Vision of Life; by Sanjay: Understanding Redevelopment !

“Always take time out for rejuvenation and redirection.
Inquire as you move along the path.
There is no one best way. Different paths—different solutions.
Refinement is a constant process of growth for better results!”… Joseph S. Spence Sr.

Don’t be afraid to give up the good to go for the great… John. D. Rockefeller

Most of the time our choices with greed are what lands us in trouble… Me.

Joseph’s quote makes us know the importance of change or rejuvenation while the world's richest person’s (of his time) quote may not be keeping in mind the subject of my sharing but shows us about the path for better life while my outcome is on basis of above two greats & what I see around them! Well, it's about redevelopment, a buzz word in the entire old Pune & while many hail it as a destruction factor of the city & its charm, the fact is every alternate society or bungalow is opting for it, so how we balance it, is my subject of sharing! Recently surprisingly I was approached by one of the societies in our locality (Patwardhan baug, Erandwane, Pune) for guiding their members about concept of redevelopment at large, I also happen to have a small unit in this society so I have kept myself away from the redevelopment procedure just to avoid conflicts of interest, yet I accepted the invite as a challenge to balance the role as a builder, engineer, a member & a citizen. One more aspect is when you address an open forum that too hard core Punekars then your brain has to work in sharpest mode & its like polishing also, so I accepted the invite & told them I will make a small PPT about the concept & which (as usual) I thought can be a good sharing also, for my readers(lol)!

I am writing this sharing the way I gave a presentation as that’s easier to make the concept reach to the end users, here we go…

While addressing the audience, I said , I feel like Arjun of Mahabharat as most of the time redevelopment (rather in any deal), the society members looks up the builder as opposite party (read as enemy) but here I am standing as a builder, an engineer, a member too & you neighbour also, so I see all familiar faces in front of me & I have to explain the war ahead (take it as a PJ)of which I am part! But, I said I will try to be as neutral as I can for sure!

What is Redevelopment

Rejuvenation, Regroup, Reset

It’s like a Snake skin peeling (or shedding), known as ecdysis

Not just an increase in area, but a bit of comfort, a new start.

This is something of a base of the entire redevelopment concept because for me as an engineer when at some stage get a clear plot then it’s a new start like any other development. Only difference is in a vacant plot or a bungalow plot I have to deal with single or fewer owners while in case of redevelopment I have to deal with numbers of owners who are going to be my clients also, this aspect they must understand! And I have to plan to accommodate three aspects, existing flat holders, the new buyers & myself as unless all these three doesn’t get blanacely happy, the project is not going to work! And this is not only my responsibility but the society’s members too! This is the difference between a regular plot buying & developing it & developing existing society as, if you directly sell your land or plot, then what the builder does on it, you are not concerned with it which isn’t a case with redevelopment as your homes are also tied with the developer’s homes available for sale. And if these homes get unsalable for reasons which we will discuss ahead, your home also gets stuck with them! And the redevelopment is not just an addition in your existing area, that’s just one of the aspects, the main thing is upgrading of life which unfortunately most people are forgetting. Here I showed them slides of recent redevelopment projects & situation in them, as the margins (distance from plot boundary & building) are getting reduced in comparison to height of building, practically, we are ending up building modern chawl (old cramped structures) with no natural light or ventilation or greenery around & no privacy also! And what we are supposed to have, is a better home in all aspects of life, that should be the focus of redevelopment! In a nutshell, we must first decide what kind of new home we want in exchange of our existing homes, that’s redevelopment in the right way!

Why Redevelopment?

Life of existing RCC structure (earthquake resistant design)

Lift & Services upgrading

Safety aspect such as Fire, Security

High maintenance of existing plumbing/electrical system

MS Windows, doors, specifications upgradation.

