Chapter 397 Comprehensive Shopping District
Mumbai has become more congested, with even the vast Marine Drive becoming gridlocked with traffic.
No wonder Rahul often complained to Ron that there were only two ways to keep a congested city like Mumbai running normally: either develop new land or utilize old land.
He believed the former option was the most suitable: expanding eastward to create a new Mumbai. Large tracts of abandoned farmland could be transformed into vast new spaces if they were supported by sufficient water resources, a comprehensive sewage system, and a public transportation system.
As for the second method, Rahul said it is still under investigation.
This approach is to transform land that has already been put into use, such as factories in the Parel area or the back docks of Mumbai Port, and use old land for new purposes to better meet Mumbai's current needs.
For example, schools, hospitals, theaters, and parks are built in huge industrial parks to make up for the inherent deficiencies of industrial areas.
Just like the current Sur Industrial Park, it has comprehensive functions and has always been his masterpiece. He personally designed this modern industrial park, which has now become a model for India.
Countless officials have visited here, and even general officials from other countries have praised this place highly.
Thanks to the fame of the Sur campus, Rahul is now a consultant for urban planning in Mumbai.
He thought that there were not many ways to transform Mumbai. Perhaps he could make full use of the land allocated to the Railway Bureau.
The railway lines have become a hotbed for illegal slum construction, allowing local tyrants to encroach on public spaces without shame.
Government planners are now trying to turn Mumbai into a "multi-core city," expanding its commercial districts beyond South Mumbai to areas like Bandra-Kurla, Andheri, or Oshwara.
But the city's greatest potential for new space is in its old factory districts. Fifty-two factories occupy more than 400 acres in South Mumbai, and only a handful of them are still operating.
The factory area is dotted with towering, colorful postmodern buildings, with banana trees or narrow roads in front of the buildings. They look out of place among the undulating factory roofs and two-story tube buildings.
Most of these postmodern buildings are luxury apartments, and the factory areas that once housed millions of people now only have a few thousand people living in them.
Rahul visited one of the buildings and the first thing he noticed was the designer's mediocre imagination that had remained unchanged for years: the small rooms were filled with disproportionately large windows, which were completely impractical in this tropical country where people avoid the scorching sun.
Workers still want factories to reopen and do not believe that Mumbai's era as an industrial hub is over.
The government then drafted a plan for the factory: to convert one-third of the old factory buildings into affordable housing for low-income or laid-off workers.
Factory owners are allowed to sell the other one-third of the factory buildings as residential or commercial land, and part of the income will be invested in the modernization of the factory buildings.
The last third of the factory buildings were nationalized and re-tendered as public land.
There are still 40,000 workers on the payrolls of these factories. The factory managers are eager for the workers to retire or die soon, but the workers say that the land for the factories was allocated by the government to increase employment and it is not up to the factory managers to decide whether to sell it.
Workers who voluntarily retired quickly spent their pension of less than 20,000 rupees, and then either became rickshaw drivers, became alcoholics, or worked for gangs.
Beyond the big framework, Rahul has a series of small steps that can be taken, which he calls "micro measures."
Rahul believes that if private companies want to get returns in Mumbai, they should assume corresponding obligations, such as investing in the city's beautification projects.
The Citizens' Charter also clearly defines the responsibilities of local governments to their citizens, so both parties can refer to the Charter to better communicate and negotiate.
But what Rahul wants most is a "holistic" Mumbai city plan. The current plan is far from meeting the standards, which can be seen from how to solve the flyover problem.
The Shiv Sena has built 55 flyovers in Mumbai in an attempt to divert crowds and ease traffic congestion in the city.
It should be noted that an overpass is just a simple passage built over a traffic light, but it sounds very impressive: an overpass!
Whether these corridors have improved Mumbai's traffic is a matter of opinion.
Most of the 55 overpasses are located in the suburbs, and there are no new bridges to be built in the city center. So in his view, the so-called overpasses are just a way to get you to the next traffic jam faster.
In his view, Bombay was incapable of self-governance and of adapting to changing circumstances. It had been built on textiles, and over time it needed to be rebuilt on other materials, such as information.
It was hard for the previous generation to accept the reality that a huge city with five million jobs was built on something as abstract as information, not a piece of paper that could be held in the hand, but fleeting characters on a computer screen.
The people, represented by the workers, still stuck in the 19th century mindset, demonstrated and marched to protest against the invasion of the new economic system.
What they fail to see is that for the city to thrive, its economic focus must shift from physical things that can be felt with the hands, such as cloth, leather, and cars, to virtual images that can only be processed by the brain and the unstoppable cross-border e-commerce.
