There is no doubt that our beloved AOH is a coveted place to stay in NOIDA – the ‘somewhat’ private access to the society gates, away from the main road madness, the lush green quietude of the Ashram (which, given the state of affairs, won’t last very long) and a clear view till the horizons in front.
There are of course, many other points, from safety, security to a good, happening crowd of people, which have made it a great place to stay… This also means that there is always a scramble for houses as they vacate, and this, in turn, is of course great fodder for all those whose livelihoods are run dealing in properties.
Post COVID though, there has been a generous hike in rents in a short span of time, and for all of us at the receiving end, that generous hike is quite arduous. AOH comprises of a big community of renters who, for a multitude of reasons, are happy staying and paying; however, the rent hikes in the last couple of years have not been proportional to, say, income hikes.
Moreover, there seems to be a nexus calling up landlords (I personally hate the term) and telling them to make their current tenants leave in exchange for getting newer ones who are willing to pay more. While some of the apartment owners don’t bother, some others do.
This is something that I have heard from many people in the last few months, and it has obviously compelled many to move out, while others have moved within to different numbers – an unnecessary expense and a cause for stress.
While AOH is definitely a coveted place, it is not Gurugram or Mumbai (at least not yet) that expectations for staying here should reach the stars… And while year on year, NOIDA and areas around grow, the stay here becomes difficult due to overall poor construction quality, and especially poor water quality, which further damages plumbing.
And while some of us figure out where we eventually will end up, we hope that those of us who have to stay here, for any duration, enjoy the good times rather than the different stresses.
