Spotlight:

Northward Bound
Sonepat is emerging as the new residential destination for Delhiites after Gurgaon, Noida and Greater Noida. A part of this industrial centre in Haryana, projected within the NCR in Delhi Master Plan 2021, is perhaps poised for the kind of growth Gurgaon was before it became a bustling satellite city of the Capital.

Fifty kilometres north of Delhi in the neighbouring state of Haryana lies Sonepat, a town of great antiquity referred in the Mahabharata as one of the five ‘prasthas’ demanded by Yudhishtir from Duryodhana. Though swathed in legends, this town on the Delhi border forms one of the largest industrial zones of Haryana and is fast emerging as an excellent residential and investment destination. The area is now witnessing a spurt in real estate development with many developers and builders having launched large residential projects and others working on new plans.

Strategic location

Located in the southeast part of Haryana, Sonepat is bound by the districts of Rohtak, Jind and Panipat and shares a boundary with Meerut in Uttar Pradesh and with Delhi. This upcoming area falls in the National Capital Region and has well-developed industrial base and supportive infrastructure. It has 5,288 small-scale industrial units and 82 L.M. units. Kundli in Sonepat district is the fastest emerging satellite town in the NCR today. In fact, in the Delhi master plan 2021, Kundli is projected to be part of NCR with eight-lane proposed highway on NH-8.
,br> The area between Kundli and Sonepat town falls under a highly industrialized zone. Atlas Cycles, Hilton Rubber, Indo Asian Fusegear, ECE, Hindustan Everest Tools and Satnam Overseas are some of the well-known brands which have units here. The majority of these industrial units are concentrated on both sides of the G.T. Road. Besides industries, Sonepat also boasts of a rich agricultural base with quality rice and cash crops being cultivated in plenty. It is also the largest grower of mushroom in the country.

The increasing cost of housing in the Capital as well as the rising demand for housing has led developers and builders to look for fresh avenues for developing satellite townships. On account of strategic advantage of proximity to Delhi, Sonepat holds a bright future for entrepreneurs and developers.

Pranav Ansal, Chairman, Ansal Township & Land Development, is of the view that Sonepat has a great potential, as it is the closest suburb being developed by private developers and the location on the national highway gives it the added advantage. “What Gurgaon has done for South Delhi, Sonepat would do for north and north-west Delhi,” he adds.

According to T Chakrabarti, Head, India Property Research, the rapid development of Gurgaon does raise the question whether other areas leading out of Delhi, such as NH1 to the north and NH2 to the south-east would follow suit. Unlike NH2, which has a fair amount of ribbon and residential development, NH1, till recently, has been largely out of sight in terms of large-scale housing development.

The 300-acre TDI City of Taneja Developers, Omaxe Group’s project and a 250-acre Sushant City located five kilometre north of the Delhi border has filled the gap that was existing for long. This first large-scale development by these big developers proved to be a benchmark and it is understood that others may follow suit,” Chakrabarti adds.

Agrees Kamal Taneja, MD, Taneja Developers and Infrastructure Ltd (TDI), “With the growth of Delhi and the population explosion coupled with too much liquidity in west and north Delhi, Kundli (Sonepat) is proving to be a better residential destination than the other satellite towns. In fact, in the Delhi master plan 2021, Kundli is projected to be part of NCR with eight-lane proposed highway on NH-8.”

The metro rail, which will be touching Narela, will also be reaching Kundli in 2007. Most of the businesspersons staying in the entire north and west Delhi are looking at shifting to Kundli as this won’t affect their businesses – they have major business interest in Kundli, Sonepat and Rai. Developers who had neglected this entire area are changing their attitude. It is estimated that more than 2,500 acres of land have already been acquired by the leading developers and they are still looking for more.

According to Kunal Banerji, Sr VP (Marketing), Omaxe Construction Ltd, Sonepat is a priority area for development for Omaxe, an area that is poised for growth. Sunit Sachar, VP (Marketing), Parsvnath Developers Ltd, says, “Sonepat is the next destination north of Delhi that is going to be the hub where Delhiites would be concentrating next. With the residential settlement comes a need for commercial development. It is imperative that where people come to live they should be able to shop, find leisure and get entertained. The development of commercial activity and mall in Sonepat will also find its acceptability with the coming up of population and people settling there.”

Around 25 years ago, Gurgaon was poised at a similar position as is Sonepat today. And today’s Gurgaon is only a compliment to the visionary of yesterday. Similarly, the visionary of today will receive that compliment once Sonepat actually takes shape, Sachar adds.

Pankaj Bajaj, MD, Eldeco Infrastructure & Properties Limited, says, ”Sonepat is emerging as the latest suburb of Delhi after Gurgaon, Noida and Greater Noida. It is physically well placed to service affluent areas in north Delhi like Civil Lines and Model Town. There has been no fresh supply of quality real estate for the residents of these areas in the last many years. Now the assembly of lands for big projects in Sonepat by the leading private developers bodes well for this part of Delhi. North and north-west Delhi can grow naturally to Sonepat as it takes 20-25 minutes to reach there which is manageable by Delhi standards.”