KMP, progress in slow motion

It was supposed to connect India's four busiest national highways. But seven years after the project was first conceived, the 135-km-long Kundli-Manesar-Palwal (KMP) Expressway is stuck up in a blame-game between the concessionaire and the HSIIDC. Also known as Western Peripheral Expressway, the KMP corridor passes through Palwal, Faridabad, Mewat, Gurgaon, Rohtak, Jhajjar and Sonepat districts.

The project has been delayed by more than two years following which the Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Corporation (HSIIDC) cracked whip on the concessionaire.

After the HSIIDC served a notice to the concessionaire, a blame game  ensued between it and concessionaire.
 The ambitious Rs. 1,915 crore project was allotted to KMP Expressway Ltd on November 14, 2005 on build-operate-transfer (BOT) basis with completion time of July 29, 2009.
Even two aerial surveys by Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, first on July 10, 2008 and second on December 21, 2010, could not speed up the work on this project.
"The delay is not because of the fault on part of the concessionaire. Rather, the fault lies on part of the HSIIDC which has not acquired land to hand over to the concessionaire till date," said a spokesperson of the concessionaire.
According to the concessionaire, the HSIIDC has to acquire as much as 67 acres of land between Palwal and Manesar since most of the problematic areas are somewhere close to Sonepat.
"Besides land acquisition, change of scope in the project is another reason that has caused the delay.
The HSIIDC has agreed in principle to act accordingly," said the spokesperson.
The HSIIDC, on the other hand, has vehemently refuted the allegations of the concessionaire. It says it will impose a heavy penalty on the concessionaire for the delay, besides putting more restrictive measures.
"We will take all possible steps to tighten the noose around the concessionaire. A committee is taking care of the matter. May be in a week we will come clear on action against the concessionaire," said Rajiv Arora, MD, HSIIDC.
Till date, work on only 48 km of the 135 km stretch has been completed. The stretch is ready to become operational. The work on the rest of the road is still in progress.
"If the land acquisition issue had not cropped up, the stretch would have been covered up to the maximum level," said the concessionaire.
According to the government, had it invoked the penalty in July 2009, the concessionaire would have been forced to pay about Rs. 27 crore till April 2012.
(http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/Haryana/Road-to-progress-in-slow-motion/Article1-852362.aspx) 

Road Ministry considering building expressways on busy stretches

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is examining the possibility of setting up high-speed roads on routes with high vehicular traffic density, Parliament was informed today.

"The ministry is examining the feasibility of building of greenfield expressways on stretches with high vehicular traffic density on public-private-partnership mode," Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways Jitin Prasada told Rajya Sabha today.

These projects are being proposed along with appropriate development of real estate to make them viable, he said, adding that these projects are at a planning stage.

Meanwhile, the ministry is already in talks with the state governments of Delhi and Haryana for constructing two more expressways from Delhi to Jaipur and Chandigarh.

These are green field projects and expected to cut through separate routes from the existing highways.

The proposed 230 km Delhi-Jaipur expressway is likely to connect Manesar, Bawal, Kushkhera, Bhiwadi, Neemrana to the stretch for the Delhi-Mumbai industrial corridor and other national highway networks.

At present, National Highway 8 (NH-8) is the only high speed link between Delhi and Jaipur. The ministry is yet to workout the plan for Delhi-Chandigarh expressway.

(http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2012-05-03/news/31559127_1_expressways-highways-road-ministry)

Bhiwadi, a gateway of Rajasthan, is a sound alternative to Gurgaon

Today , Bhiwadi, in Rajasthan's Alwar district, has developed into a modern city. A number of industrial centres have come up in around Bhiwadi-Neemrana , Dharuhera, Khushkhera, Chopanki, Bawal, etc. 

Bhiwadi is the fastest growing industrial town on the outskirts of Delhi. A prime industrial town of the NCR and Rajasthan , Bhiwadi comprises three industrial areas: Bhiwadi, Chopanki and Khushkhera. Spread over nearly 5,300 acres, there are around 2,500 industries operating in these three places. 

Bhiwadi is located at the east end of Rajasthan in Tijara tehsil of Alwar district , 55km from the Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi, 200km form the capital Jaipur, 90km from Alwar , 40km from Gurgaon, 60km from Faridabad and 5km from NH-8 (Delhi-Jaipur highway) on the Dharuhera-Sohna Road. All in all, Bhiwadi is extremely well connected and keeps you in touch with the world without the noise and pollution of a metro city. 

The Bhiwadi sub-region is playing a major role in the economic development of Rajasthan. Spread over 3,347 acres, and an additional 3,000 acres proposed for its extension , Bhiwadi has around 2,500 tiny, small, medium, large, industries including MNC industrial units manufacturing various types of products. They include industries like steel, furnace, electronics, engineering, textiles, pharmaceuticals, printing, cables, rolling mills, food processing , herbal care, etc. 

