With the Southern and Northern Peripheral Expressways (SPR and NPR) – and therefore projects around them - hitting roadblocks, and the Real Estate activity on the ‘favourites’ - MG Road and Golf Course Road – coming to a standstill (partly due to rates), every stakeholder is looking at Sohna Road as the next Realty destination of the Millennium City. This Road, particularly the stretch between Subhash Chowk and the Sohna Road-SPR intersection, has in recent times seen extensive residential and commercial Real Estate activity. There is good reason to believe that the road to Sohna is the new road to development. The major strength of this stretch is the mixed land use it offers - with ample residential, commercial and office space that has already been created, and in fact ready to move into. The decision by the State government to develop this Road (to start with, from Rajiv Chowk to Badshahpur) into a true Highway, with a flyover at Subhash Chowk, has added glow to this Real Estate destination. However, experts opine that if the City Administration as well as developers does not learn from the mistakes that they made on MG Road, it would not be long before this great promise is wasted. Another major issue is the lack of integration of the villages, and some on-going grouse of the villagers regarding the acquisition of their land.
Repeating history, and not learning from it, there are two concurrent stories emerging on and around Sohna Road – and on a larger scale than for other areas like MG Road or Golf Course Road. One is about this area turning into another haven for corporates and the investor community, and the other is of the villages (like Badshahpur, Islampur, Fazilpur, Medhwas, Tigra) becoming the new concrete slums for the migrant workers in their thousands. Sarika Bhatt, an Urban Transport expert, who has been living in Malibu Towne (one of the earliest developments on Sohna Road), says that this Road is ideal for transit-based development, as it offers a great mixed land usage, which is necessary for the new-urban cities like Gurgaon. “The large number of Office and Retail spaces has attracted major corporates and large format retailers, which will ensure that jobs are generated for the residents living in and around this area. Here, once the Road is developed, many people will start walking to work. This is the future”, says Bhatt. She feels that the need of the hour is to ensure that a BRT-type Corridor, with a good transport network, is set up and made available to the expected large number of commuters on this Road. Bhatt adds that service roads, green areas and parking spaces need to be created, along with walkways and paths for cyclists, to ensure that traffic remains sane on this stretch. While challenges on how to manage the traffic and the increasing commercialization will remain, Sanjay Sharma of Qubrex says that the malls, housing complexes and IT Parks on Sohna Road are well designed and have ample parking space, which will ensure that the traffic does not spill over to the Road. As per him, Sohna Road has become a major attraction for both the corporates and the migrants, because the Real Estate rates are quite ‘rational’. “Sohna Road has become a great Real Estate proposition, because it has attained a critical mass and become self-sustaining. Apartments for both the middle class as well as the high end are available on this stretch. The growth beyond Badshahpur will also be critical in transforming this area into ‘a city within a city’. The reasonable rentals - which are around Rs 50 to 60 psf - have also attracted large corporates, some of whom are wanting to shift from expensive areas like Cyber City. The newer construction, adequate parking and good connectivity with both NH8 and the Golf Course Road, have also helped change the perception,” he says. Sohna Road was viewed as ‘down-market’ not too long ago. Real Estate analysts further opine that an important factor contributing to the success of Sohna Road will be the ability of the developers here to deliver their projects on time - and with the promised facilities. Praveen Tyagi, Real Estate dealer from Badshahpur, says that Sohna Road has turned into a ‘Sona’ (Gold) Road for many builders and investors, but unless the government plans for adequate sector roads, power and water utilities, and integrates the villages, this area would not deliver on its great promise.
The decision of the Haryana Government to notify the Sohna Masterplan 2031 will also help in integrating the somewhat haphazard Real Estate development around this Road – beyond Badshahpur. A large number of developers have bought land in and around Sohna, with the hope that the proposed connectivity with the Millennium City will ensure that Sohna emerges as the top suburb of Gurgaon (like Gurgaon for Delhi). It is also being expected that Real Estate around this Road, in all directions, would become an independent, large market; the prices and absorption will not be affected by movements on SPR (aka Golf Course Extension Road) – or even NPR (aka Dwarka Expressway). The area beyond Badhshahpur, upto Sohna, could also become a hub of affordable residential space, as projects priced between 4000 to 5000 psf might be on offer soon. Pankaj Tomar, of Ishadi Real Estate, says that a great positive for this stretch (apart from the SPR) is the soon-to-be completed KMP Byepass, the proposed Metro linkage and the Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS). “The entire stretch has developers like DLF, Unitech, BPTP, Ireo, Central Park, Tata Realty, Godrej, MVL, CHD, Universal, ILD, Avlon, Parsvnath, Gold Souk, M3M, Paras, Parsvnath, Vipul, Today, Tulip and Vatika. There are homes, villages, offices and shops available at good rates, and these all will provide a big boost to realty here”, adds Tomar. The presence of a large number of schools, a couple of technical institutions and private universities, good hotels and car dealers has also added to the lure. Compared to projects around SPR, Sohna Road offers ready-to-move-in properties. The value of properties is also higher here, than in the new SPR areas.