Lifestyle i.e. attach toilet to bed rooms, AC, Solar

Parking

And expanded family

The list can be as long as you can think as most of the buildings which have been built in late 80’s or early 90’s were built keeping in focus needs & not comfort. As well the structural design norms also were as per the IS Code then & post Killari earthquake (plz google), Pune also now has been listed in zone 3 & the structural designs are made accordingly, which the earlier buildings are not! Car parking was not subject of fighting & trees were welcome. These society’s reflected the mind set of Wada Culture, where privacy was not the focus of planning & togetherness was an important factor in lifestyle! Unfortunately, in just three to four decades the entire aspect of living has been changed & I am not an authority to comment its right or wrong but somewhere our concept of home has changed a lot. Now we want to accommodate our comfort & luxury above our togetherness & existing home suddenly seems like an obstacle. Partly true but look at the list of why we are opting for redevelopment & all of them speak about change of our lifestyle & in the new home many things can be accommodated but all these come with a price is what I tell them. Here you are not changing your address, land is the same but you are adding more homes over it along with increase in your own home size & that doesn’t happen free! This is where we must focus on planning & using right specifications & amenities than just going for brands or from Insta/ FB posts. Here is where a professional, sensible, planning mind is important as which are amenities that will make your life really comfortable than adding stresses to your life must be thought of! Things like Car Lift or Stack parking, on plan may take care of your vehicles but for use they can be a botheration. Same is with plumbing fittings & gadgets. Posh & fancy looking door fittings, taps, showers look nice but their use is very delicate & normal plumbers can’t repair it. Same way, designer tiles are impossible to replace & you end up refurnishing the entire toilet if any tile gets damaged or you have to accept patch work! Instead, sturdy & proven but less fancy things work better. Same thing is about security, a CCTv is a post action thing, to prevent theft is important, plan the project accordingly, that matters most & these things once installed can’t be replaced easily. Though, it's equally true, comfort can be achieved with the right planning & redevelopment is an opportunity for us to do so, just do it wisely, is what I told them!

My responsibility as a Member!

Area

Sale

Sustainability

Time is essence

Here comes the tricky point as most people think like a landlord while in redevelopment you are nearly as responsible as the developer because you are part of that development & if you choose the developer wrongly then it’s your fault, that’s responsibility number 1! As the coin named redevelopment has three sides, Heads is, existing members, Tails is the builder & Edge of coin is the new buyers of the project, & all three sides matter, especially the edge! Do mind, redevelopment is successful (read as sustainable) only where sale rate of flats are in five digits per sft & the person who is buying the flat here is paying huge money & he deserves value for it! With UDCPR (plz google) rules for development, there is huge supply & options are there so the new buyer has choice & he is ready to wait for the right home, which he feels is not you or your builder! And that sales aspect you must take in consideration by becoming part of the builder’s team, no shame in it! Because the entire dynamics of redevelopment is on the sale of additional units & no builder is Raja Harishchandra to build more area for you from his pocket! At the same time this is a chance for the society to think out of the box & secure your future. Day by day urban infrastructure is going to get costlier & if society can make some area available for renting by reducing their own new area a bit, then this area can be used for leasing to some bank or super shoppe & earn good rent which will reduce society’s monthly expenses in future!

Last but not least, time is the essence, the more you delay the process of redevelopment (once decided to redevelop) you only will be the looser as day by day markets are getting tight & changing policies of urban planning is one more threat. Already there are talks about reducing load on central parts of Pune because the infrastructure is collapsing is a fact & first axe will be on curtailing FSI/ TDR of central city means redevelopment proposals! If that happens then whatever additional area we are getting today, we won’t get even half of it is a fact!

Nachiket

Ownership rights

Temple

Apt -Society status change

Legal Issues

Coming to the specific aspect of Nachiket, I told them, it can be compared with, first to understand the depth of the water we are going to swim in. As our land is fixed, our members are fixed, our existing area is fixed & so are the FSI & TDR things, the only thing which we can control is what we want. As well, many members are not aware about the importance of individual family’s ownership rights about their flat in redevelopment. Basically, Maharashtrian families (no offence, just an observation) are never known for keeping clarity in property matters & in legality, emotions don’t count much. So, every member must check his or her own ownership regarding the respective flat as these things later delays the entire procedure. There is a small temple of Hanumanji at Nachiket & fortunately as this project has been built with my own work was going around in the neighborhood, I could confidently tell them that there is absolutely no harm in shifting the temple with proper pooja & shared a story which I knew about that temple! At the same time, Nachiket is apartment condominium & it can get changed to society when we will be accommodating the new members, by following a legal process, is also something they weren’t knowing. And then about changing ownership also of the respective apartments as in most of the redevelopment cases the present owners are senior citizens & they can add the name of their siblings on the added area or new property they will be getting as such things does help in future. We (read as Maharashtrians’) treat home or any property as an emotional commodity but legality of the same is equally important!

Rights, Rewards, Responsibility

To conclude, I told them, if you think as an owner that you have a right to get rewards, then no reward comes without responsibility, & our responsibility is not only towards ourself or our family but towards the entire society & city & yes, about the nature around us! Redevelopment is an opportunity to correct our course & make life better, how we use that opportunity that only will decide your fate, all the best!

You can watch the entire sharing at YouTube link along...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnqkT9NUBng&t=1985s

Sanjay Deshpande

smd156812@gmail.com

Sanjeevani Dev.

Please view my sharing about finding a Right Home/ Office in Pune, at YouTube link below & share if liked...

https://youtu.be/27j3I3rwGPQ?si=-ODYBxVI2Dl_C345

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https://visonoflife.blogspot.com/2025/12/pune-real-estate-in-2026.html

https://jivnachadrushtikon.blogspot.com/2024/12/2025.html

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