Sustainability in Real Estate
Truly has it been said that an Army marches on its stomach. Napolean and then Hitler lost more soldiers from cold and starvation than from the Russian bullets. The first of the large empires, the Roman Empire, succeeded because they could sustain what they conquered, what they built. Apart from the British Empire, which had more modern support systems than anyone else, closer home, we have an example of a successfully self-sustaining empire in the Mughal Empire. The system of the “Bara Balutedar” that they had developed, and which, Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, had perfected in his kingdom, and which makes Maharashtra a great example, is something modern municipal administrations have learnt well. The Mughals, and Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, had their Accountants and Administrators [Patels, Patils & Kulkarnis], Arms Makers and Repairers from the good Blacksmiths and Ironsmiths [Lohars]; the Barbers [Nais]; the Carpenters, [Sutars]; the Cobblers [Mochis]; the Good Cooks [Bhatiaras] and Water Carriers [Bhishtis]; the Horse Riders [Ghur Sawaars]; the Medical Men [Hakeems & Jarras]; the Oil Makers [Telis]; the Potters [Kumbhars]; and Religious Men [Pandits & Maulvis] for all Groups, wherever the Mughals went; and Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj built his Forts, each of which is an example even today of such sustainable human habitation. Setting up of camps, [sarais], or even permanent cities, and the Forts, needed all that, and more.
Modern administration has learned all that; and provides for them in its projects. We have the Municipal, the Revenue and the Law & Order Establishments. Health Establishments include, soil waste and disposal; as well as access to healthy food and water. With greater and greater urbanisation of India, the Urban Empire is Back.
However, this is not a political nor a historical treatise. And it is not even on the government working. Modern-day builders and developers, have chalked out their own townships that are bigger than thousands of villages of rural India. And providing for day to day facilities is indeed a challenge that many a builder seeks to establish. Or not!!!
A township does not have to be several hectares, or even one or two of them. Any complex which calls for providing facilities like a swimming pool, tennis courts, cycling paths, home theatres, etc., is obviously catering to a glamorous market. But a township, or even a building, by itself is not just a cement-and-mortar structure. There is a lot more than those that goes in the making of that. People will come and live there; and people need things every day. And not just water and food. And all these have to be provided for – and maintained properly. Every day. Every hour. Every minute. A water cut can be managed by storing some water here and there; but an internet connection cannot be severed. It must be repaired at once.
Builders who will provide for a good “after-sales-service” set-ups in their townships will only be enhancing the faster sales and greater profitability of their products. Not just the fear of RERA is what will make such good builders enhance their working relationships with their prospective purchasers. Gone are the days when builders gave shoddy construction, plots without roads and drains, no concern for time and real quality. The real estate market has matured to correct itself from a purely one-sided one to a service oriented industry, where the user cannot be taken for granted.
The normal quality and the amenities and facilities, as briefly mentioned above, being offered a dime a dozen, are not the subject matter to discuss herein. The idea and the concept of an after-sales-service to be provided by the very builder who is completing or has completed that complex, is the subject matter of this brief treatise.
Even the best of machines need to be maintained and repaired. Though guarantees and warrantees for replacing the entire flat will not work in real estate, the need for replacing a defective fitting or a fixture is very much necessary. Even if that, say, for example, a faucet, has worked for a thousand days, without any problem, and has gone past its warranty, but has developed a leak, will definitely need to be replaced. The most appropriate person to do that is the person who had fixed it, or one who knows best as to how to fix it. For, in today’s ever-fast changing world, the occupant of a flat has neither the time, now the basic knowledge to look after the minor or even the major needs of his flat. This is an “out-sourced world” we live in. And we need to develop that specified system best suited for sustaining a residential or even a commercial complex, by this very out-sourced system of maintenance as fast as possible.
The next generation, or level, of builders will have their own, “after-sales-providing” set-up. Not just faucets that leak, but everything that needs to be done should be provided for within the complex itself. With the traffic situation in our urban areas being what it is, the concept of home-delivery has been appropriately hijacked by Amazon, Swiggy and Zomato. People have become so used to get everything done at their doorsteps, that they hardly go outdoors these days.
But not just the faulty faucets or fancy food items, a builder will need to examine the providing of so many extras, that will make for the ultimate independent living, a lifestyle.
For example, a largish complex could, and should, have its own
post office;
police station or police chowki;
an electric battery charging equipment;
a tyre puncture repair unit;
open areas for the local sales of fresh vegetables, fruit and other victuals;
space for a clothes ironing person;
space for collecting plastics for disposal;
a “convenios”, selling not only edible items, but also printing cartridges and stationery;
a first-aid centre, even one facilitating diagnostics;
a fire tender, or firefighting equipment managing experts; etc., etc., etc.,
within that complex, itself.
