An artist’s impression of Jagriti Dham

A Sector-V based company is building a state-of-the-art old age home on Diamond Harbour Road that should open by mid next year.

Named Jagriti Dham, the home is being built by Infinity Infotech Parks in collaboration with Jagriti Club, a voluntary organisation run by women. Infinity Infotech Parks owns office buildings likes Infinity Tower, Infinity Benchmark and Godrej Waterside in Sector V. Construction is on and the complex should open by June 2015.

Comfort & convenience

The facility is being built inside the premises of the Ibiza resort in Kriparampur, Diamond Harbour Road, and will be on the lines of retirement villages that are found abroad and as part of Infinity’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative.

Set up across 2.5 acres, the home will have a three-storey building with 72 apartments of 500-sq ft each. Inside the rooms, special attention is being paid to details such as the positioning of light switches, plug points and bathroom fittings so they are easy to reach for the elderly.

The building will be serviced by two lifts that will have stretcher-carrying capabilities. It will also be equipped with gently sloping ramps to help those who have problems climbing stairs. And the promoters have tied up with nursing homes and hospitals of the city to provide requisite medical care to its inmates.

The 72 rooms at Jagriti Dham, will be wifi enabled and fitted with LED television sets, refrigerators and a pantry. “There is no reason for an elderly citizens’ home to be drab and boring. Hence we have a card room, a billiards room and even coffee bars in the complex,” said Vijay K. Sood, the manager of Jeevan Sandhya Foundation, the CSR wing of Infinity Infotech Parks.

“We will have landscaped gardens and a temple in the complex and ensure that the residents live in a pollution-free and holistic environment. Hi-tech surveillance systems and guards posted 24x7 would make the place extremely safe,” added Sood.

Residents will also be free to make use of the swimming pool, gym and other activities that Ibiza has to offer.

Money matters

Although the authorities at Infinity Infotech Parks claim this to be a no-profit no-loss venture, people moving in must cough up Rs 25 lakh up front. Out of this, Rs 20 lakh will be a refundable deposit that will be returned when the resident moves out or passes away, while Rs 5 lakh would be towards the building fund that is refundable only if one moves out within six months. Apart from this, a monthly maintenance charge of Rs 30,000 is payable for couples and Rs 25,000 for singletons.

The project is said to be garnering interest among NRIs, doctors, businessmen and retired judges. “Our son is settled outside the city. I have been an army wife and found that Jagriti Dham offers the culturally vibrant lifestyle that I have come to be used to for all these years. And given the facilities on offer, the asking price seems justified,” said Meena Banerjee who plans to move in with husband Colonel (Retd.) Durga Sankar Banerjee as soon as the facility opens.

“It’s not that our children don’t care for us. In fact, they would be relieved to know that we would be staying in a secured area like this whereas for us, it will be like being a part of a joint family,” Banerjee added.

Current residential options in Salt Lake

The Retreat

At: KB 27

Rooms: 36 rooms with provision for 72 boarders to stay on twin-sharing basis

Rates: Refundable deposit of Rs 10 lakh for regular rooms and Rs 15 lakh for larger deluxe rooms. Monthly rent is Rs 10,000 and Rs 15,000.

Waiting list: 5 to 6 people

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Bairag

At: IB 9

Rooms: 26 room for 26 people

Rates: Monthly rent of Rs 7,500, 8,500 or Rs 10,500. A donation of Rs 50,000 at the time of admission, along with a refundable six months’ security deposit and Rs 50,000 medical deposit.

Waiting list: 20 to 25 people (another branch of Bairag with seven beds will open in HB 177 in 2015)

saltlake@abpmail.com