It is because of all this that, despite the slowdown witnessed in the entire NCR (particularly Gurgaon), the stretch between Rajiv Chowk and Badshahpur has been one of the best performing areas - in terms of leasing of office space and absorption - during 2012 and 2013. Good quality offices are available on rental/lease for between Rs 60 to Rs 70 psf. A number of big names - like Convergys, Capgemini and Xerox have already set up/are setting up large offices on this Road. Sharma says that the sheer range of available office space - from 500 sq feet to 2 lakhs sq feet - has attracted a full range of occupants (from big corporates to small entrepreneurs), as also investors. Large format retailers like Easy Day, Big Bazaar, More and others have set up shop here because of a large, ‘ready’ population (living on and around this Road). In comparison, DLF Cyber City is a much more expensive option, and there is a lack of connectivity with other parts of Gurgaon - and of course the bottleneck at the Toll Plaza has proved a perennial millstone. Cyber City was, and even currently is, more suitable for inter-City transit – for people working or commuting between Delhi/Airport and Gurgaon. Experts opine that the arrival of the Rapid Metro and the development of the HUDA-DLF Road connecting Cyber City with the Golf Course Road, has saved a mass exodus (from Cyber City). The IT/BPO Sector has generally been on a down for well over a year now. An official of a company that recently moved to Sohna Road says that the presence of good residential options has helped employees cut on travel time, while the company has saved transport cost - which is a major issue in Gurgaon, particularly for the IT and IT enabled services’ organizations. Ramesh Menon, CEO, Certes Reality, says that there has been a steady supply of residential space on this stretch, which has ensured that property rates have not skyrocketed (like on the other ‘main roads’). “Now it is important to ensure that development in and around this Road takes place in an integrated manner”, he says. The Road itself is becoming (a) ‘complex’ - there is a mall, an IT Park and a huge commercial building within a stretch of a hundred meters. The State govt needs to step in now, while the Sohna Road project is under implementation, and focus on integrating the civic infrastructure – like storm water drains, sewage drains, power cables, green areas, footpaths, exits, overhead bridges…and even cycle tracks. Menon adds that there is a multiplicity of developers on this five-odd kilometers stretch, with builders having licences varying from 2 to 10 acres, with each responsible for infrastructure and facilities in its own area. “This stretch has close to 100 developers, with small and big projects,” he asserts. So it could well turn out to be a nightmare. Sarika Bhatt also opines that if a proper transport corridor is developed around this area, and civic agencies are pro-active, it could act as an effective ‘Outer Ring Road’. Alka Gurha, a columnist and long time resident on this stretch, is quite optimistic. She says that in the last one and half years the roads have been re-carpeted, streetlights are functional, there are service lanes - and malls, shopping avenues and big brands are already here. However, some residents also list a large number of negatives - such as encroachments, heavy traffic, the movement of dumpers, poor traffic management and dangerous crossings. However, Gurha still believes that if Gurgaon ever becomes the Capital of Haryana, Sohna Road will be the Parliament Street connecting to the Secretariat! She and other residents hope that the upcoming Metro route via the Golf Course Extension Road (SPR), and the road itself, would help ease the future traffic. That road would in fact be the next loop of the ‘Outer Ring Road’, connecting in multiple directions - with Golf Course Road, the new Sectors (58 to 73), Faridabad and Delhi.
A Challenge
One of the major challenges for Sohna Road, apart from the infrastructure and services, would be to integrate the large number of villages along this Road. There is also great anger among the farmers, who feel that they have been dispossessed of their ancestral land by a clique of builders, bureaucrats and politicians. Rajesh Yadav, an activist, says that a majority of the people in these villages were small farmers - with landholdings of 3 to 4 acres, which has been taken away from them at less than the market price. Simultaneously, there has been a massive increase in the residency of the villages, as migrant labour and various support staff have come to live here (because of cheaper accommodation). Tyagi, of Badshahpur, says that while a large number of commercial complexes have come up around Sohna Road, there are no jobs for the original inhabitants - as mostly migrants are preferred. The posh schools on this Road do not admit a student if he comes from a village, and parents have to take the ruse of giving a different address if they want their child admitted in these schools. The rural populace says that the government has learnt nothing, despite the debacles in the High Court - pointing to another Section 4 notice that has been issued for the acquisition of land for setting up a university near Bhondsi.
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