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Rajarhat offers open spaces, wide roads and planned development—a welcome break from the congested Kolkata
With its gleaming buildings and wide roads, Rajarhat was the monument to the liberal turn the Left Front government in West Bengal was taking in the early 2000s. A double of the old satellite town of Salt Lake City, it was planned from scratch to decongest Kolkata.
Away from the chaos of Kolkata, Rajarhat has attracted buyers despite problems with water and power supply. “It’s closely comparable to Gurgaon in north India and Andheri in west India, and is perhaps the most attractive zone in the entire state,” says Rishi Jain, executive director of the Jain Group.
Nandu Belani of the Belani Group agrees: “There are many reasons for this. It is affordable and a wellplanned area. One could say it’s a township planned with the future in mind. It is expected to do for Kolkata what Gurgaon did for Delhi.” Jain says its proximity to the airport is another reason for its appeal. “Data confirms that real estate close to airports, with good infrastructure and connectivity with the main city, develops fast,” he says.
Notable residential projects here include Uniworld City by Unitech, New Town Heights by DLF, Hiland Woods and Hiland Willows by the Hiland Group. Eco-Space by Ambuja and Casadona by Mani Group are a couple of upcoming commercial projects.
Retail destinations include City Centre II, Axis Mall and DLF Galleria. “With hotels like Westin and Novotel coming up soon, and the metro construction already on, it has become a favourable location,” says Pawan Agarwal, director of NK Realtors. The price of homes can vary from Rs 3,000 to Rs 5,000 per sq ft.
Sudarshana Gangulee, senior GM of Mani Group, says Rajarhat, which is also known as New Town, is a sure winner. “New Town has convenient approach to the international and domestic airports. And once the Park Circus-E.M. Bypass flyover is complete, it would take less than 15 minutes to reach it from the centre of Kolkata,” she says. “The area still needs more development of infrastructure, such as well-lit roads and better water supply,” says Jitendra Khaitan, CMD of Pioneer Property Management. However, he says such development has already occurred in many zones.
Rajarhat has many parks, including the Eco Tourism Park over 480 acres. Delhi Public School has already started functioning here and IIT- Kharagpur is expected to open a centre here soon. While it already has Tata Medical Centre, Shankar Nethralaya eye hospital is expected to be functional soon. The three malls and two upcoming hotels are also reason why prices are going up.
With Kolkata already bursting at the seams, suburban development indeed has a great future. Rajarhat may not be the ideal escape from the heat and dust of Kolkata, but it certainly promises a well planned alternative to the chaotic city.