Developers hit a ‘new’ idea to hardsell projects

“Going by an advertisement,I travelled all the way to the New Prahladnagar,which happens to be near Gota. I was expecting similar amenities like malls,shopping complexes and a cosmopolitan crowd. But I was shocked to discover it was not even a replica of posh Prahladnagar that it claimed to be. Even basic civic amenities were not available in that area,” says Thakker,a city-based marketing executive.

So there is an official Ahmedabad,where roads and localities are christened by the municipal corporation,and there is the one by the developers,who market their schemes by renaming their locations,like this one.

Over the past decade,Ahmedabad has seen addresses like New CG Road,New SG Road,New Ranip,New Satellite and New Prahladnagar cropping up.

While the moniker might spur interested enquires,the localities carrying the “new” prefix are nothing more than marketing gimmicks by builders trying to hardsell an area.

Pramit Parikh,director of Parikh Real Estate Management Pvt Ltd,says,“Developer Gala Safal gave Bopal,which was an average area. The name Gala SoBo Centre worked because it signifies South Bopal and gave the psychological effect of the plush South Bombay,an address to die for. This ensured 3,500-odd apartments being sold in a matter of three years. Another example is that of Bakeri Group renaming Makarba as New Prahladnagar,which took away the effect of it having been in the proximity of a riot-affected area.”

The bizarre bit about this renaming is that many of these new areas are too far from their old namesakes. For instance,New CG Road is 13 km from the C G Road.

“Builders like to come to a location which they know is under the corporation’s purview and will be developed. Development happens only when there is space,which is the case with Kali ward where the name New Ranip saw an influx of builders. We are currently developing the water network for New Ranip and providing an overbridge for the GST railway crossing. In two years,we are confident of providing all civic amenities in this area,” says Poonam Bajpai,corporator from Kali ward under which New Ranip falls.

Municipal Commissioner Guruprasad Mohapatra,however,says the “new” prefix is just a marketing gimmick. “Places that spring up like these are just claims made by builders who want to make their properties look attractive. It is not illegal to market an area,but it has to be backed up by civic amenities which we provide. The builder should show a realistic picture of what amenities will come up and what won’t.”

“These names are completely misleading as they are not in records. While we look to identifying newer areas and are preparing town planning schemes,naming them after popular areas is not our job,” said Neelaben Munshi,senior town Planner at AUDA.

“As long the ‘new’ areas are within 10 kms of the locality it’s named after and comes under the corporation’s limits,I don’t see anything wrong with marketing it. AUDA is coming up with the infrastructure to make New Prahladnagar an upmarket residential and commercial centre. New Ranip is also among newer areas being developed by the AMC,” said Rakesh B Patel,owner of Bhavya Buildcon,which is coming up with two projects in New Ranip and New Prahladnagar.

An aspirational moniker does elicit an enquiry,says Pravin Bavadiya,president of Ahmedabad Realtors Association. “Builders definitely play a significant role in deciding names of areas. While the civic body does have a legal system of naming areas,it is the developers which popularise an area and makes it a viable investment.”

The newborn,their parents

CG Road (Navrangpura area)

New CG Road: Chandkheda -Gandhinagar Road (Chandkheda area)

SG Road: Sarkhej-Gandhinagar Road New SG Road: Chandlodiya area (Near Nirma university en route Gandhinagar)

Prahladnagar: New Prahladnagar (Gota village)

Satellite (adjoining Drive-in area): New Satellite (at Vejalpur near Sarkhej)

Bopal: New Bopal (Ghuma village)

Ranip (adjoining Sabarmati): New Ranip (Kali village)

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