The changing face of the Durgapur City Centre area reflects the boom

Suhatta, another mall in the Steel City

(Top) The Junction and some of the brands the mall has. Pictures by Gour Sharma

My first encounter with Durgapur happened in 2004, when we were looking to expand our Raymond business outside Calcutta. Among the options available, Durgapur appeared to be our best bet. We have never looked back since. Buoyed by the lessons learnt and the amazing experiences we had, we went on to open 25 outlets in smaller towns across eastern India.

Over the years, we also attempted to take our bookstore brand Crossword to Durgapur but the unavailability of proper retail space proved to be a hurdle. However, each visit to the city has brought with it an extra dose of positive energy and good vibes.

By 2006, the old Grand Trunk Road or Delhi Road had been replaced by the six-lane National Highway. The old, dilapidated buses gave way to air-conditioned luxurious Volvos. A journey of ease and comfort replaced a drive marked by potholes and road shocks. Connectivity was better than ever before and that, I feel, was a game-changer for Durgapur.

Soon many leading brands looking for options beyond Calcutta made Durgapur their second home. Big Bazaar, INOX, Flurys, Lee, Satya Paul, Nakshatra and many more. In 2007, the Shrachi Group approached us for our support and expertise to make a shopping mall in Durgapur. At that juncture I knew that Durgapur was ready, it had the potential to be a modern urban city.

One of the major aspects that sets apart Durgapur from other Tier 2 or Tier 3 cities is that it is a very well-planned city. Its municipal corporation commands an area as large as that of Calcutta. Wide roads, proper infrastructure and sufficient green patches have acted as a confidence-booster to the growth story. In terms of employment and opportunity, the scope and options are very encouraging. Most of the industries of Bengal are located in this region, starting from the Durgapur Steel Plant to investments in all core sectors, including power, steel, coal, sponge iron, cement and so on.

Apart from heavy industries, there is now a wide presence of the service and soft sectors. The availability of quality manpower has led to a steady growth of IT and allied services in the region. Durgapur, like Calcutta, has its own version of Salt Lake — a township, also called Bidhannagar, after Bengal’s visionary chief minister Bidhan Chandra Roy.

Over the last decade or so, the education and hospitality sectors have seen high growth and success and today Durgapur is the biggest hub of technical and higher education outside Calcutta.

This region, however, is not about Durgapur alone. Closely linked to the city are the neighbouring pockets of Andal, Panagarh, Asansol, Raniganj, all of which are a few kilometres away. Taken together, this region boasts of a total captive catchment population of more than 25 lakh. Durgapur is also the geographical nucleus of other districts such as Purulia, Bankura, Birbhum and also Dhanbad, making it the hotbed of all socio-economic activity.

But what truly sets it apart from other regions is its people — their aspirations, habits and lifestyle. Many are highly literate with positive energy, always looking for something better. Be it entertainment or shopping or food they have an appetite for a top-class experience and a desire to enjoy good times.

THE ROADMAP

So the roadmap for Junction was clear. The challenge was to create a lifestyle mall that would stand the test of time and would fulfil the needs and aspirations of the entire catchment in and around Durgapur. Though there was a major struggle to convince and market international brands to Durgapur, we never gave up.

Today, big national and international brands have made Junction mall at Durgapur their home. For most of them, including Shopper’s Stop, KFC, Lifestyle Max, Mainland China, Crossword and M3, Durgapur is the first city that they have invested in outside Calcutta in Bengal and/or eastern India. From fashion to food to footwear to entertainment to adda — Junction or rather Durgapur has it all.

The success and scale of Junction has encouraged several brands to make Durgapur their base in south Bengal. Modfurn, Domino’s, Apollo Clinic, Biba, W, Canon have recently opened outlets.

The success of the brands in Durgapur will encourage them to expand and invest in other towns in Bengal. And the presence of all these lifestyle brands will not only fuel consumption but will act as a catalyst for the changing fashion and cultural habits of people. It has created and will continue to create humongous opportunities for enterprise and entrepreneurs.

It has also put Durgapur on the national map and the wish list for lifestyle and related products and will ensure a closer connect, not only with Calcutta but other parts of urban India.

The increased exposure will sooner or later bring about a larger change in the expectations and living standards of the people. This will get reflected in greater quality of housing, health and education projects in the days ahead.

The upcoming airport project will hopefully lead to better transport infrastructure and that I believe will be the next game-changer.

I truly believe that the time has come for Bengal to boast of a developing top-class city — Durgapur. It is on the road to becoming one of the most important urban centres of growth and excellence in eastern India.

Are you bullish about brand Durgapur? Tell ttmetro@abpmail.com