value to domestic buyers butalso be a great achievement for West Bengal.

LT is also the best value proposition when it comesto escalators. Apart from major government buying,leading retail chains like Reliance, Max, Spencers,Pantaloons and many more also associate with it.

It did not take the people there much time to realisethat service is what governs this industry. Despite nocontractual work policy and high manufacturing standards, regular preventive maintenance has beenthe secret ingredient in success. It has the largestservice network across Bengal with most pocketsbeing older than 10 years. Howrah and Hooghly booststhree pockets with in-house engineers and sparesensuring immediate response. The company hasinstalled and maintains more than 1,500 elevators inthe region, and around 3,500 across Bengal. Service isa culture which should be inculcated at the beginningfor a healthy lifespan.

THERE IS NO GREATER RESOURCE THAN OURPEOPLE. IT IS AN EXCITING TIME IN THE VERTICAL TRANSPORT INDUSTRY AND WITHOUR EXTRAORDINARY COLLECTIVE TALENT,EXPERIENCE DEDICATION AND VISION, WE ARE SETTING BENCHMARKS

ARVIND GUPTA, DIRECTOR,LT Group of Companies

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NK REALTORS

W est Bengal, particularly Kolkata andits suburbs, is fast emerging as oneof the major warehousing and logis-

tics markets in India. According to sources,deals worth ` 500-700 crore are in differentstages of discussions, or being inked. Another ` 4,300 crore of investments in warehousingand logistics sector is expected by 2022.

Kolkata is a major warehousing hub, servingthe primary requirements of eastern India. Itsstrategic location and well-connected transportcorridors enable it to serve the consumptionneeds of the nearby catchment areas. Howrahand Hooghly are emerging as ideal destinationsfor logistics and industrial hubs.

THE GROWTH DRIVERSLocational Advantage: Delhi Road, Old DelhiRoad and Bombay Road areas are around 30-40km from the city and pass through the two dis-tricts. These places are also well connected tothe north Indian states as well as other easternand north eastern ones.

Howrah is connected through railway androad ways with key areas for the developmentof logistics parks at Dankuni, Durgapur, OldDelhi Road, Tajpur, Malda and Siliguri. The sectoris labour-intensive with industries and factorieslike Skipper, Oriplast, Raunaq, Patton, ITC,Ambuja Cement, Bisk Farm, etc being operativethere. NH 16, through Chamrail, Dhulagarh ,

TRANSFORMINGWITH RISING DEMAND FORWAREHOUSING SPACES INPERIPHERAL KOLKATA, HOWRAHAND HOOGHLY ARE EMERGING AS MAJOR LOGISTICS ANDINDUSTRIAL HUBS

LOGISTICS &INDUSTRIAL HUBS IN HOOGHLY-HOWRAH

EXISTINGSouth City Anmol Infra Park Aarjavv Industrial Park Srijan Industrial Logistic Park LynqManas Flour MillMaa Ambe Warehousing Saraogi Logistic Park Express Industrial Park Sankrail Industrial Park Jangalpur Jalan Complex Ganesh Complex (Panchla) Aarna ProjectsBD Castings Warehouse Park

UP COMINGDiamond Logistics Park (Dankuni)Shyam Business Park (Dankuni)PRO Space (Old Delhi Road)Narmada Warehousing (Old Delhi Road)ESR Warehousing Park (Uluberia)Jalan Industrial Complex (Bagnan & Amta)Ganesh Complex (Amta)Venkatesh Park (Panchla)

Sankrail, Uluberia, Bagnan (Mumbai andChennai connecting corridor), linksKharagpur, Haldia, Jamshedpur,Bhubaneswar etc within 12 hours travel.Hooghly: The district of Hooghly was oncean industrial hub of West Bengal. The districtoffers the best opportunities for develop-ment of logistics parks and industries due toits advantage of raw materials, skilled andunskilled labour, easy finance, power, prox-imity to Kolkata and a congenial atmos-phere. Haldiram Bhujiawala, Lux Industries,Bengal Beverages, Ultratech Cement,Celebrity Breweries, IFB Agro, SAIL, RedCow, Himadri Chemical, Anmol Stainless,Utkarsh Industries, Mother Dairy,Hindusthan Engineering & Industries, etcare operational on NH 2 and Old Delhi Road.NH 19, through Dankuni, Singur (Delhi andLucknow connecting corridor), connectsDurgapur, Asansol ,Dhanbad, Bokaro, Ranchiand Patna within 12 hours travel time.Moreover, Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port,Kolkata (erstwhile Kolkata Port), on theHooghly river, is India’s oldest operatingport and sole major riverine port.

