Builders woo buyers to parched B'lore North with luxury amenities

Twenty-six-year-old Bhavana and her husband Sandeep (30), both IT professionals, have been on the hunt for a flat in the northern part of the City for the last six to eight months.

But after all the search, they have not been able to find their dream house, courtesy the challenge to find a flat where there are no water supply problems.

There is no dearth of projects in the northern side of the City as both big and small builders have been coming up with townships to provide residential projects with tech as well as business parks. Yet, providing drinking water remains a big challenge.

Most builders, however, are confident it would be the least bothersome of the problems. They are banking on rain water harvesting (RWH), water conservation besides utilising the water available in nearby catchment areas and storage tanks.
Regardless of the water woes, the builders who are coming up with big projects around the Bengaluru International Airport (BIA) are wooing the prospective buyers with luxurious features — swimming pools, shopping complexes, sports facilities, gymnasium and cycling tracks.

Pricing

A decent two-BHK flat by a reputed builder is priced between Rs 45 lakh and Rs 55 lakh, depending on the facilities and the location. Upmarket builders charge Rs 60 lakh and above for the same, with probably a few more facilities. The builders, in fact, claim the demand for two- and three-BHK flats is increasing, as compared with just plots.

The government, so far, has only decided to supply treated water around Devanahalli and the BWSSB will use the reverse osmosis process to purify the water. BWSSB officials caution that water supply has been approved only till BIA. If builders claim to supply water beyond BIA, prospective buyers should take it with a pinch of salt, they add.

Earlier, the BWSSB had said that supplying water to Devanahalli would be difficult. The BWSSB would need to lay 20 km of pipeline to take Cauvery water to Devanahalli.

Common problem

Devaiah, Assistant General Manager at QVC Reality Co, which is coming up with villas near Devanahalli, said, “Those about to retire or return to Bangalore are making purchases near BIA because they want to keep away from the madness and hustle and bustle of the City. Although water supply is a common problem for entire Bangalore, we have taken care to deal with it through RWH and water storage facilities. So, we should not have any problems.”

Suresh Shari, the honorary secretary of Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Association of India (Credai), said that water problem was common in the City’s northern parts.

With the recent hike in water cess on apartment buildings and heavy reliance on tankers, maintenance charges will be increased further. “Prospective buyers will naturally think twice before deciding to purchase a flat,” another realtor said.

Paying a little extra

According to Suresh, a real estate agent, the demand for flats is by working couples having offices in northern part of the City. Many of them do not mind paying a little extra to get drinking water even if it means ordering a tanker, he added.

In the last three years, the BBMP permitted the construction of 2,553 apartment complexes with 26,342 flats. The BWSSB can issue an NOC if the builder fulfills as many as 24 conditions, including sewage treatment plant for apartment complexes comprising more than 100 housing units and also RWH for all units.