Many an agency, not just the police, will be happy to have a small place it can call its own in any large and especially isolated complex, or complexes. Providing for a small shopping centre for the daily needed stuff can be done in the very cooperative movement that has been such a success – in Maharashtra at least. The decent enough telephone companies providing internet services, etc., will only be too happy to have a small place within that complex designated for them, only; and in their own possession. This usable space by them will save them the time and the money to lug up all the equipment, or the smallest of the items that are needed to be replaced, that might be needed every time they are called to repair an item. Coming over to inspect the problem, and then going back to their stores for the replacement of the item, is very bad logistics; yet it often happens. Storing such regularly replaceable items within the complex will not only save time, but also make them cheaper as the cost of the transport will not be borne every time they have to be brought to the user. But the “stores” provided by the builder in his complex will be useful. This will bring down the very cost of those items, and then the maintenance, too.
A few diehards might argue as to why should these companies build inventories in every complex! Ask the users and the actual workers: time saved is most important. Of all the safety measure, one always hopes that one will never need to use any, is to put out a fire. But fires do happen. And cause the maximum of losses, of both the material and the innocent people. Fire-fighting equipment manufacturers will only be too happy to be associated with a builder with such foresight to bring about the working of their products in good use; and make available some space in their complex for its display and use, if necessary. They only will come not just to give a good substitute, but a good demo, too. After all, it is even now, mandatory to test your fire-fighting equipment regularly! Firefighting has been more or less ignored by the builders. But the many tragedies in the past few years have mandated that we make very much sure that we can prevent a fire, or manage it properly. A life saved is a loved one saved.
Builders will find it easy to train the local youth for this work of maintaining equipment, accounting for the items, keeping sales and replenishment done routinely. This will be entirely a new ball-game altogether, but it will be worth it; and is the new industry. Not only will more jobs be created locally, but the needed services will get provided for in the shortest possible time. Builders will need to examine this aspect of the projects in a new light – as a business venture, not just social service. True, it may not as profitable a job as the main project, but at least it will not be a loss-making one either.
A modern day housing neighbourhood has it “Nais” as a “unisex salon”! A “Bhatiara” is an air-conditioned restaurant selling Tandoori chicken and Tandoori bread! A ‘Mochi” has become a brand. While pottery is a hobby for the many, so is horse riding. Avenues for these are opening up in various urban centres. Carpentry has been taken to a crazy height by Ikea! Ironing of clothes is no longer done by the lady of the house.
And we all know about our medical and religious men; but they are also needed in many complexes. The need for a quarantine unit is being openly discussed by the Government, as a precondition for large layouts. It will better to provide spaces officially, for a temple or a mosque, or a church, or a gurudwara, at least some land for them in a layout, rather than have the troublesome and monstrous encroachments of religious buildings later on.
Maintenance is an element of trust. A Swiggy delivery boy can only be permitted up to the doorsteps of the flat. Many housing societies, do not permit such hawkers and one-time visitors to even go up the required floor: the delivery boys, or even girls, leave their stuff at the ground level, with the watchmen or the concierge, if any. Then someone from the concerned flat comes down to pick up the parcel; or one of the watchmen goes up to deliver it. But again only at the doorstep. But a plumber or the electrician, or any other repairing person has to be admitted inside the flat; and only if he is trusted!
Thus, apart from these security issues, the very logistics of such maintenance may be observed. A plumber or an electrician looks for work in the local area, say within a few kilometres of where he is. For him, as for any other person, the time spent on traveling is time spent on unproductive work. A Bandra plumber will not go to SOBO!!! Hence making a provision of such services locally is a very logically economic cause.
Rain Water Harvesting as mandated by the Government of Maharashtra is being tried by a number of builders; but this needs to be taken to its logical end; at the same time, one needs some regular maintenance to keep the pits and pots clean! Ground water usage in a scientific manner, with Kolhapur type weirs, wherever possible, will also get very good publicity for the builders doing that, along with RWH.
Re-use of water is as important as avoiding plastic waste. All kitchen waste water can be channelled for good use, without much treatment, provided we have avoided too much of the poisonous dish cleaners! But with herbal dish cleaners now available, this must be a good source of alternate water in any large complex.
The other kitchen waste of the hundreds of the kitchens in a largish complex, can go to make a lot of manure for the people living therein, thereby saving them the need and the costs of using unnecessary fertilisers, etc.
Plastic, somehow, has become good business. Not only to sell to the vendors, but also to buy the used products! At ₹ 15 per kilo, a use cola or water bottle is a good livelihood of many a waste collector in urban areas. Builders will find it cost-effective to provide some space to collect these used plastic materials, for the economies of scale demand that the Plastic Companies pick up large quantities at a time!
Sustainability is not building hundreds of flats year; or going on building more and more project year after year; sustainability is maintaining what has been built in a correctly maintained manner; and retaining the very quality of life for the person for whom those buildings were meant.
And the good builders need to publicise these facts to their prospective purchasers. Doubtless these ideas and putting them in practice will bring them more interested buyers for the flats in such well-maintained complexes, than otherwise.
Zafar Iqbal