Lavasa

Lavasa 2010

2010-01-06T17:06:00.002+05:30

Haven't been to Lavasa for past 6 months but it's making a lot of news. It seems Lavasa has been pumping water from Khadakvasla Dam. Pune residents are suffering to support Lavasa's construction activity. Imagine what will happen when Lavasa is occupied!

Times of India has signed a private treaty with Lavasa which essentially means that no adverse report about Lavasa will be published. Expect to hear only good things. ToI is already running a huge campaign promoting Lavasa. Obviously Lavasa is a hard sell, so it needs all the publicity it can get to rope in those well heeled buyers.

Blog reader Rajaram asks me if Lavasa is worth the money. For me, no. Firstly because I don't have that kind of money and secondly for Lavasa to flourish, it has to be a living township. Which means people from all strata of society must work and live there. Lavasa is contracting out all services. Maintenance, restaurants, dry cleaners etc. which means cost of services will be artificially high. If it's not a living township, it'll be a dead place. I wonder when Lavasa will be ready for a family or a couple to make it their first home. Methinks that many years away unless one has a job in Lavasa. Even Ekant's staff live in Paud and commute daily to work. As do Lavasa office staff.

Lavasa by 2011 will be ok as a second home like many people have in Lonavala etc. Even for that you need infrastructure support. Liquor stores, groceries, vegetable vendors, eateries and so on.

Like Lonavala and Mahabaleshwar, lots of buyers will put their homes on holiday rental. The best months will be from June to Sept and then Nov - Feb. Why buy when one can rent?

I'll visit Lavasa again in the coming months and post an update. Sad to say the quality of food in Ekant has gone down considerably.

Lavasa Visit Aug 2009

2009-08-05T13:36:00.003+05:30

Looks like Hindustan Construction has finally seen the light. After hyping Lavasa as a very upper class resort, the realities of creating a township are catching up with the promoters. Lavasa is facing flak from various activists including Medha Patkar for everything from questionable land acquistion deals to diversion of water from Khadakvasala dam. These PILs are finding their way to the Supreme Court.

Be that as it may, the work at Lavasa is going on at a brisk pace with hardhats all over the site. Speaking of hardhats, portions of the roof of Hotel ITC Fortune have flown off. You'll need a hard hat visiting that hotel!

An American Diner, Waterfront Shaw has opened up in the Porto Fino lookalike promenade. Obviously they are banking on people wanting to dine on a burger looking over the water. Their service apartments are also ready. Rs. 5,000 a night. To eat at ITC Fortune, you have to book in advance.

We booked a table for 13 at Ekaant for lunch on Sun. 26th July. Always dicey booking a table when a buffet is on. We got to ours at 3.15pm and there was hardly any food left. Lots of dissatisfied people in the group. But Xavier D'Souza, the new F&B Manager and the Chef Vikram Ambike apologised profusely. Obviously the people ahead had big appetites. But the non veggies got their fill of prawn curry, a very tasty chicken and super mutton sukkha (tho it was not really very dry). The jalebis were hot but the rabadi was too much like basundi. Mindful of the bad mood of our group who felt shortchanged, Xavier took a decision which will stand his restaurant in good stead for years to come. He offered to waive the entire bill including food and drinks. We protested that while generous, it was not called for. We offered to accept a discount. Finally we settled midway. The lunch was free and we paid for the liquor.

I've always been impressed by the food served at Ekaant and this particular gesture on Xavier's part turned a bad situation into a win win for them. Had he not given the lunch free, we'd have gone back with bad memories and passed the word around. Instead, while not excusing the lack of food, we are more understanding of their difficulties. And none of the 13 would hesitate to recommend Ekaant. My advice to Xavier was that he should never accept a booking of more than 4 persons. I still think it's the best buffet in Pune.

Lavasa in it's full page ad in the 4th Aug 2009 issue of Times of India have announced apartments for rent from Rs. 500 to Rs. 3,000, sale of apartments from Rs. 5 lacs to 15 Lacs and villas from Rs. 50 lacs.

