A property in Uttarakhand is a dream that many people living in the dry, arid plains have. Uttarakhand or Devbhumi, the land of the Gods, is the 27th state in India and was formed in November 2000. Uttarakand is the state you would visit if you want to take in the grandeur of the Himalayas, the beauty of the Bhabhar and the marshy grasslands of the Terai. Uttarakand borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China on the north, the Mahakali Zone of Nepal on the east, Uttar Pradesh on the south and Himachal Pradesh on the northwest. The state has two divisions; the Kumaon and Garhwal.
One of the factors that the dewy eyed have to consider is the unpredictable weather that is the bane of residents of many places in Uttarakand. In recent times, flash floods, landslides and its elk have wrought their havoc on life and property in Uttarakhand. One of the main reasons for the loss of property has been the rampant disregard for building rules by those who are constructing in Uttarakhand.
In many cases, buildings have been constructed on the flood plains of the rivers which have proved to be disastrous. The result of this is that many people are looking to buying houses at lower elevations and in places which are so far not affected by natural disaster. The places where people are looking for apartments in Uttarakhand are Dalanwala, Shimla Bypass, Mussoorie, Sahastradhara and of course, Dehradun. Many builders have already started work on projects in these places.
The capital city, Dehradun is in the Garhwal region and is 236 km to the north of New Delhi. The city is a counter magnet to the National Capital Region (NCR). So what are counter magnet towns? Counter-magnet towns are identified as those that can be developed as alternative centres of growth and attract migrants to them rather than Delhi. Promoting growth of counter magnet towns are the principal components of the strategy to reduce both migration and population explosion in the Delhi metropolitan area. These towns are located in six states: Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh and Punjab, in addition to Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan, which are already part of the national capital region.
Besides Uttarakhand, counter magnet towns are located in Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan. The criteria for counter magnet towns is that they should have their own established roots, have potential to grow on their own and should not be centres of environmental, strategic or religious importance. The towns should also be 250 km away from New Delhi.
If you plan to buy an apartment in Uttarakhand, then Dehradun would be a good location to choose. The city is located in the Doon Valley at the foothills of the Himalayas with two of India’s great rivers on either side; the Ganges on the east and the Yamuna on the west.
With the establishment of some special economic zones and Software Technology Parks of India, many IT majors have set up their regional offices here. The widening of the Delhi Dehradun Highway is expected to bring in more economic benefits to the region.
The other popular place that people look to invest in when they want to buy property in Uttarakhand is Mussoorie. Mussoorie is a hill station at the foot hills of the Garhwal Himalayan range. Mussoorie is currently suffering from the pangs of growth. There is a serious problem with garbage collection and the hill station also suffers from water scarcity.
The government has increased stamp duty charges and circle rates. No one said that buying property in Uttarakhand is easy.
Nina Varghese for IndiaProperty.com
Image: ”Badrinath Valley, along the Alaknanda River, Uttarakhand” by Subarno Banerjee from Farakka, India – The Valley. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons – http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Badrinath_Valley,_along_the_Alaknanda_River,_Uttarakhand.jpg#/media/File:Badrinath_Valley,_along_the_Alaknanda_River,_Uttarakhand.jpg