Will self-sufficient townships push Dombivli realty?

Dombivli real estate profile is slowly but steadily moving from only small and mid-segment developers to integrated townships by leading builders. These townships are spread over hundreds of acres and offer amenities such as club house, gymnasium, kids’ play area, community hall, a water body and all features of gated townships.

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“The new development happening in Dombivli is of international standard, inspired by Hong Kong and Singapore where a township is more of a district which has schools, grocery shops, malls and administrative offices in the same complex,” says Rajendra Chauhan, owner, Real Estate Investment Advisory, a property consultancy currently operational in Navi Mumbai.

 “I am looking for a property in Dombivli for good returns. We are a little confused as Dombivli is highly congested and we have heard there is scarcity of water and electricity. Please advice.” asks Alka Garde, on Open House*

*Open House is a discussion forum on Magicbricks.

Till now, Dombivli was perceived as a densely populated suburb of Mumbai, which faces water crises and poor civic and social infrastructure. However, the authorities have a different point of view. “Dombivli does not face any water shortage and is self sufficient for the next 20 years,” says RK Sonawane, commissioner, Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation.

Self-sufficient townships

Lack of basic amenities in the area has encouraged developers to come up with integrated community plans, which will provide all these facilities inside the township. Inspite of all this, traveling to the ‘island city’ will still be a challenge. “The local trains are crowded till Dombivli, as most of the commuters get down here only. Hence, it becomes difficult for a daily traveler to cope with the jam-packed trains especially during peak hours,” adds Chauhan.

Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Transport buses ply between Kalyan-Thane and Kalyan-Navi Mumbai, passing through Dombivli. However, because of less frequency and heavy traffic over various nodes in Thane, not many people prefer to take this option. Experts believe that the proposed Ring Road can bring some relief to the daily commuters as it will ease travel hassles between Navi Mumbai, Mumbai and Thane.

In fact, a few years back the Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA) had planned another ‘Bandra-Kurla Complex’ for Dombivli, which has still not taken off due to approvals pending by the state government. The idea was to bring a ‘Business Growth Centre’ (as named by MMRDA) to Dombivli to invite industries here and provide opportunities to professionals so they don’t have to travel to Mumbai for work.

“Even if the MMRDA’s planned business centre here may take time, a private SEZ in Ghansoli, which is 40 minutes away, is already operational which is also driving real estate in Dombivli because of affordable property values,” says Ramu Shinde, owner, EHC Realtors.

Real estate scenario

According to Magicbricks data, Dombivli has numerous ready-to-move-in and under-construction units, in the budget range of Rs 1-1.5 crore. Most of the township projects are in the initial launch phase and offer 2 and 3BHK flats in a price range of Rs 45-80 lakh. Several small scale projects will be offering possession later this year, hence, impacting the total supply available in the area and giving investment options to investors.

Surbhi Gupta, Magicbricks.com Bureau

Surbhi Gupta is a real estate correspondent in Magicbricks’ editorial team with the flair of analysing the industry trends and scenario.

You can reach us at editor@magicbricks.com for further queries, feedback and comment.