Sahara projects dot Lucknow landscape

Lucknow city's outward appearance is going through a transformation as the projects of Sahara Infrastructure and Housing (SIH) take shape, the recent Rs 100-crore project undertaken by SIH, called "Sahara Ganj", being one.

The Sahara Ganj mall, spread over 425,000 square feet, is a five-floor building, with high-order security.

"We account almost 40,000-45,000 footfalls daily, which is a record of sorts," said Surya Vir Singh, assistant chief manager, Sahara India.

Sahara Infrastructure and Housing is bringing up a mega project called Sahara City Homes. Sahara City Homes is a chain of high-quality residential townships in 217 cities, in 21 states and two union territories.

The development of City Homes is divided into two phases. The first phase involves 102 cities including Lucknow, Guwahati, Patna, and Bangalore, while the second phase is in 115 cities.

"The A grade cites of Mumbai, Delhi, etc. are now saturated and it is now the chance of B and C grade cities to be part of the development process. Seeing this, Sahara is planning to develop the cities of Lucknow, Bhopal, Aligarh, Muaradabad, Kanpur, etc. under its City Homes plan," Singh said, while talking to Business Standard.

"We are the largest landowner in the country," he added.

Sahara City Homes in Lucknow is an integral part of this nationwide venture of SIH. Under the plan, in Lucknow an area of 200 acres has been acquired and is located on the Sitapur-Hardoi bypass, near the Indian Institute of Management.

"City Homes has a booking of over 50 per cent through internal sales, and we are confident of getting a good response," Singh said.

The booking for these houses has not yet opened. The development and possession of the houses is proposed to be completed in five years.

In the recent past, SIH has successfully developed various townships in Lucknow. Among them the prominent is the Sahara Estate in Jankipuram, where SIH has built approximately 1,900 houses, of which 70 to 80 per cent have been acquired.

The construction of 425 premium apartments of Sahara Grace is in full swing. Sahara Shopping Centre was among the first commercial projects built by Sahara Infrastructure and Housing, thus beginning its foray into the field of real estate.

The future projects of Sahara Housing and Infrastructure include increasing its land acquisition to 60,000 acres in the country and the development of Hi-Tec city in Lucknow and Kanpur.