I hope all legal issues will be resolved and Lavasa will happen. If it does, it'll be the best township in India. Of that I've no doubt. It'll be the only township without garbage lying on the streets, illegal constructions, jhuggies and jhopdies, polluting industries and the other banes of urban living.

Come 2012, I look forward to moving to Lavasa.

If anyone needs a caretaker for their villa, I'm available :)

Lavasa - An animated video of the future

2008-08-08T14:47:00.013+05:30

Click here to view video

Points to note:
The villas are above street level but do not have ramps, slopes or handicapped access.

The only lady in an Indian dress is the one in a pink salwar kameez in the kitchen. The maid or the cook, perhaps? Will Lavasa have a dress code for owners and visitors?

Shankar

Lavasa - August 2008 visit

2008-08-07T20:27:00.011+05:30

I visited Lavasa earlier this week. The toll road from Chandni Chowk via Pirangut to Lavasa is well made and maintained. To avoid the narrow congested road thru Pirangut, a shortcut is available. Just after you crest the hill after Bhukum petrol pump (BP I think), take the first left turn (small shrine and a board that says RAPID). This is the Bhukum - Mutha Road and will meet up with the Pirangut Temghar road where you make a left and follow the signs to Lavasa.

The weather was great with overcast skies, slight drizzle and fog. The landscape was green as can be. Farmers covered with polythene sheets, planting paddy in muddy fields. The road was smooth and traffic very light. A bus or two, some biker guys and gals and a few cars.

Lavasa has a grand entrance complete with Nepali security staff and a barrier. Our vehicle number was supposed to have been registered for entry but was expectedly not. After a small pow wow we were allowed in.

The 6 km drive from the entrance to Ekant, the hotel was exhilarating. Visibility was down to 50ft, waterfalls roaring down the cliffs, street lights every few metres, gabions protecting the road from landslides, storm water drains, smooth road marked on the sides and the centre, viewpoints with seating areas all along. Yup, the first impression, uh, was impressive.

Their restaurant Ekant, located atop a hill overlooking Varasgoan lake and covered in mist and clouds, served us an excellent lunch buffet for Rs. 250 per head. Wine and beer was also on sale. Though the choice was limited, the quality of food and service was much better than many Pune restaurants. Ekant has rooms at Rs. 2000 per night plus 10%tax. The sucker punch is the food cost. Rs. 150 for breakfast and Rs. 250 each for lunch and dinner! On weekends the food rates are up by Rs.100 for each. If you plan to stay there, wear trousers with deeeep pockets.

After lunch we attended a presentation by Prachi of Lavasa Corporation. The basic gyan is

1. Entire project is covers 25,000 acres of which 12,500 acres are allowed to be developed. Of this 12,500 acres, only 3,750 acres can be built up (FSI 0.3). This will be done in different phases. The First phase, expected to be ready by 2011, includes a 50 bed hospital, hotels, city hub and villas.

2. The project has it's own rain fed water source which will be dammed at Dasve and overflow into Varasgoan lake. This dammed water is divided into two parts. The water flowing in from the upper area will be pumped back to maintain the waterflow in the small artificial bay. There will be pedestrian bridges, water sports etc. The boats are already in place. I expect there will be gondoliers singing romantic songs too. This area is a replica of Portofino , the internationally famous resort on the Italian Riviera near Genoa down to the building shapes and colours. I wonder if Portofino, Italy can sue Portofino, Lavasa? Talk of plagiarising movie ideas, this takes the cake.

3. This Portofino is entirely a pedestrian area with fashionable stores, bistros, cafes, restaurants etc. They, um, forgot to provide any ramps or handicapped access. So, if you have problems walking or are a mother pushing a pram, this area is out of bounds for you! It's definitely senior citizen unfriendly.

4. On top of the stores are 3 storied serviced apartments, centrally airconditioned, if you please, complete with a handkerchief sized courtyard open to the elements. A clogged drain will flood your fancy home. Why anyone would want to shut out a hill station breeze and prefer recirculated air is something I am yet to figure out. I was told by an engineer that 'Bombay people ko a/c lagta hai'. The apartments share common walls so ventilation, if you open the windows, is only from the front. Cross ventilation is not an option since the internal walls cut out the light and air. The kitchen has no window.

