The Delhi-NCR urban sprawl, being the political nerve centre of the country, has always attracted people and businesses from close and afar. Thanks to the Green Revolution, even its neighbouring region has experienced economic prosperity, attracting migrants from all over the country. This meant the NCR has for decades been a hub of high-skilled jobs.
But while the pace of development has been maddening, the region’s infrastructure found itself insufficient. Public transportation, especially, was bursting at the seams and needed urgent attention and visionary planning. Thankfully, the Delhi Metro proved to be just the catalyst we needed. It was an idea whose time had come.
A shining example
The Delhi Metro is a shining example of long-term planning and professionalism, the credit for which goes to the legendary civil engineer Dr E Sreedharan , now globally known as the ‘Metro Man’. Under Dr Sreedharan, who’s gone on to serve as the advisor to several metro rail projects across India, the face of public transport changed forever, not just in Delhi but all over India.
Because of the human touch in his vision, there was negligible displacement of people in project areas. Rightly so, he was bestowed with the nation’s second-highest civilian award, the Padma Vibhushan, in 2008.
The metro rail network unleashed dramatic changes in NCR. Gurugram, in particular, attracted the who’s who of the global corporate world. And with it came the second big challenge for the region: The real estate sector needed to provide housing and commercial facilities for the ever-aspiring and ever – burgeoning middle class that was now settled in NCR. It needed another game changer.
Game Changer
Enter a young Harvard Business School graduate who decided to grab this challenge as an opportunity. Pankaj Bansal, director of the M3M Group, envisioned giving Indian home buyers an experience they could only dream of, plus value for their hard-earned money.
He involved himself in the formulation of the strategy, planning and overall execution of the projects. This innovative and futuristic approach helped the realty sector meet global standards , winning accolades from across the world. The Indian real estate started pushing growth figures.
In an attempt to further evolve the sector, Bansal collaborated with reputed global firms, bringing best international practices to the country. M3M signed an agreement with Swedish firm Urban Systems urbs AB to develop a smart city project. The agreement was signed during an Indo-Swedish business leaders round table, and in the presence of Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf.
M3M also partnered with Trump Towers to bring a world-class real estate experience to north India. He spearheaded the launch of about 34 projects at prime locations, all very well connected to the metro and other transport hubs. Bansal, a firm believer in innovations, consistently explores new paths and introduces new practices.
Vision Meets Energy
Bansal brought fresh energy coupled with extraordinary vision. He successfully designed and executed plans through a customer-centric and forward-thinking approach. With the image of Indian builders suffering, Bansal was the change the sector desired. The real estate market’s reputation had been suffering at multiple levels because of non-delivery and inordinate delays in handing over of projects. Under Pankaj Bansal, however, M3M delivered homes and commercial establishments to their new ow ner s much ahead of the promised deadlines.
‘Metro Man’ Dr E Sreedharan and the rising giant of the realty sector, Pankaj Bansal, are separated by generations, but there are palpable similarities in their work. While the metro network spurred the growth which had started with globalisation of the Indian economy, Bansal’s contribution is an exercise in the pursuit of perfection to improve quality of life.
In times as challenging as the current Covid-19 pandemic, the world looks for leaders who can solve their problems and also create milestones for the future. Pankaj Bansal, like Dr E Sreedharan, seems all poised to kiss glory.
Source : Economic Times