IMPLEMENTATION OF GSTWith the government’s thrust on setting upindustrial corridors and the rollout of GST,the demand for warehousing spaces hasrapidly surged in the peripheral warehous-ing clusters of Kolkata in the past few yearsas a result of which both Howrah andHooghly are developing as major logisticsand industrial hub.

E-COMMERCE & LOGISTICSThe penetration of digitisation has wit-nessed the blossoming of click and buymodel and triggered larger warehousedemand. e-commerce has created multi-source channels for vendors, even smallsized ones. With intense competition in thee-commerce segment and emphasis on fastdelivery of products, the distribution chan-nel has been put under immense pressurein all major logistics.

FAVOURABLE GOVT POLICYFavourable demographics, strategic loca-tion and improving business environmenthave boosted foreign investment inflows inWest Bengal. To enhance its FDI potential,the state has undertaken several initiatives.

Team NK Realtors

STORAGE SOLUTIONS

THIN

KSTO

CK

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In the short run, the real estate industry witnessed slowsales and demands due to no site visits and prevalent economic condition. However, the market has bounced

back with a surge in demand among the middle income andupper middle income groups who do not own properties. Thenormalisation post lockdown is having a positive effect in themarket. Home buyers have realised that living in an ownedhouse has benefits which cannot be compared to staying in a

rented accommodation. The market has definitely picked upmuch sooner than was expected, and the demand for mid segment and affordable housing will be massive.

Residential real estate would see a huge growth as withinterest rate at the lowest level, buying a property would beseen as an investment with the highest ROI. Addressing freshrequirement with new design elements induced in new proj-ects is the need of the hour for the issues faced during thelockdown. After staying at homes, witnessing the erosion invaluations in the stock market, bonds, lower rate of fixeddeposits, many have realised the value of good home which

brings happiness and appreciates in the long term.For NRIs, perhaps, it is one of the best times when home

loan is cheaper and rupee as a currency is also weak againsttheir earnings in stronger foreign currencies. Due to the com-bined effects of big disruptions like WB-Hira and GST, there hadbeen consolidation and reduction in new launches since thelast two years. Estimates suggest that in West Bengal, each ofthe years 2018 and 2019, saw projects with total supply ofabout 9000 units launched against estimated annual absorbing capacity of 15000 units, thereby resulting reductionof unsold ready inventory.

Post-Covid, even more consolidation is likely to happen andwith fewer developers and projects. Prices have already started increasing.

A GOOD DEVELOPER IS A PRIORITYThe customers are well informed and careful in selecting theirbuilder. Before taking a decision, one will prudently check thetrack record of builder, in respect of timely delivery with prom-ised quality. With prices being stable for last few years acrossall the projects, customer’s priority is to select a good builderfirst and prices have become secondary.

Customers will prefer affordable 2BHKs or 3BHKs becausethese are budget-friendly options. Many customers will preferlittle bigger units with an extra room or to put a couple ofstudy table for WFH and also online classes of children. Homefinance requirements will grow as even cash rich customerswill rather opt for a home loan to buy a home to get incometax benefit. For bigger families staying in comparatively small-er units, they will want either to upgrade to a bigger unit ormake nuclear families. The demand for 1 BHK flats will be low.3BHKs will score as they provide ample space for social dis-tancing, work/ study from home options and quarantine provi-sions if required. The prices in Bengal have not increased sincethe three to four years, whereas construction cost has risen by5-6% every year, leaving hardly any margins for developers.

