“Right from the initial planning of Amanora Township, we had thought of a commitment to the environment. While sanctioning it the environment clearance required by a township, the Ministry of Environment on its website publicly praised Amanora as a ‘project with an enlightened business vision’. We have strictly implemented environment management planning from the very beginning. In recognition of this, in 2013, CII honoured Amanora as a highly innovative environment project, by conferring it with the Best Environmental Practices Award,” informs Deshpande.

Public sector projects are the temples of modern India, Pt Jawaharlal Nehru used to say in 1950-60. And a well-equipped township is the future of the country, Deshpande reminded the government as well as the citizens. Besides its innovative concept, Amanora Township in Pune is also famous for being the largest township in Maharashtra. While many private townships have now become the hallmark of Pune city, one cannot forget that it was due to Amanora that people of Pune, who were dealing with inadequate amenities and chaotic state of living, got acquainted with the changing urban lifestyle. It was Aniruddha Deshpande’s vision to create something grand in Pune, and he made it a reality. Apart from well-equipped houses for families, Deshpande has provided green gardens, water supply, electricity, gas, security, fire station with trained manpower, CBSE, ICSE schools, recreational facilities, restaurants, cafes – all that you would get in new suburbs. More than 5,500 families are living in Amanora today, enjoying basic and social amenities there. The township also has good health facilities. Amanora has emerged as a smart township in Pune known for being a city associated with information technology.

In India, the talk about the concept of ‘Smart City’ started in 2014, but even before that, Amanora seemed to cover most of the features of a ‘Smart City’ like information technology, ease of technology, infrastructure, security, clean and green life and easy and hassle-free lifestyle. “We are expanding with the aim of realising the Prime Minister’s dream of having at least 100 Smart Cities in the country,” said Aniruddha Deshpande. On September 12, 2014, Amanora presented a dissertation on ‘Glocalisation of Smart City in the Indian Context’ at the national conference of ministers of state and principal secretaries on ‘Smart City’ at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi. It was appreciated by the Union Ministry of Urban Development (UD). That’s not all. This information was also displayed on the UD website. Along with the teams of Urban Development Departments of several states, the Chief Ministers of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh also visited Amanora to understand ‘Smart City’ and the development being done under it. Amanora has also created a special smart card for its citizens, similar to the national identity card conceived by Nandan Nilekani. This card makes their daily transactions stress free. Even before the Aadhaar card was implemented across the country, these smart cards were operational in Amanora.

According to the township policy of the state government, a township is required to have basic amenities like water, electricity, roads, gas and solid waste management. Keeping this in mind, all these facilities have been made available to the citizens of Amanora for which an agreement has been made with the State Electricity Regulatory Board and Maharashtra Natural Gas Ltd (MNGL). Modern fire brigade and facilities related to it have also been made available under the guidance of the State Fire Brigade that includes trained firefighters. During the recent fire incident at Serum Institute, the fire brigade, officers and all the forces in Amanora had done a commendable job.

Deshpande had promised the children in the township that they would go to school via the distinctively built roads. There are two CBSE and ICSE schools in Amanora, with over 3,000 students. Students living in Amanora are given priority admission in these schools.

Aniruddha Deshpande insisted from the beginning that in Amanora, the home buyer should be seen as a citizen, not as a consumer and that has been complied with till date. Along with citizen rights, a 24-hour water supply, electricity, facilities for access to excellent education, green environment, necessary social infrastructure facilities, etc. are provided.

“Right from the beginning, we have been transparent about the housing prices and transactions. So, even the residents do not get a separate discount on the printed price. We do not have a broker, so we have maintained our quality and creditworthiness in the market for the last so many years. Although we haven’t gained much, people definitely have trust in us,” says Deshpande.

On June 5, 2008, on the occasion of World Environment Day, the world’s first and only environment temple was inaugurated in Amanora. This was acknowledged by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) website. The temple is spread over 23 acres of greenery and a ‘Golden Tree’ has been installed in a glass prism there. Now every year, World Environment Day is celebrated here with great enthusiasm.

Considering the growing scarcity of land, Amanora became the first township in Maharashtra to build the 100-metre high Aspire Towers outside Mumbai, after which many others built similar buildings. However, even today, it is at Amanora that the 150-metre high ‘Gateway Towers’ is taking shape now.