Mumbai must change. It can no longer rely on selling physical labor and producing goods by hand. It must rely on selling mental labor and spreading ideas, data and dreams.
In order to achieve the latter, its external structure must also change, and people's workplaces have to change from factories to offices.
Even a modern entity like Soul Electric is located in the northern part of Mumbai, rather than in congested South Mumbai.
Just as Rahul was thinking about how to demolish the 400-acre old factory land, Ron came to him, smelling something.
"You mean you want the four hundred acres?"
“Yeah, I have a lot of ideas.”
"Wait a minute, buddy. South Mumbai is not suitable for building another factory. Your Sur Electric is already big enough." Rahul advised him.
"Who said I was going to build a factory?" Ron asked curiously.
"Ah? You're not here for Soul Electric?"
"No, one Sur Electric store is enough in Mumbai. My idea is a modern shopping district!"
Ron slapped a project plan in front of him.
After hearing about the actions at the Mabang Municipal Hall, he didn't even go to see the pregnant Nia and Raju, but instead ran to see Rahul first.
"Wow, that's a big deal," Rahul exclaimed. "You want to create an information-based business district?"
"Yes, the information industry is the future. Silicon Valley is the best example. There are countless Indian engineers there. Some of them will eventually return to China, and I will provide them with an international office environment, just like in the United States."
"So this time you are not starting your own information company, but doing real estate business?" Rahul became a little interested.
"Well, I provide them with modern office buildings, luxury apartments, cafes, parks, five-star hotels - India's most international office environment."
Ron is very ambitious and his vision is much higher than before.
He knew that software companies would become an emerging force in the Indian economy and that the information industry would create a large number of millionaires.
But he didn't plan to start his own software company. He didn't have that much energy, nor did he have the relevant talent or experience.
He has bigger plans. He wants to build a modern integrated business district.
Those office buildings will be rented to emerging software companies or other multinational corporations, where the workers are the elite white-collar workers with a consumption level close to that of the West.
At this time, cafes, high-end apartments, bars, and five-star hotels become matching consumption places.
The software company may make money, but his property company will definitely not lose money.
Rent can be collected regardless of the weather, and in a place like Mumbai, there is no need to worry about office buildings being idle.
He owns businesses such as a travel information company, a travel agency, a five-star hotel in Varanasi, and a luxury apartment in Lucknow.
Ron plans to integrate these businesses into a group, such as Sur Hotel and Travel or Sur Real Estate.
The group will also develop several sub-brands, such as the Sunshine Series for five-star hotels, the Cloud Series for apartments, and the Morning Light Series for office buildings.
Well, the Dawn Goddess and the Cloud Goddess are both wives of the Sun God.
"Sunshine Hotel." Rahul muttered as he looked at the plan.
"Let me be clear, this isn't some impromptu idea. There's already a five-star Sunshine Hotel in Varanasi that will be open for business early next year."
"I didn't expect your business to be so big." Rahul exclaimed in amazement.
"We have just formed a prototype, and it may take another one or two years before it becomes a group." Ron was a little proud.
"It's a good idea, but it's difficult to implement." Rahul poured cold water on it.
"What?"
"There are too many people eyeing the 400-acre land, including Tata and Reliance. Also, the relocation of the indigenous residents is a big problem. God knows what price they will ask for."
People in Mumbai are cunning. No matter where you come from, if you stay here for a long time, you will become shrewd and cunning.
Some slum dwellers who are stubborn residents clearly have the ability to buy apartments, but they still refuse to leave.
The purpose is to make a fortune during demolition, especially in South Mumbai where land prices are high.
If we take over this large piece of land, the demolition costs alone may be frighteningly high.
"Is there really no other way?" Ron refused to give up.
"Let me assure you, the city hall actually has control over less than half of the land. With your ability, if you think of a way, you can get about a hundred acres."
"One hundred acres, just one hundred acres. I'll go and negotiate."
Ron wanted to build a super large integrated shopping district, but his dream was shattered before it even started.
One hundred acres of land can be used to build a small business district, a few office buildings, five-star hotels, and high-end apartments, which is enough.
The park is probably not going to work, but it is possible to replace it with other scattered commercial facilities.
It would be difficult to build large international communities in Mumbai and New Delhi as these two metropolises are short of land.
Ron turned his attention to the south again. Chennai and Bangalore were good options.
Bangalore, in particular, is in the early stages of construction and has many opportunities.
(End of this chapter)
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