PEOPLE WANT TO HAVE THEIR OWN HOMES.THERE IS MORE REQUIREMENT FOR APARTMENTS IN A COMPLEX WHERE CUSTOMERS CAN GET OPEN SPACE, GARDENS,AND AMENITIES WHICH WILL MAKE THEIRWORK FROM HOME OR STAY FROM HOMEMUCH MORE ENJOYABLESushil Mohta, chairman,Merlin Group of Companies

ONCE THIS PANDEMIC IS OVER, THERE WILLBE MORE CONSOLIDATION WITH FEWERDEVELOPERS AND LIMITED NUMBER OFPROJECTS; PRICES TOO WILL GO UP

MERLIN GROUP

SURGE IN SURGE INDEMAND

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Established in 1963, Panasonic LifeSolutions India (formerly AnchorElectricals), is a wholly-owned sub-

sidiary of Panasonic Corporation. It is oneof the leading manufacturers of electricalconstruction materials with presenceacross India. Its sales and operating profitare steadily growing and it concluded lastfinancial year with net sales of nearly ` 34billion. The company has about 35 domes-tic offices and 9,500 employees.

The company’s seven manufacturingunits at four locations in India are manufac-turing electrical appliances products, syn-onymous with quality. The company offersa wide spectrum of electrical solutions inconsumer products ranging from wires &cables, lighting, solar power, wiring devices,switchgears, infrastructure and indoor airquality (IAQ).

ADVANCED PRODUCTSPanasonic Life Solutions India is constantlyworking towards making and deliveringinteroperable solutions for customers. The

company has been associated with variousopen protocols like KNX, Zigbee, Bluetooth,Bacnet, Modbus, DALI, etc for its massiverange of product categories. The companyis not only creating value additions throughtechnologically advances products but isalso progressively working towards launch-ing a new range of products.In the smart home automation category,they have two types of product series —one, which includes India’s largest range ofsmart doorbells, smart plugs, connectedwater heaters and switches under the‘MirAIe’ &Vetaar platform, which will sooninclude smoke and gas sensors, motionsensors and IP Camera for monitoring, andsecond KNX – Thea IQ Home AutomationSystems. Panasonic Life Solutions India iscontinuously developing its range of auto-mated solutions, products and manufac-tures systems in line with KNX, which isassisting residential and commercial prop-erty owners to adhere to the social dis-tancing norms and ensure almost near zerouse of common contact points.

In addition to this, the company has alsolaunched a new series of Smart Digital byRoma. This series enables one to controland operate things irrespective of one’slocation. They also have a range of newadvanced automation products — BlackNova, Multipurpose Switch, Smart LightingSolutions, EV Charging, EnergyManagement System, and a range of mod-ular kitchen solutions.

PRODUCTS FOR BUILDERSThere is also a complete range of productsfrom electrical building materials, appli-ances, security devices to automation for abuilder. For this, they have developedVetaar - IOT range of products in which thecompany has intelligent feather touchswitches that will sync with the wiringdevice products, intelligent plugs, sensors,and MirAie platform.The company offers acomplete range of wiring protectiondevices (switch gears), wires and cables,cable management system, indoor air qual-ity and lighting.

PANASONIC LIFE SOLUTIONS INDIA STANDS OUT WITH ITS OFFERING OF A WIDE RANGE OF ENERGY SAVING AND SUSTAINABLE ELECTRICAL DEVICES

