When it comes to execution, Anant Raj, established in 1969, has significantly transitioned from a contractor to a developer. In the past, it operated as one of the largest contractors in Delhi, contributing to construction of about 30,000 houses for the Delhi Development Authority (DDA). Notable constructions include the prestigious ASIAD Village Complex built by DDA for the 1982 Asian Games. Virtually all its projects, spanning over 18 million sq ft (excluding projects transferred to demerged entities), have been constructed by its inhouse team. “Our ecosystem and project plans position us strongly for the next five years, maintaining our current development pace. This does not account for the development of a 100-acre land parcel in South Delhi and NH-8 Delhi, which reinforces our growth trajectory,” says Amit Sarin, Managing Director, Anant Raj, as he shares his views about future plans and the industry with R SRINIVASAN. Excerpts: In view of 50 years in Delhi and Gurugram, how does the firm leverage the ‘fear of missing out’ (FOMO) strategy to hike sales in luxury and ultra-luxury homes? The most important factors for growth are ‘location’, ‘permission’ and ‘execution’ of projects. So limited availability of land in established locations and failure to deliver projects within the timeframe may impact the growth of luxury homes. However, Anant Raj holds one of the largest land parcels, aggregating about 200 acre of land, off Golf Course Extension Road, Gurugram, which is the most premium locality of Gurgaon. And we have three to four group housing projects lined up for launch over the next 18-24 months, all in the ultra-luxury segment. We recently unveiled our ultra luxury project, The Estate Residences. We kept adding products and offered limited edition luxury mansions, The Estate Mansions, with a ticket size of about Rs.120-150 million and large residential plots with a ticket size of Rs.70-80 million. Our soft offering of group housing was through a limited channel before formal project announcement, which pushed people to select units faster. These things helped leverage FOMO in our sales strategy. Why did the company move out of its comfort zone (North) and build 1,900 units in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, for Rs.3.5 billion? One of founder chairman Ashok Sarin’s key visions was to provide quality accommodation to industrial workers on the outskirts of cities. So we delivered an affordable housing project in Neemrana, Rajasthan, for industrial workers and sold these units for Rs.0.8 -1 million per unit. The Tirupati initiative is our second project for factory workers. While industrial affordable housing may not be our primary focus, it aligns with our social impact initiatives. India is the most profitable data centre market globally. Please share your plan to invest Rs.100 billion in this segment. Data is the new oil. We intend to invest over Rs.100 billion in the coming years to develop 300 MW data centres. All three of our data centre campuses in Haryana have not faced any significant challenges. Each campus is carrier neutral with cables from every service provider readily accessible in the vicinity. Additionally, the substation is located within a 500-m radius, with assurance from the Haryana government to provide uninterrupted power supply. Initially, they will use conventional energy, but our plan entails transitioning exclusively to green energy. Anant Raj Cloud, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Anant Raj, is developing Tier-3 and Tier-4 data centres with a capacity of up to 157 MW load. Additionally, there is a 20-acre greenfield site for 150 MW, taking the total to 307 MW. Once the entire capacity is operational, Anant Raj Cloud will hold a significant share in data centre infrastructure in the country. What advanced technologies are incorporated in your construction? Anant Raj prides itself on using advanced technologies for the construction of its group housing projects. For design coordination, we use BIM technology, which enables us to envision our entire project on a wireframe and eliminate the majority of construction-related issues in the design phase. We also use drones to check facade finishing and site monitoring for safety. As for construction technology, we use pre-case technology with 2D stitching for horizontal and vertical building components, which help us control quality and increase productivity. Does the company have plans for asset classes like warehousing, senior living and student housing? The company has robust plans to venture into warehousing. Currently, it holds about 85-90 acre of land in various parts of Delhi and Haryana. Most of these land parcels qualify for city-centric warehousing. There are opportunities in senior living and student housing, but our primary focus is in delivering top-quality residential properties, making data centres operational, and developing warehousing assets. What are the Green elements in your residential projects? All our buildings are IGBC Gold-certified, with provisions equivalent to Platinum buildings. We strive to meet a minimum of 3-5 per cent of total energy needs via rooftop photovoltaic panels, even though the mandated limit is 1 per cent. For hospitality and residential projects, we use solar water heaters. Going forward, we will fulfil a portion of our requirements through green energy sources. Additionally, our DG sets are gas-based. Rainwater harvesting features in all our projects. Our township incorporates double the amount of rainwater harvesting pits required under green building norms. Other measures include reuse of treated water from STPs for horticulture and flushing as well as chilled water for air-conditioning. Also, we conserve the top layer of soil in our greenfield projects and re-use it in the landscape scheme. In the event of removal of existing trees, we ensure replantation above specified limits. In terms of materials, aerated concrete blocks with fly ash content reduce the environmental impact and structural weight of buildings. Other regular features are low-flow toilet fixtures, sensor-based equipment, organic waste converters and green-listed interior materials.