Neighbourhood Watch: Ghodbunder Road & Pokhran Road
The residential areas of Ghodbunder Road and Pokhran Road are far from the hustle and bustle of Thane. These localities together have become a residential hub, transforming a wooded area into an integrated, self-sustaining township.
Ghodbunder Road is a 20-km long road that connects Eastern Express Highway and Western Express Highway to the national highway to Gujarat. The road connects Thane to many parts of the central suburb of Mumbai. Navi Mumbai is also well-connected to these areas. Ghodbunder Road's proximity to Bhiwandi and its seclusion from the busiest parts of Thane makes it an attractive residential area.
Pokhran Road is another developing area in Thane with many expensive residential properties. Both roads are close to emerging commercial developments like the MGM IT park.
So, what attracts home buyers and real estate developers to these two area?
Connectivity: Both Ghodbunder and Pokhran Road areas are connected to the city by roadways and railways. The monorail project, too, will strengthen the transportation network in this area.
Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) is building new infrastructure projects connecting Pokhran Road No 1 to Pokhran Road No 2.
Entertainment: Among the central suburbs, Thane is known as the entertainment district. This upcoming real estate area has many malls including the famous Korum Mall, Lake City Mall, Hyper City, Wonder Mall, and a few well-known boutique stores.
Moreover, this area is green, with many hills and amusement parks across the Suraj Water Park.
Educational Institutions: Ghodbunder Road and Pokhran Road will soon have some reputed educational institutions that cater to the needs of the growing population. Some of the yet-to-be-functional education institutions include Singhania School, Hiranandani Foundation School, Saraswati Vidyalaya and EuroSchool. Ghodbunder Road already has engineering colleges like Parshvanath College of Engineering, New Horizon Institute of Technology and Mucchala Polytechnic.
Hospitals & Banks: Pokhran Road has many well-known hospitals including Bethany Hospital, Prachi Maternity, and Kelkar Hospital. The Jupiter Multi-speciality hospital is on Ghodbunder. Hiranandani Group, too, will launch hospitals there.
Leading banks like Axis Bank, State Bank of India, Saraswat Bank, Ratnakar Bank, Bank of Baroda, State Bank of Hyderabad and Development Credit Bank have branches in these areas.
Real estate development: Ghodbunder Road has been a hot real estate market since it was developed a decade ago. Lodha, Kalpataru and Hiranandani Group have built projects here. Many important residential developents are in the pipeline here, like Vijay Residency, Haware Citi and Dosti Imperia.
There are over 250 properties, including under construction and ready to move in flats, in Ghodbunder Road. These residential properties are priced highly. For instance, a 2BHK apartment in this area costs anywhere between Rs 70-86 lakh though amenities are basic. A 3BHK apartment in Ghodbunder Road with amenities like tennis court and gymnasium would cost over Rs 1.2 crore.
Pokhran Road too has projects built by reputed builders like Godrej Properties, Rahejas, and Kalpataru Housing. There are many premium apartments in Pokhran Road. So, the the prices are higher too. A 2BHK apartment in Pokhran Road costs around Rs 80 lakhs while the price of a 3BHK in Pokhran Road can cost as high as Rs 2.2-3 crore depending on the area of the flat.
So, if you are keen on buying an apartment in an area far from the city without compromising on amenities, Ghodbunder Road and Pokhran Road of Thane are the place to be.
(Katya Naidu has been working as a business journalist for the last nine years, and has covered beats across banking, pharma, healthcare, telecom, technology, power, infrastructure, shipping and commodities)