BOND WITH THE BEST

PANASONIC LIFE

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CREDAI HOWRAH HOOGHLY MANAGING COMMITTEE

RAM RATAN CHAUDHARYchairman

M/s Panchdeep Constructions Ltd

RAJ KUMAR JAISWALvice-chairman

M/s Ritesh Industries Private Ltd

TAMAL GHOSALpresident

M/s TCG Projects Private Ltd

JATAN PAREKHvice-president

M/s Parakh Projects Private Ltd

SAMARJIT MONDALvice-president

M/s Mondal ConstructionCompany Ltd

SATYEN SANGHVIsecretary

M/s Merlin Projects Ltd

BIJAY KUMAR SINGHassistant secretary

M/s Bcon Nirman PrivateLimited

ALOK AGARWALassistant secretary

M/s The Hooghly Flour MillsCompany Ltd

PRAMOD CHAUDHARYtreasurer

M/s South City Projects(Kolkata) Ltd

ASHOK KUMAR JAISWAL

G.C.J Infraworld LLP

SANJAY KUMAR BERIWAL

Usha Griha Nirman Pvt Ltd

PRABHAT SINGH

Skipper Housing Pvt Ltd

NIKHIL SHAHBajrangbali Builders

SUBRATA MUKHERJEEDona Construction & Projects

Pvt Ltd

RAHUL AGARWALKSS Construction Pvt Ltd

SURENDRA AGARWALKSS Construction Pvt Ltd

KESHAV KUMAR GUPTA

Bengal GHG Nirman Pvt Ltd

ASIS MUKHERJEE

Balaji HousingDevelopers

RITESH JAISWAL

Shri Vinayak LandOwners Pvt Ltd

OM PRAKASH BHARTIAArti Ganga Constructions

Pvt. Ltd.

DEBAPRIYA SINHASinha Builders

2019-2021

KAPIL KAPOOR

Administrator

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YOUTH WINGAt CHH, the emphasis is on suc-cessful implementation/ installa-tion of SWP facilities, attainmentof IGBC certification and promo-tion of tree plantation. NikhilShah with the support of histeam looks into the same, alongwith other CSR-related activities.

MEMBERSHIP DEVELOPMENT ANDSERVICE COMMITTEE (HOOGHLY)

The role of CHH is tobuild a strong networkof builders and devel-opers and to ensuretransparency in busi-ness operations.Subrata Mukherjeeand Asis Mukherjee

are committed to the cause of value additionby creating professional contacts, bringing innew members and by fostering a strong andsolid bond amongst the existing members.

THE SUB-COMMITTEE

LEGAL & STATUTORYCOMMITTEEThe managing committee ofCREDAI Howrah-Hooghly(CHH) is in charge of all legaland statutory compliances.This committee is headed

by Jatan Parakh, CA, CS and a respecteddeveloper in the real estate industry.

Jatan Parekhconvenor

GRIEVANCE CELLThe objective of this cell hasbeen to provide satisfactorysolutions to the grievancesof home buyers, out of thecourt. By virtue of the com-bined efforts made bySanjay Kr Beriwal and JatanParakh to settle misunder-standings between buildersand customers in an amica-ble manner, CHH has beensuccessful in accomplishingits goal of resolving all the cases undertaken so far.

Jatan Parekhmember

Sanjay KrBeriwalconvenor

EXHIBITION& MAGAZINECOMMITTEEThis committee, man-aged by Alok Agarwal,Ritesh Jaiswal, NikhilShah and AsisMukherjee addressesthe various challengesfaced by buyers whilechoosing their dreamhomes. From bringingtogether a variety ofapartments under one

umbrella to segregating themaccording to different preferences, viz. location,size, budget, etc, the role of this committee is toprovide a seamless experience to buyers duringthe selection procedure.

Alok Agarwalconvenor

Ritesh Jaiswaljoint convenor Nikhil Shah

member

This committeeworks towardsgathering real timeinformation per-taining to theindustry and pre-senting it to vari-ous stakeholders.Managed by RiteshJaiswal, with thesupport of AlokAgarwal and NikhilShah, the commit-tee also showcas-es the variousactivities undertak-en by CHH at regular intervals.

Alok Agarwaljoint convenor

Ritesh Jaiswalconvenor

Nikhil Shahmember

MEMBERSHIP DEVELOPMENTAND SERVICE COMMITTEE(HOWRAH)

The role of CHH is to build astrong network of buildersand developers and to ensure transparency in busi-ness operations. PrabhatSingh and Debapriya Sinhaare committed to the causeof value addition by creatingprofessional contacts, bring-ing in new members and byfostering a strong and solidbond amongst the existingmembers.

Debapriya Sinhaco-convenor

Prabhat Singhconvenor

Prabhat Singhconvenor

SubrataMukherjeeconvenor

AsisMukherjeeco-convenor

Rohan Ajitsariamember

Shreya Mukherjeemember

Utkaarsh Modymember

Rahul Agarwalmember

Surendra Agarwalco-convenor

Ritesh Jaiswalmember

Alok Agarwalmember

CCCM COMMITTEEThis committeeheaded bySurendra Agarwaland Nikhil Shahhas been tryingto motivate thedeveloper com-munity, Resident Welfare

Associations (RWAs), the local civic bodies,etc to incorporate the laws of waste management not by force but by choice.It also conducts tree plantation drives tohelp reduce air pollution.

