Building India Real Rich: A Visionary’s 30-Year Journey in Sustainable Development

By Dr Atul Goel
Managing Director, Goel Ganga Group
Pune, 12th November 2024: It’s been 30 years since I started my journey of Building with Real Rich. While I am a Civil Engineer by education, the foundations of my practical knowledge are built on the experiences I gathered working on our construction sites, understanding ground realities and learning to build not merely projects but communities from ground up. My dream has always been about making India Real Rich, which means, working towards making my nation wealthy and abundant in a truly sustainable way.

To me, real estate transcends bricks and mortar; it is about building a nation by changing its skylines and improving its infrastructure. As I always say, “Real estate is everything.” Indeed! It is the most important part of urbanization. From schools, hospitals, shopping malls, building complexes to highways, overbridges etc., every aspect of urbanization is real estate. Real estate, when we see the big picture, is about community building. Good real estate brings people together and empowers them to thrive.

When I had started my journey, real estate in India was in its nascent stage. The industry as a whole was unorganised. But we were determined to change that. In 1997, Goel Ganga Group implemented ISO 9001. We became the first construction company in India to be certified for quality management and later for environment management. This helped us in delivering Real Rich happiness to everyone – customers, associates, employees and indeed the cities that we worked in.

As I delved into the intricacies of real estate development, I witnessed how cities evolve. Take Pune, for instance. It has evolved from a pensioner’s paradise to a thriving city in mere decades. And at the core of this transformation lies real estate.

But then, Pune has a unique character that embodies both the beauty of well-planned spaces and the chaos of unplanned developments. On one hand, we have thriving areas like Kharadi and Wakad, bustling with modern infrastructure and greenery that cater to our urban lifestyle. These places represent an ideal vision of urban living, reflecting the progress of our nation. Yet, just a stone’s throw away, many parts of Pune reveal a different reality. Here, unplanned growth has led to narrow lanes, overcrowding, and insufficient basic amenities.

This duality not only illustrates Pune’s evolution but also highlights the broader challenges we face as urban dwellers. Balancing rapid development with sustainable planning is an ongoing process, one that profoundly affects our day-to-day lives and shapes the future of our cities and, by extension, our nation.

Living in unplanned areas can significantly impact our quality of life. The frustration of navigating through traffic congestion becomes a daily ritual, while overcrowded public spaces and inadequate infrastructure often leave us feeling disconnected from our community. There’s a hidden cost to this chaos—our mental well-being can suffer in environments that lack harmony and order. Additionally, the environmental implications are striking; pollution levels soar, and green spaces dwindle, robbing us of nature’s calming influence. It is essential to encompass more than just the physical layout of roads and buildings. Effective urban design should create spaces that encourage interaction and promote well-being among residents, reinforcing the social fabric that binds us together as a nation.

Read More Here: https://dreamspersqftmagazine.in/2024/10/volume3-issuuee2