Baner, which forms part of Pune’s Smart City Mission, offers easy connectivity, lifestyle and leisure options, and great investment opportunities 

On August 15, National Geographic’s The Next Frontier: India’s Smart Cities featured the Manufacturing and IT hub, #Pune. It’s a city that I have grown to know well, and to love, as we worked with our teams at #Supreme Universal to create some of our most special projects. 

Baner, particularly, is my favourite locality in this quickly growing metropolis, mainly because of the 200-hectare Baner-Pashan #Biodiversity Park, described by one holiday portal as “a top tourist spot of the city”. Spreading from the Baner Hills to Pashan Hills, it is known as the ‘Lungs of Pune’. 

But Baner, which has also witnessed tremendous growth in recent times, is one of the city’s most preferred locations for other reasons too. From easy connectivity to superb lifestyle options to social infrastructure such as schools and hospitals – Baner has it all! With so many IT companies in the vicinity, it has become a hotspot for young professionals. A Smart Clinic initiative in Baner also won the Indian Smart Cities award 2019 from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. 

Connectivity

Baner is very well connected both to Pune city and Pimpri-Chinchwad along the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. Locations such as Pashan, Balewadi, Wakad, Aundh, Hinjewadi, Bavdhan and Shivajinagar are also quite close. Thanks to its Smart City planning, you can get to Shivajinagar via Pune University. Baner also connects to Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex and stadium at Balewadi, which further connects to Hinjewadi. Pashan and Bavdhan are accessible via Baner-Pashan Link Road, and the Baner-Aundh Link Road, which is operational, will link commuters to Aundh, Sangavi and Pimple Saudagar.

Residents of our Supreme Estia project at Baner have told me how much they appreciate the convenience the location offers – five minutes from the Mumbai-Bangalore Highway, six minutes from Umarji Mother and Child Hospital, and eight minutes from the Balewadi High Street, to name just a few options.

Smart City Mission

When the Indian government launched its urban renewal Smart City Mission, Pune was among the 100 cities selected. The Aundh-Baner-Balewadi area was especially singled out for development under the proposal. 

With the aim of creating a model neighbourhood of #liveability and #sustainability matching global standards, this area will have 24 future-ready, ‘smart city’ features. These include increased mobility through 100 e-buses, a 26 km Bus Rapid Transport System (BRTS), 54 bus stop overhauls, 100 e-rickshaws, bicycle tracks and 60-km. of footpath redesign, among other things. There are also plans for the Metro Line 3 from Hinjewadi to Shivajinagar, plus three more Development Plan (DP) roads. A BRTS extension to Hinjewadi is also in the offing. Proptiger, the property advisors, have already given Baner a liveability score of 9.1, and these parameters are set to go up with an increase in open spaces from 4 -10% of the total area, through 13 parks and a 3.4 km. riverfront.

Commercial office space and retail developments will also boost the area substantially, and e-governance would be the norm. Some of the planned amenities are ready, including a senior citizen park, smart schools, smart health clinics and e-buses. An Augmented Reality Park is underway in Baner, and so is a Centre of Excellence for Contemporary Art. The area is also emerging also as an IT hub, with leading brands and Commercial Grade A properties that allow both start-ups and giants to work in close proximity.

The fact that this location offers well established social infrastructure and great connectivity enhances its development potential and demand for homes has always been on the higher side in Baner, which is a popular choice for both domestic and #NRI investors. In the near future, as the area develops further, Being a sought after destination for both end users and investors, I expect to see this area grow exponentially