Nikhil Shahconvenor

SurendraAgarwalconvenor

Nikhil Shahmember

LABOUR WELFARE AND SKILLDEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE

At the Skilling andLabour WelfareCommittee, the aim isto train unskilled ormoderately-skilledworkers to maximisethe output of theirpotential. Health

screening camps sponsored by members helpkeep a check on their wellbeing. Rahul Agarwaland Utkaarsh Mody jointly handle the initiatives.

MEDIA CELLThis cell is responsible for allmedia liaison and coordination,regarding the various activitiesand collaborations undertaken by CHH. Administered by PrabhatKr Singh, the cell is a very proactive division.

RahulAgarwalconvenor

UtkaarshMody

member

Asis Mukherjeeco-convenor

(Hooghly)

MARKETING & WEBSITE COMMITTEE

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CREDAI Howrah-Hooghly chapter is an offshoot of CREDAI Bengal. While CREDAI Bengalpromotes Bengal as a significant investment des-tination, works with other CREDAI chapters toexchange best practices and helps grow the realestate sector in Eastern India, CREDAI Howrah-Hooghly focuses on the Howrah-Hooghly belt. Itendeavours to change the skyline of this region,commensurate with Howrah’s status as the twincity of Kolkata.

The Youth-Wing of Credai Howrah-Hooghly ishighly devoted to ensure Credai National’s goalsare taken ahead with respect to its flagship activ-ities like Credai Clean City Movement (CCCM),Kalpavriksha, Skilling, Health camp, Labour wel-fare and many more. All these movements tendto benefit society at large besides rejuvenating Mother Nature.

CREDAI Howrah-Hooghly is the bridge of com-munication between developers and consumersin this part of the state and works at crediblerelationship-building between industry and gov-ernment in this belt. It also holds sessions toenable knowledge sharing between its memberdevelopers and ensures there is transparentcommunication between industry and customer.The aim of CREDAI is to make the real estateindustry more organised and progressive under asingle umbrella by working closely with all thestakeholders involved — government represen-tatives, policy makers, investors, finance compa-nies, consumers, and real estate professionals.

The author is convener, Youth Wing,CREDAI Howrah-Hooghly

THE AIM OF THEYOUTH WING IS TO

ENHANCE THE IMAGE OF CREDAI

HOWRAH-HOOGHLYTHROUGH A SLEW

OF INITIATIVES,INFORMS

NIKHIL SHAH

WINNINGTOGETHER

THE YOUTH WING

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Project Name Location No of Blocks and Flats Completion Date Developer Contact Details Registration No

Essence Shibpur Blocks: 4 363 Flats: 30th June,2024 Periwal Constructions LLP Dinesh Sharma HIRA/P/HOW/2019/000502 6289229185

Vinayak River Links Bandaghat 71 Flats End 2022 Jai Vinayak 7003999494 HIRA/P/HOW/2018/000087

Balaji Residency Benaras Road 5 Blocks, 119 flats September 2021 Shree Balaji Constructions 98300 34852 HIRA/P/HOW/2019/000569

Ganges Sky Shibpur Phase I : 2 Blocks, April 2022 Kanhaiya Realtors Pvt Ltd 8017595009 HIRA/P/HOW/2019/000568 128 Flats

Merlin Waterfront Shibpur 4 Towers Ready to Move Merlin Group 033 71262617 HIRA/P/HOW/2018/000066(B + G + 12), 264 Flats

Ananda Dhara 49, Laxmi Narayan, 3 Blocks, 35 Flats Ready to Move M/s Technicians Guild Pvt Ltd Tapan Kumar Banerjee HIRA/P/HOW/2018/000273Tala Road, 9674329222

Ananya 18, College Road, 12 Flats Ready to Move M/s Technicians Guild Pvt Ltd Tapan Kumar Banerjee HIRA/P/HOW/2018/000263Howrah 9674329222

Basudha Apartment Rajnikanta 2 Blocks, 25 Flats Ready to Move M/s Technicians Guild Pvt Ltd Tapan Kumar Banerjee HIRA/P/HOW/2018/000271Roy Chowdhury Lane 9674329222

