| | OCTOBER 20218T he pandemic has presented a host of changes, and one of the most prominent outcomes is the work from home culture. This has brought about a surge in reverse mi-gration, taking most of the young professionals closer to their hometowns as they relocated from metro cities. On the other hand, even permanent loyalists of our urban cities choose to relocate to tier-2 and tier-3 cities to get away from the chaos of metro cities. While the demand for better infra-structure in the smaller pockets of the nation has been in the works for a while now, factors contributed by the pandem-ic have been a major catalyst in the plans of development. According to a Consumer Sentiment Survey, realty investors have been moving to tier-2 & 3 cities, with 26 percent of property investors viewing Ahmedabad, Kochi, Chandigarh, Jaipur, and Nashik as hot destinations. Apart from affordable property prices, companies also believe growth prospects are better in such regions, unlike saturated metros. Signifi-cantly, other official initiatives such as AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) and the Smart Cities Mission also support the growth of small cities.The Smart Cities' mission that began with 100 Smart Cities has presently grown to 105. Along with the `Housing for All by 2022' programme, the Smart Cities' mission has come as a turning point of sorts for real estate developers. Both these central programmes have shifted the focus to smaller cities. Unlike tier-1 cities, implementation in non-metros is moving much faster. The rapid growth in urbanization is occurring for varied reasons that are not limited to these initiatives and reverse migration. The emergence of many industries, including sunrise sectors and startups, has witnessed the ascent of non-metro areas where large land parcels are available at affordable rates. Even IT companies have set-up bases in places such as Hyderabad, Pune, Gurgaon, and Ahmedabad, among others. This has posed the need for holistic development of the nation, which is not majorly concentrated on the metro cities. The prompt development of the smaller markets has also facilitated construction enablers to expand their horizons and embrace materials and concepts that were categorically urban until recently. For instance, the need for quicker HOW CAN UNIQUE & MODERN CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY HELP IN SHAPING BETTER INFRASTRUCTURE By Sudeep Kolte, Vice President - Sales & Marketing, Saint-Gobain India, GyprocVANTAGE POINT
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