This entire Portofino area with serviced apartments and stores has been sold to some unnamed company in Mumbai which will manage it. All properties will be on rent and they will provide essential services like laundry, book store, supermarket, chemists etc. It will be a city without competition which always translates into high prices and poor service.

5. Lavasa's water source is the backwaters of the Dasve Dam. It will be purified at their own water treatment plant and pumped to the city. 24x7 potable water on tap could become a reality! They are also setting up a waste water and sewage treament plant for every phase. The treated water will be used for irrigation in the forest areas and the treated solid waste, till their own bio generation plant comes on stream, will be sent to Pune Municipal Corporation for treatment. I was impressed with the high quality of storm water drainage already in place. PMC can take a lesson on how to build good manhole covers.

6. It was disappointing to see no evidence of use of renewable engery - Solar, wind, hydro. biogas etc. And nothing is on the cards. This is the type of greenfield project that can set an example in utilising alternative energy. Lavasa will be fully dependent on electricity from Tata & MSEB. Keep your candles handy.

7. Property owners will have to hire maids, cooks and household help from Lavasa's own housekeeping service company at prices fixed by them.

8. Ajit Gulabchand of HCC has announced that Lavasa will impose municipal taxes. They are building a town hall which will be the adminstration hub. Who will decide on the taxes and how the interests of the residents will be protected are yet to be asked and answered.

9. All properties in Lavas will be on a 999 year lease. Transfers will attract a 2% fee. I did not ask if there is a lock in period. All buildings will be constructed by Lavasa as per the approved plan. No outside contractors. Which I think is a good thing. At least the place will be pretty and not an eyesore with flagrant violations of FSI and building laws. All those with a penchant for constructing illegal floors will be kept at bay.

In the first round, Lavasa claim to have sold 500 units - whatever that means - at Rs. 2,950 per sq.ft built up area. Allow 27% over carpet area. The next round of sales will start after 3 months. I have no details about the sizes of apartments, villas etc. They claim to have sold all their studio, 1 & 2 bedroom apartments in phase one.

10. I am quite impressed with the construction quality of the project. As a supplier to construction projects in Dubai, I know my bitumen and my cement and I can say they are doing a good job at least on the roads. The flooring of the pedestrian areas is not very good. Lots of broken paving stones etc. Maybe they'll fix them.

11. The first Fortune hotel is expected to be ready by end 2008 and they hope to attract weekend visitors, tourists, conference attendees etc. Second home buyers may be able to holiday there by end 2009 but as a place to live in, Lavasa will be ready by 2011 for residents.

More in my next blog. Readers' comments are welcome.

Lavasa - Origins and history

2008-08-07T19:37:00.003+05:30

Lavasa is a 25,000 acre development located on the banks of Varasgoan Lake in Mulshi Taluka, Pune District, Maharashtra, India at an altitude ranging from 2,000 - 3000 ft, 64 Kms south west of Pune via a toll road from Chandni Chowk exit of NH4 (Mumbai Bangalore Pune bypass) via Pirangut and Temghar Dam. Driving time from Chandni Chowk to Lavasa main entrance is about 1 hour. For driving directions see this link http://www.lavasa.com/what_is_lavasa/location.html

To see a satellite image to go http://www.wikimapia.org/#lat=18.3996101&lon=73.5082126&z=16&l=0&m=a&v=2 What is called the city hub will be the backwaters of the Dasve Dam.

To read about it's origins, check out this link http://covert.co.in/150508/sharad.htm published in the May 15, 2008 issue of Covert Magazine edited by M.J. Akbar. Sucheta Dalal has also touched on it in this article http://www.lavasa.com/what_is_lavasa/location.html

Activist Medha Patkar is also raising some dust about this project. See http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Patkar-says-Lavasa-probe-slow-plans-rally/322481/ Will this dust settle or become a storm, time will tell.

Lavasa Corporation Ltd., valued at Rs. 10,000 crores, is owned by HCC Real Estate (65%) and 35% by other promoters including Venkateshwara Hatcheries, LM Thapar's Avantha Group, Axis Bank (2.5%), Deutsche Bank, Singapore (5%) and an unnamed leading real estate developer from Pune.