PROJECTS OF HOWRAH

BALAJI RESIDENCY MERLIN WATERFRONTESSENCE GANGES SKYVINAYAK RIVER LINKS

PROJECTS OF HOWRAH Project Name Location No of Blocks and Flats Completion Date Developer Registration No

Tathastu Golabari, Howrah 60 Flats 30.09.2024 Raj Conclave Pvt Ltd HIRA/P/HOW/2020/000833

Betor Heights Phase - II Chatterjeehatt Howrah 15 Flats 30.09.2023 Amarnath Construction HIRA/P/HOW/2019/000641

Akchat Laxmi Garden Jetia Road Howrah 89 Flats 31.05.2019 M/s Bengal GHG Developers Pvt Ltd HIRA/P/HOW/2019/000585

Laxmi - Aquaspace Shibpur, Howrah 76 Flats 30.06.2020 M/s Bengal GHG Developers Pvt Ltd HIRA/P/HOW/2019/000589

Riya Manbhari Greens Phase-II Amta Road, Howrah 99 Flats 30.09.2022 Riya Manbhari Projects LLP HIRA/P/HOW/2 019/000382

Swarna Bhoomi Amta Road, Howrah 276 Flats 30.04.2021 Belmont Enclave HIRA/P/HOW/2018/000077

Ganges Divya Phase - I Bally, Howrah 138 Flats 30.12.2022 Ganges Gardens Realtors Pvt Ltd HIRA/P/HOW/2019/000559

Domjur Pride Domjur 25 Flats 30.03.2020 Jalan Builders Pvt Ltd HIRA/P/HOW/2018/000215

Nidhivan Shibpur, Howrah 30 Flats 31.07.2020 Vasavi Infrastructure Projects Ltd HIRA/P/HOW/2019/000364

Jagannaath Villa Bally,Howrah 42 Flats 28.02.2022 T. B. Construction Pvt Ltd HIRA/P/HOW/2019 /000514

Sinha's Radhika Apartment Howrah 96 Flats 31.12.2022 Skyland Merchants Pvt Ltd HIRA/P/HOW/2019/000640

Project Name Location No of Blocks and Flats Completion Date Developer Registration No

N.B.Griha Pravesh Bally, Howrah Residential - 32 Units 31.12.2024 N.B.Highrise HIRA/P/HOW/2020/000868Commercial - 17 Units

Suvami Apartment Liluah, Howrah 19 Flats 29.05.2024 TLB Group HIRA/P/HOW/2020/000749

Mangalmurti Enclave Liluah, Howrah 107 Flats 31.12.2023 Mangalmurti Developers PvLtd HIRA/P/HOW/2019/000733

Ankur Market Domjur, Howrah Commercial - 490 Units 31.12.2023 Ankur Nirman Pvt Ltd HIRA/P/HOW/2019/000627

Shyam Tower Belilious Road, Howrah Residential - 41Units 28.12.2023 Shree Shyam Developer HIRA/P/HOW/2020/000871Commercial - 6 Units

Regent Lake View Andul, Mouri, Howrah 121 Flats 09.09.2023 RDB Realty & Infrastructure Limited HIRA/P/HOW/2018/000206

Oxford Andul Road, Howrah 92 Flats 31.12.2022 Ever Blink Hi Rise Pvt Ltd HIRA/P/HOW/2020/000775

PROJECTS OF HOWRAH

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Project Name Location No of Blocks and Flats Completion Date Developer Registration No

New Megha Tower Bagnan 45 Flats 23.12.2022 New Megha Towers HIRA/P/HOW/2020/000810

Mahadev Enclave Howrah 80 flats 06.02.2022 Mahadev Udyog HIRA/P/HOW/2020/000910

The Gulmohar Heights Howrah 23 Flats 31.12.2021 Panchmahal Projects Pvt Ltd HIRA/P/HOW/ 2020/000771

Paavan Central Golabari 40 Flats 31.07.2021 Bajaj Realcon Pvt Ltd HIRA/P/HOW/2019/000695