Bhiwadi-Dharuhera , with social and physical infrastructure and civil amenities in place, have emerged as a credible alternative to Gurgaon. The real estate sector has a robust future here along the NH-8 (Delhi-Jaipur highway). 

Some of the residential colonies and housing boards include Ashiana, Konark Oasis, UIT and Bhagat Singh Colony, among others. A fairly good number of healthcare facilities, including private clinics and hospitals, nursing homes and government hospitals are located here. Shopping complexes and malls are also coming up fast. Top-notch recreation facilities like Classic Golf Course, Wet & Wild Resort, Country Club Resort and Heritage Village are in proximity too. 

Ashiana Housing Ltd has just completed Utsav Care Homes, a housing society for the elderly, in Bhiwadi. Utsav Care Homes is a pragmatic concept that provides housing, support services and personalized care for elderly people who may need help with their daily activities, hygiene and health and medication management . It is a combination of home-living with professional and customized care: an option that makes it possible for senior citizens to maintain and in fact, improve their quality of life, while getting the nursing care they need at an affordable price. 

Vishal Gupta, the managing director of Ashiana Housing Ltd, says: "Care Home is a care-oriented service for senior citizens . It has a limited aspect of the actual medical treatment, unlike a nursing home where treatment is the key. It emphasizes more on assistance in activities of daily living like eating, bathing and changing clothes, as well as recreational activities for that age group. At present, seven care homes with 14 occupants have been launched in Phase 1." 

Bhiwadi is already acquiring a name for itself as a real estate destination and competing on an equal footing with Gurgaon in this respect. Already home to over 2,500 industrial units, Bhiwadi serves as a gateway to Rajasthan. Developers who have a presence here include  Avalon, Krish, Parsvnath, MVL (real estate division), Ashiana, Jagriti Infrastructure, Kajaria, M Tech, etc. 
For more details about this region contact us.

(http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/markets/real-estate/realty-trends/bhiwadi-a-gateway-of-rajasthan-is-a-sound-alternative-to-gurgaon/articleshow/13007509.cms)

KMP corridor in Haryana to have orbital rail, tech hubs

The Kundli-Manesar-Palwal global corridor (KMP) in Haryana will have orbital railway and 12 specialized hubs including world trade, fashion, entertainment, leisure and dry ports. 

The development plan of the KMP global corridor was approved at the meeting of the State Level Committee which was chaired by Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda here today. 

The KMP Corridor passes through districts of Palwal, Faridabad, Mewat, Gurgaon, Rohtak, Jhajjar and Sonipat of the state. 

Twelve specialised hubs including world trade, fashion, entertainment, leather, leisure, education, cyber, sports, medi hub, bio-science and dry port hubs would be developed along the KMP Expressway, an official spokesman said here. 

The width of the Expressway Amenities Zone would be one kilometre and the remaining area would be kept as agriculture zone. 

As per the plan approved, the Right of Way (ROW) of Expressway would be 100 meters with green belt of 100 meters on either sides and 50 meter wide orbital rail corridor on Delhi side. 

The Committee approved the Entertainment Hub, World Trade Hub and Fashion Hub would be set up in district Gurgaon. 

The Entertainment Hub would be a technological cutting- edge entertainment sector set up over an area of 140 hectares. It would have hotels, motels, restaurants, shopping malls, multiplexes, concerts, music halls, night clubs and show theatres along with rapid transit facilities, the spokesman said.


(http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/transportation/railways/kmp-corridor-in-haryana-to-have-orbital-rail-tech-hubs/articleshow/12952613.cms)

Avalon Group to invest Rs 400 cr on four housing projects

Realty company Avalon Group will invest about Rs 400 crore over the next three years to develop four housing projects in North India.

The Gurgaon-based company is coming up with these four projects, comprising nearly 3,000 apartments, at Bhiwadi, Dharuhera and Vrindavan.

"We have launched a housing project at Dharuhera having 800 units. We have also roped in Karishma Kapoor as our brand ambassador," Avalon Director Ajay Singal said.

Avalon Group is developing two housing projects at Bhiwadi and one at Vrindavan that together have about 2,100 apartments. The company is offering these flats in a price range of Rs 10-40 lakh.

Asked about investment on these four projects, Singal said: "The total project cost will be around Rs 400 crore, which includes land cost".

The company would fund the investment through internal accruals and advances from customers, director Ankit Aggarwal said.

Avalon Group has completed one housing project at Bhiwadi & 3 projects in under construction. Company  has started delivering the other housing project in the same city in phases. All projects have about 4000 units.

Talking about expansion, Aggarwal said the company has 200 acres of land bank in Rajasthan and Haryana for future developments. 


(http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/markets/real-estate/news-/avalon-group-to-invest-rs-400-cr-on-four-housing-projects/articleshow/12920631.cms)