Northeast Pune is undergoing a massive change with a major township coming up in Kharadi on the Pune - Ahmednagar highway.

Once a barren stretch, the area now boasts of scores of commercial projects and luxurious residential complexes.

With the ongoing development of the locality, land prices too have gone through the roof. But that is no deterrent to setting up shop or shifting residences to Kharadi.

Land is selling anywhere between Rs 500 to Rs 700, while residential and commercial developed properties are available for Rs 1,500 to 2,100.

The area has two information technology (IT) parks with state-of-the-art facilities. Commercial establishments too are making a beeline for an address in the area. While many industrial units have already set up shop, more are likely to follow.

The area already has five major luxury residential complexes with a few boasting of barbecues, and all trappings of the rich.

Officials at the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) are leaving no stone unturned in developing the township. The roads in the area will soon be a matter of pride for the locality with the corporation gearing up to attract industrial houses to the once desolate stretch.

Ideally located, the developed area is a mere 3.5 km from the Pune Railway Station and three km from the city airport.

What is also attracting industrial houses and for that matter even the residential developers is the fact that the busy Mumbai - Pune highway can be bypassed to reach Kharadi.

The PMC had initially left it to private developers to build the township but now has taken up the task upon themselves. However, the main stretch of the road will be laid by the Corporation while the interior roads will be developed by private houses.

The area will also have eco-friendly housing societies to boast of among other attractions.

What is notable is the fact that Kharadi, once developed, will be the second planned suburb of Pune after Kalyani Nagar.

The development work, on at a massive pace, is likely to be completed by early next year, informed officials at the Corporation. They were of the view that idea behind the project is to provide people with a safe and clean township away from the hustle-bustle of the city.

The city fathers are also thinking of taking up other similar projects in the near future.

With projects like Kharadi, Pune is all set to add another feather to its illustrious cap