Development Watch – Week #1 Dec’25

Development News

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Demand for wellness homes due to air pollution

Delhi’s worsening air quality is increasingly shaping homebuyers’ decisions, pushing developers to prioritise wellness features such as open spaces, vertical gardens, dense greenery, large outdoor purifiers and centralised air-conditioning systems equipped with advanced indoor air filters. The projects that focus on these anti-pollution measures may command a premium in high-pollution cities. Developers are stepping up their focus on cleaner living, adding anti-smog guns, dust barriers, ultra-filtration heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems and even air-purifying plants.

Delhi airport India’s first ‘water-positive’ airport

Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) has achieved a major sustainability milestone. It has become India’s first airport with over 40 million passengers to be certified as ‘water-positive’, Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) announced on Monday. A water-positive facility is one that replenishes more water than it consumes. It is a distinction IGI earned through a combination of innovative infrastructure and water management practices. The airport now boasts 625 rainwater harvesting structures, two newly constructed underground reservoirs with a total capacity of 9 million litres, and a 16.6 million litre per day (MLD) zero-liquid-discharge sewage treatment plant. These systems allow IGI to capture, store, and recycle water for multiple non-potable purposes. Treated water is reused for Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems, landscape irrigation, toilet flushing and other nonpotable applications. A water treatment plant provides high-quality potable water to passengers with minimal wastage. Advanced systems such as sprinklers and drip irrigation ensure efficient water use.

Tesla to develop EV ecosystem in India

Tesla is building an electric vehicle ecosystem in India to enhance long-term sales. The company plans to establish charging points at homes, destinations like malls and hotels, along with superchargers in major cities. This initiative aims to accelerate EV adoption and improve air-quality. Tesla’s plan focuses on imported cars and showrooms, with no immediate plans for local manufacturing. Tesla builds their infrastructure around the lifestyle of customers, where they eat, where they work, where they go for staycations. With the upcoming commissioning of the Gurugram charging station soon, Tesla will operate four charging stations across India, equipped with 16 superchargers and 10 destination chargers. Tesla opened its first experience centre in Mumbai in July, followed by a second experience centre in Delhi at Aerocity in August.

ADB loan for rooftop solar adoption in India

Multilateral development bank ADB has approved a USD 650 million (about Rs 5,780 crore) policy-based loan to help the Government of India accelerate rooftop solar adoption and expand access to clean, affordable energy for 10 million households by 2027. The financing under Subprogram 1 of the Accelerating Affordable and Inclusive Rooftop Solar Systems Development Program will support the government’s flagship initiative – Pradhan Mantri Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana (PMSGMBY) – which aims to make rooftop solar systems widely accessible nationwide. Aligned with India’s Nationally Determined Contribution targets, the programme will enhance the skills and capacity of at least 5,000 personnel, including 1,500 women. It will also support the development of utility-led aggregation models and model solar villages and foster a robust vendor ecosystem.

Railways to use new ways to boost non-fare revenue

Indian Railways is intensifying efforts to boost non-fare revenue (NFR) by exploring new avenues like leasing guesthouse space, monetizing residue materials from wagons, and selling station waste. The goal is to significantly increase NFR earnings, which currently represent a small fraction of total income compared to developed countries. The Indian Railways makes roughly 3% of its total income from NFR. According to a Niti Aayog assessment, there remains substantial untapped potential on this front since non-fare income of railways in developed countries is around 30% of total earnings. NFR earnings of the national transporter stood at ₹588.07 crore in FY 2023-24 and ₹686.86 crore in FY 2024-25. This included earnings from advertisements on railway overbridges, e-auctioning of monetizable assets, and the New, Innovative Non-Fare Revenue Ideas Scheme (NINFRIS).