'Kharadi' The future is now

It's been a while now that Pune has featured among the top five cities in India to live in thanks to its consistently pleasant weather, proximity to Mumbai, cosmopolitan crowd and lush greenery. However, there is more to Pune than meets the eye, in recent years this sleepy city has been transformed into a hive of activity with the arrival and growth of IT and IT-ES companies.

One locality in particular that has seen a sea of change in the last few years is Kharadi. Once a village, the town now echoes with the sounds of construction as big, flashy building rise at a rapid pace. Residential projects and commercial parks vie for space as more and more IT professionals flock to the town.

Located along Pune's eastern corridor, Kharadi was once a remote region, which has now become an IT hub with the presence of IT bigwigs like Credit Suisse, Symantec, UBS, and Vodafone, among others. Once IT crowd started to gravitate to this area, it didn't take too long for five-star hotels to cash in to match the growth and expansion.

In fact, it is the advent of five-star hotels along with the establishment of the 6.5 million sq ft large EON, an IT SEZ that has given value to Kharadi's real estate. Zensar Knowledge Park and the World Trade Centre are other prominent business parks in Kharadi. Situated a mere 10 km away from Pune Airport and with prime neighbourhoods like Magarpatta, Hadapsar, Kalyani Nagar, and Koregaon Park, all within its reach, Kharadi has begun to gain recognition for being not just accessible but also for its affordability.

Kharadi's landscape is now slowly changing with new hospitals, schools, malls, and other amenities being set up. There is something soothing about Kharadi with the verdant hills of the Deccan Plateau in the background. The IT hub is now definitely in high demand, particularly among young families. Kharadi is now home to some of the most valued property in Pune, both in terms of apartments for sale and commercial property for sale as well as commercial property for rent.

It is no wonder that Pune made it to the Economic Times' Ten Smart Cities to Invest In with a special mention for Kharadi as a prime neighbourhood to scout around for affordable housing.

From a sleepy village, Kharadi's bustling growth is an indication of India's future growth as well. IT has transformed this suburb into the backbone of Pune's economy.