Ahmedabad: A recent ‘X’ post by a young professional of a multinational finance corporation on being deterred from purchasing a 2BHK flat on the upscale K Raheja Road in Gandhinagar has sparked a debate on discrimination and community dynamics in residential societies.
Writing about the “discrimination, he posted: “My attempt to buy a flat turned into a nightmare as the society’s management was barring my entry”.He attributed it to being an “outsider (from another state)” or potentially “due to his caste”. The executive wrote, “…the seller’s (flat seller) evasion on providing a NOC from the society was the first red flag. Little did I know, the real issue lay deeper.”
An investigation conducted by TOI on several societies along the 2km K Raheja Road stretch and residential projects in a 5km vicinity, including the PDPU Road corridor, revealed a trend where these societies primarily catered to farming communities from neighbouring villages in Gandhinagar and Mehsana districts. Developers cited concerns such as “differences in eating habits” and “the potential influence of a different culture on their children” as reasons for discouraging families from outside the region.
There are approximately 550 to 600 apartment schemes spread across three clusters around Gandhinagar, with developers primarily hailing from nearby villages such as Mansa, Vijapur, Nardipur, Chandisana, Visnagar, Mehsana, and others. These developers are building accommodations exclusively for members of their close-knit communities, with a significant investment from partners in the surrounding areas. “The first is between PDPU and CH-0 Circle, the second is between Vavol and Gandhinagar, and a third cluster is around Koba towards SG highway,” says a builder.
A developer constructing 94 flats in the area said that families from outside the state were discouraged from buying houses there because “they have a different way of life than us, and we want to avoid friction”. Another developer, who has four schemes in the vicinity, said, “Each scheme has six to 13 partners who have invested close to Rs 1.5 crore. They belong to villages around Gandhinagar. Their clientele consisted mainly of rich farming families whose children are pursuing education or preparing for competitive exams in Gandhinagar’s institutional areas with the aim of migrating abroad. These families are wary of renting or selling accommodation to families from outside the state, fearing it could have a negative influence on their children.”
However, accommodations are more readily available in areas beyond these clusters, such as Godrej Garden City, Adani Shantigram, GIFT Habitat, and various schemes around Koteshwar, Motera, and Chandkheda, due to the presence of organizations like ONGC.
Writing about the “discrimination, he posted: “My attempt to buy a flat turned into a nightmare as the society’s management was barring my entry”.He attributed it to being an “outsider (from another state)” or potentially “due to his caste”. The executive wrote, “…the seller’s (flat seller) evasion on providing a NOC from the society was the first red flag. Little did I know, the real issue lay deeper.”
An investigation conducted by TOI on several societies along the 2km K Raheja Road stretch and residential projects in a 5km vicinity, including the PDPU Road corridor, revealed a trend where these societies primarily catered to farming communities from neighbouring villages in Gandhinagar and Mehsana districts. Developers cited concerns such as “differences in eating habits” and “the potential influence of a different culture on their children” as reasons for discouraging families from outside the region.
There are approximately 550 to 600 apartment schemes spread across three clusters around Gandhinagar, with developers primarily hailing from nearby villages such as Mansa, Vijapur, Nardipur, Chandisana, Visnagar, Mehsana, and others. These developers are building accommodations exclusively for members of their close-knit communities, with a significant investment from partners in the surrounding areas. “The first is between PDPU and CH-0 Circle, the second is between Vavol and Gandhinagar, and a third cluster is around Koba towards SG highway,” says a builder.
A developer constructing 94 flats in the area said that families from outside the state were discouraged from buying houses there because “they have a different way of life than us, and we want to avoid friction”. Another developer, who has four schemes in the vicinity, said, “Each scheme has six to 13 partners who have invested close to Rs 1.5 crore. They belong to villages around Gandhinagar. Their clientele consisted mainly of rich farming families whose children are pursuing education or preparing for competitive exams in Gandhinagar’s institutional areas with the aim of migrating abroad. These families are wary of renting or selling accommodation to families from outside the state, fearing it could have a negative influence on their children.”
However, accommodations are more readily available in areas beyond these clusters, such as Godrej Garden City, Adani Shantigram, GIFT Habitat, and various schemes around Koteshwar, Motera, and Chandkheda, due to the presence of organizations like ONGC.