It is the Dwarka expressway, which is a central state initiative by the government in Gurugram, is now a microcity due to rising property prices and high-end housing segments.
On a windy, cold afternoon, a cold breeze smoots Vijender Singh’s face while he sits on the front balcony of his apartment, located on the 14th Floor of the high-rise in Gurugram’s Sector. The former Delhi official who works for the government spends much of his time together with his spouse, bathing in the winter sun’s dreary rays however, today he’s looking out towards the Dwarka expressway, an enormous federal government project that is dominating the skyline.
“It’s far more of a spectacular sight at nighttime when all the expressways and the sprawl of urban areas around it is illuminated. We moved to Rohini about four years ago and we’ve not regretted it,” he said.
The 29,5 km Dwarka expressway will link Dwarka located in Delhi and Kherki Daula in Gurugram. Its Gurugram section is expected to be officially inaugurated in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the 11th of March. The project worth Rs9,000 crore is being constructed in four parts — two in Delhi as well as two packages in Gurugram.
Based on National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) officials, about 99 percent of the work done on the Gurugram section of the expressway is completed, and around 90 percent of work on the Delhi segment is finished.
The region around the expressway is lined with high-rises as well as gated communities and luxurious condominiums. Many like Singh believe the self-contained urban sprawl to be among the most sought-after housing areas in Delhi-NCR.
Over the past five years, prices for property along the expressway have nearly tripled. Singh’s apartment of 2,800 square feet which he bought at Rs2.5 million in 2017 is appraised at more than Rs4.5 crore.
“Roads are the mainstays to human settlements a lot as rivers were in the past. They encourage residential and commercial development due to their access, connectivity, and visibility” claimed Akash Hingorani an urban designer from Delhi.
The expressway’s sectors are now the most significant micro-market for the segment of luxury homes in Delhi-NCR due to a desire from people looking for an up-to-date lifestyle, according to Ashish Rai the senior vice president of Square Yards an online real estate market that provides data-driven information.
“Over the past 10 years around 45,000 units have been built on the Dwarka expressway that runs between the sectors 99 and 115 with around 20,000-22,000 units built. The average prices for property range from 15,000 to 17,000 sq ft in the premium segment. We expect a further increase of about 10-15% once the expressway becomes operating,” he said.
A road-long delayed
In 2006 Haryana Urban Development Authority (now Haryana Urban Development Authority (since changed to the Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran or HSVP) had planned an 18-km stretch from Kherki Dhaula and Najafgarh Road as an alternative to NH-48.
Then dubbed as the Northern Peripheral Road (NPR) The project was the basis for numerous real estate ventures during the mid-2010s. In 2014, however, there was just 16.6km of the project had been completed, with construction on the key sections at Kherki Dhaula and Bajghera halted because of lawsuits.
The Haryana state government asked the Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, to take over the project and run it under NHAI. The project was later transferred to the central agency in 2017 and they decided to expand the Dwarka expressway to the Shiv Murti area near Mahipalpur within Delhi.
Challenges going forward
The project was however met with additional obstacles, such as issues with tree transplantation as well as coordination issues between the Haryana as well as Delhi governments on the acquisition of land. Then, the Prime Minister’s Office intervened in November 2018 to lead to the final transfer of the land by both states to complete the 10-km section.
The rates of property along the expressway, however, were fluctuating by the state that the highway was in. For instance, the software developer Rakesh Kapur, in 2012, purchased a house in Sector 109 for the price that was Rs8,000 per square meter, however by 2017, the price had dropped to just Rs5,000 per square foot.
The tide was turned in the year 2019 when the construction of the expressway resumed with a vengeance and led to a rise in home prices. “I thought I’d made a mistake purchasing a house near the expressway. But I was fortunate that prices have significantly increased in the last three years,” He said.
A new suburb is rising
“The need for housing in the areas adjacent to the expressway has surpassed the supply of homes, driven by its strategic location, connectivity, and the emergence of a state-of-the-art infrastructure. The expressway is now an attraction for those looking for an elegant life style that is luxurious and integrated. Of the 10,000 apartments built to Gurgaon by 2023 around 6,600 are on the expressway.” claimed Pradeep Aggarwal the chairman and founder of Signature Global (India).
Signature Global launched its first project along the Dwarka expressway in 2014 and has since completed a number of housing projects of various types. “We focus our efforts on the mid-segment, and the majority of our customers are first-time buyers who earn a salary,” Aggarwal said.
In contrast to the time of four years back, when land on both sides of the expressway were massive construction sites, today a large portion of apartment buildings are now occupied. The residents include people from Delhi seeking a break from the ever-growing congestion of the Capital and youngsters from Gurugram who are looking for a better lifestyle.
“Many societies are working in certain sectors, like 102, 108, and 109,” stated Praveen Malik, vice president for the United Association of New Gurugram which is a confederation of housing associations.
What are the plans of the authorities?
The Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) is currently working on upgrading master roads that run along the expressway, to ensure an easy commute for the residents.
The chief engineer of the body Arun Dhankhar has said that GMDA has begun work to upgrade sector 114 A external road the master sector road that connects sectors 101 and 102A, the road connecting sectors 106 and 103 as well as the master road that connects sectors 101 and 109.
“We are also planning to begin road construction along each side of the expressway together with other facilities and approval for this is expected to come soon from the State Government,” He said, stating that approximately Rs 80 crore are being allocated to master sector roads. an additional Rs95 crore is to be allocated to roads for service along the expressway.
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