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As India’s capital region readies itself for the formidable challenges of the coming decade, a distinguished panel at the 17th Realty+ Conclave & Excellence Awards 2025 – North Edition convened with a shared purpose: to chart a roadmap for Delhi-NCR 3.0.
Moderated by Santhosh Kumar, Vice Chairman of Anarock Property Consultants, the session brought together top leaders including Abhay Mishra (CEO, Jindal Realty), Kalyan Chakrabarti (CEO, Emaar India), Santosh Agarwal (CFO, Alpha Corp Development), Uddhav Poddar (MD, Bhumika Group), Supriya Chatterjee (Managing Director – North, Cushman & Wakefield), and Harshit Batra (Founder, Harshit Batra & Associates, Advocates & RERA Consultants). Their dialogue underscored the urgent need for balanced growth where infrastructure, governance, sustainability and human well-being are all interwoven.
Early in the discussion, the panelists set the stage by acknowledging that the region’s expansion has outpaced its planning in many respects. While population influx, rising demand for homes and workplaces, and infrastructure build-outs are underway, there remain significant gaps in governance, environment, mobility, and citizen experience. Santhosh Kumar emphasised that Delhi-NCR 3.0 cannot simply mean building more; it must mean building better.
Abhay Mishra of Jindal Realty remarked that realty developers are becoming acutely aware that tomorrow’s buyers are looking beyond location and amenities: they demand sustainability credentials, connectivity, and long-term resilience. For him, “the next ten years will be defined by how well the built environment responds to climate stress, traffic congestion and public health.”
Kalyan Chakrabarti from Emaar India added that technological integration — from smart infrastructure to energy-efficient building systems — will no longer be a differentiator but a baseline expectation. He pointed to integrated township models that couple high-quality public spaces, efficient transit access, and mixed-use development as exemplars of what Delhi-NCR 3.0 can look like.
Santosh Agarwal, CFO of Alpha Corp, brought the conversation to financial sustainability. He observed that financing real estate development in NCR increasingly demands risk mitigation for environmental and regulatory uncertainties. Investments with strong ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) frameworks are fetching better long-term returns. Agarwal argued that developers must align with emerging norms (both domestic and global) to ensure capital flows remain uninterrupted and favourable.
Uddhav Poddar of Bhumika Group stressed that infrastructure — roads, water, sanitation, public transport — must catch up with the scale of development. He suggested that public-private partnership models, better coordination between municipal authorities, and clear regulatory frameworks will be vital if NCR’s outskirts are to avoid becoming “dormitory towns” rather than thriving communities.
Real estate services expert Supriya Chatterjee from Cushman & Wakefield drew attention to data and policy. She noted that efficient regulation, transparent land records, five-star urban mobility solutions, and predictability in approvals are crucial to unlocking developer confidence. Chatterjee also highlighted the need for more hybrid office and retail formats, as work patterns evolve post-Covid, and as contributors to NCR’s economic dynamism seek both flexibility and certainty.
Harshit Batra, who works on legal, regulatory, and compliance matters, underscored that governance must include simplified regulations and better enforcement. He argued that many delays and cost overruns stem from regulatory ambiguities or inconsistent application of rules across different jurisdictions within NCR. For Batra, Delhi-NCR 3.0 must feature regulatory harmonisation, stronger dispute resolution, and policies that support affordable housing without compromising environmental and social health.
A common thread through the session was sustainability. Whether through green building certifications, water-conservation measures, or better public transport to cut emissions, the panel agreed that environmental resilience must anchor all planning. Kalyan Chakrabarti pointed out that developments will increasingly be judged not just by their profits but by their carbon footprint and their adaptability to extreme weather.
Another key theme was livability. The panelists repeatedly returned to quality of life: open spaces, clean air, walkability, safety, inclusive amenities. Abhay Mishra spoke passionately about public realm design — parks, cycling lanes, pedestrianized streets — as not optional extras but essential for attracting talent, commerce, and culture into the region.
By the close, the panel had sketched what Delhi-NCR 3.0 might look like: a region with cleaner air, better governance, efficient transit corridors, transparent regulation, mixed-use nodes linked by green infrastructure, and housing that caters to varied income groups without compromising on environmental stewardship. The decade ahead, they suggested, will belong to those who not only build for demand but build for value — value that encompasses resilience, sustainability, and human well-being.
In sum, the “Reimagining the Capital Region” conversation made clear that Delhi-NCR 3.0 is not simply about growth—it is about transformation. For the region to remain India’s capital engine, its leaders must move beyond plots and permits to envision cities as ecosystems where infrastructure, environment, policy and community coalesce.