Amrit Tower 1 Bally Jagachha 28 Flats 31.03.2021 East India Realty HIRA/P/HOW/2019/000558

Amrit Tower 2 Bally 24 Flats 30.06.2022 East India Realty HIRA/P/HOW/2020/000762

Asha Mangal Tower Shibpur 49 Flats 31.03.2021 Mangla Gauri Consultants HIRA/P/HOW/2020/000750

Joyville Howrah Tower - A1 Salap 152 Flats 30.06.2020 Joyville Shapoorji Housing Private Limited HIRA/P/HOW/2018/000165

Joyville Howrah Tower - A2 Salap 152 Flats 31.12.2020 Joyville Shapoorji Housing Private Limited HIRA/P/HOW/2018/000281

Joyville Howrah Tower - Salap 240 Flats 30.06.2020 Joyville Shapoorji Housing Private Limited HIRA/P/HOW/2018/000164B6 - B7City Garden Mandirtalla Shibpur 75 Flats 31.12.2020 Paramount Apartments Pvt Ltd HIRA/P/HOW/2019/000638

Green House Apartment 5 Bally 49 Flats 31.12.2020 W B Estate Developers HIRA/P/HOW/2019/000586

Bally Imperia Bally 50 Flats 31.03.2020 BG Group HIRA/P/HOW/2018/000101

Twin Towers Golabari 109 Flats 31.03.2020 Bhawani Group HIRA/P/HOW/2019/000435

Twin Towers - II Golabari 23 Flats 31.05.2021 Bhawani Group HIRA/P/HOW/2020/001038

Rash Behari Residency Malipanchghora 8 Flats 30.09.2023 Tarak Nath Saroj HIRA/P/HOW/2020/001027

Sridham Howrah 14 Flats 31.03.2021 Maa Bhabatarini Realtor Pvt Ltd HIRA/P/HOW/2020/001025

Srishti Niwas Block - C Uluberia 9 Flats 31.12.2021 Maa Bhabatarini Realtor Pvt Ltd HIRA/P/HOW/2020/000924

N B Rail View Liluah 73 Flats 09.12.2019 Sayan Biswas HIRA/P/HOW/2019/000717

PROJECTS OF HOWRAH

NEW KOLKATA SANGAM VINAYAK GOLDEN ACRESMERLIN GANGOTRI PHASE-1 UNIMARK RIVIERA GANGETICA

Project Name Location No of Blocks and Flats Completion Date Developer Contact Details Registration No

New Kolkata Sangam Serampore 4 Towers & 1070 Apts. December 2024 Alcove Developers LLP Kuntal Raha HIRA/P/HOO/ 2019/000635in 1st Phase 9038383464

Merlin Gangotri Phase - I Uttarpara 4 Towers G +11 31.12.2021 Merlin Group 033 7126 2617 HIRA/P/HOO/2018/000083

Unimark Rivera Uttarpara 4 Towers Dec 2020 Unimark Group 9831494000 HIRA/P/H00/2018/0000248

Vinayak Golden Acres Konnagar 8 Blocks,500 Flats 2023 Jai Vinayak Group 7003999494 HIRA/P/H00/2018/000046

Gangetica Chandannagar 2 Blocks 146 Flats Ready to Move PGE Homes LLP 9830559555

PROJECTS OF HOOGHLY

CHH Members Non CHH Members Source: WB Hira Website

Pinnacle

Crest

96 Bricks & Bytes

Project Name Location No of Blocks and Flats Completion Date Developer Registration No

Solaris City Serampore Phase - I Serampore 1921 Flats 16.11.2022 Eden Infrabuild Pvt Ltd HIRA/P/HOO/2018/000157

Solaris City Serampore - II Serampore 2412 Flats 12.10.2023 Eden Infrabuild Pvt Ltd HIRA/P/HOO/2018/000207

Solaris Mall Serampore Commercial Unit-53 16.11.2025 Eden Infrabuild Pvt Ltd HIRA/P/HOO/2018/000205

Sridhar Vihar Serampore 296 Flats 31.12.2022 Pushpalki RealtyPvt Ltd HIRA/P/HOO/2019/000578

Avilash Chandannagar 42 Flats 04.04.2022 Balaji Housing Developer HIRA/P/HOO/2020/000838