Amanora has been honoured at the national level for various factors such as Urban Design, Quality, Construction, Environment-friendliness, Branding and Marketing, Architectural Innovation, Social and Basic Infrastructure, Smart Living, CSR Project and so on. The noteworthy fact is that out of the 300 awards received so far, more than 30 awards are mainly for factors associated with the environment. It also includes the prestigious award given by CII in 2013 for the ‘Most Innovative Project of Waste to Energy and Zero Waste Management’.

Amanora purchased the land for the project from 200 families in Sadesatara Nali village. At that time, 150 of these farmers were given vocational training and Amanora helped them earn their living by making them contractors and traders. Notably, all of them are engaged in construction, supply, landscape/garden management as well as milk, newspaper and laundry businesses in the township. Special emphasis has been given on women empowerment in the village, for which a company called JV Hospitality has been set up. As this project mainly involves the women from the villages, social and economic changes are visible due to their development. In addition, many have started their own businesses too.

The grandeur, diversity and quality of Amanora mall make it one of the largest malls in the country today, and a great place to visit. It is based on the concept of Indian bazaar while providing modern options, and is visited not only by the people of Pune, but also by the citizens from surrounding areas and other cities. Amanora Town Centre is a shopping destination spread over an area of 15 lakh sq ft and is known as the best place for consumers to shop. This will allow malls with lots of parking space, shops and entertainment options to emerge as a ‘day destination’. More than 300 reputed brands have set up shop at The Amanora Town Centre, offering a wide range of options such as clothing, home furnishings, entertainment, restaurants, cafes, fine dining, etc.

Aniruddha Deshpande who hails from Pune, is a first generation businessman. He started his career in Pune 30 years ago. Facing new challenges and turning them into opportunities, Deshpande worked, and is still working, on all fronts, for social development besides being active in the construction business, sports, education, and for the welfare of women and the weaker sections. He is currently the Managing Director of City Group in Pune. Apart from the construction field, he is also associated with software, entertainment and other sectors.

Aniruddha Deshpande has been active in the construction business for the last 30 years. Apart from Amanora, known to be the first township in Maharashtra, Deshpande, along with his team, has built high-end residential and commercial projects over 1 crore (10 million) sq ft of land in and around Pune. He is also known as the original promoter of Lake City Corporation Pvt Ltd of Lavasa, known as the first private hill station in the post-independence period.

Aniruddha Deshpande, who comes from a family of doctors, has been socially committed and working in the fields of education, sports, helping the weaker sections of society, urbanisation and rural and urban division. He has shown from time to time that he is committed to doing social work while carrying out his business with integrity and uniqueness.

Since 2005, the Amanora Yes Foundation has been operating on a no-profit, no-loss basis with a view to providing a better life to the deprived sections of society. Through the Foundation, work is happening in various fields like education, health, women empowerment, water conservation, etc. In the last four years, more than 70,000 citizens have benefited through 325 camps and programmes held by Amanora Yes Foundation. The foundation will continue with its work in the near future and has plans to expand so that it can accommodate the maximum disadvantaged people.

Navkshitij organisation has been working in the social sector for the last five years, providing permanent shelter for the mentally challenged adults. Aniruddha Deshpande has been extending financial help to the organisation and also helping in its management. Along with this, Deshpande has started a Pardhi Samaj Ashram School at Sajjanpuri in Khamgaon taluka of Buldhana district, to free the Pardhi community from the clutches of crime. This ashram school is of residential nature and currently, 800 students from the area are studying there. The school teaches students with the help of e-learning technology. In addition to this, the interests of students in crop cultivation and sports are also nurtured. Sports training is also imparted to the students under the guidance of experts with sports mapping. Students get all the training they need to become ideal citizens of the country. Deshpande is visibly proud that these children have excelled at the divisional, district and state levels. A few years back, Malin, a village with a population of 300 in Ambegaon taluka of Pune district, was sadly buried underground due to erosion in the rains. Aniruddha Deshpande helped the Government of Maharashtra for the rehabilitation of this village.

Aniruddha Deshpande, a sportsman himself, has set up a few sports-related organisations at the city, district and state levels. He has been promoting cricket, badminton, chess, car racing, wrestling and so on. He has been honoured with the Kridabhushan Award by Symbiosis, an internationally renowned educational institute.