Puja Ganges Bhadreswar 288 Flats 31.03.2021 Ganges Garden Realtors Pvt Ltd HIRA/P/HOO/2018/000663

Urban Lakes phase 1 Serampore 560 Flats 01.04.2025 Sugam Homes HIRA/P/HOO/2020/000906

Project Name Location No of Blocks and Flats Completion Date Developer Registration No

Sunshine One Konnagar 1192 Flats 31.03.2023 SPL Estates Pvt Ltd HIRA/P/HOO/ 2019/000654

Pratistha Exotica Serampore 100 Flats Gangotri Builcon Pvt Ltd HIRA/P/HOO/ 2019/000436

Grand One Serampore 2343 Flats 31.12.2022 Bengal Shriram Hitech HIRA/P/HOO/ 2018/000005

Shyam Tower Howrah Residential - 41 & Commercial - 06 28.12.2023 Shree Shyam Developers HIRA/P/HOW/2020/000871

Aurobindo Apartment Serampore 15 Flats 31.03.2022 Roychowdhury Developers HIRA/P/HOO/ 2019/000349

Pvt. Ltd.

Om Skycity Phase - I Serampore 310 Flats 31.03.2022 Prasad Castings & Buildcon LLP HIRA/P/HOO/ 2019/000353

D.C.B. Complex Singur Grampanchayat 1 53 Flats 31.12.2021 Loknath Developers Pvt. Ltd HIRA/P/HOO/ 2019/000572

Rittika 8 Rishra 32 Flats 30.12.2021 Anumans Constructions Pvt Ltd HIRA/P/HOO/ 2020/000813

Shaonli Chandannagar 8 Flats 06.11.2021 Supreme Udyog HIRA/P/HOO/ 2020/000782

Chandana Apartment Kailash Nagar Mohalla 14 Flats 09.10.2021 Raj Kumar Mishra HIRA/P/HOO/ 2019/000475

Elina Tower Phase - II Chinsura 30.09.2021 Satyam Construction Pvt Ltd. HIRA/P/HOO/ 2020/000948

Matangee Abason Serampore 7 Flats 12.09.2021 Treenayani Developer HIRA/P/HOO/2020/000804

Sabuj Swapno Chandannagar 15 Flats 29.07.2021 Digital Commosales LLP HIRA/P/HOO/ 2019/000605

Uttarayan Chinsura 32 Flats 13.06.2021 East Hooghly Construction HIRA/P/HOO/ 2019/000460

North Brook City Bhadreswar 598 Flats 31.05.2021 Northbrook Jute Co. Ltd. HIRA/P/HOO/ 2019/000367

Elina Tower Phase - I Chinsurah 15 Flats 31.12.2020 Satyam Construction P. Ltd. HIRA/P/HOO/ 2019/000473

Madhuban Galaxia Uttarpara Residential - 58 & commercial - 13 30.09.2020 Krishna Infracom HIRA/P/HOO/2019/000316

South Point Chinsurah Residential - 35 & commercial - 6 30.09.2020 Supreme Consortium HIRA/P/HOO/2018/000296

Jai Hanuman Riverside Hindmotor 104 Flats 30.06.2020 Jai Hanuman Projects P. Ltd. HIRA/P/HOO/2019/000378

Arista Chandannagar 39 05.11.2020 Ithemba Developments Ltd. HIRA/P/HOO/2019/000666

Signum Parkwoods Estate Bhadreswar 212 Flats 30.04.2020 Aristo Infra Developers LLP HIRA/P/HOO/2019/000227

KRITTIKA 7 Serampore 12 Flats 31.03.2020 G S Construction HIRA/P/HOO/ 2019/000466

K C Das Real Estate Chinsura Residential - 15 & commercial - 3 26.08.2019 Debasish Das HIRA/P/HOO/ 2019/000760

Aster Shree Gardens Serampore Residential - 164 & commercial - 4 23.03.2019 Aster Vinimay P Ltd. HIRA/P/HOO/ 2019/000457

PROJECTS OF HOOGHLY

PROJECTS OF HOOGHLY

City Pvt. Ltd.

CHH Members Non CHH Members Source: W B Hira Website