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By:

Rashmi Kulkarni

23 March 2025 at 2:58:52 pm

Making a New Normal Feel Obvious

Normal is not what’s written. Normal is what repeats. The temple bell rings at the same time every day. Not everyone prays. Not everyone even walks in. Some people don’t care at all. And yet when that bell rings, the whole neighborhood syncs. Shops open, chores move, calls pause. The bell doesn’t convince anyone. It simply creates rhythm. That’s how “normal” is built inside a legacy MSME too. Not by speeches. By repetition. Quick recap: Week 1: You inherited an equilibrium. Week 2: People...

Making a New Normal Feel Obvious

Normal is not what’s written. Normal is what repeats. The temple bell rings at the same time every day. Not everyone prays. Not everyone even walks in. Some people don’t care at all. And yet when that bell rings, the whole neighborhood syncs. Shops open, chores move, calls pause. The bell doesn’t convince anyone. It simply creates rhythm. That’s how “normal” is built inside a legacy MSME too. Not by speeches. By repetition. Quick recap: Week 1: You inherited an equilibrium. Week 2: People resist loss, not improvement. Week 3: Status quo wins when your new way is harder. Week 4 is the next problem: even when your idea is good and even when it is easy, it can still fail because people don’t move together. One team starts. Another team waits. One person follows. Another person quietly returns to the old way. So, the old normal comes back … not because your idea was wrong, but because your new normal never became normal. Which Seat? • Inherited : people expect direction, but they only shift when they see what you consistently protect. • Hired : people wait for proof “Is this just a corporate habit you’ll drop in a month?” • Promoted : people watch whether you stay consistent under pressure. Now here’s the useful idea from Thomas Schelling: a “focal point”. Don’t worry about the term. In simple words, it means: you don’t need everyone convinced. You need one clear anchor that everyone can align around. In a legacy MSME, that anchor is rarely a policy document. It’s not a rollout email. It’s a ritual. Why Rituals? These firms run on informal rules, relationships, memory, and quick calls. That flexibility keeps work moving, but it also makes change socially risky. Even supportive people hesitate because they’re thinking: “If I follow this and others don’t, I’ll look foolish.” “If I share real numbers, will I become the target?” “If I push this new flow, will I upset a senior person?” “If I do it properly, will it slow me down?” When people feel that risk, they wait. And waiting is how the status quo survives. A focal ritual breaks the waiting. It sends one clean signal: “This is real. This is how we work now.” Focal Ritual It’s a short, fixed review that repeats with the same format. For example: a weekly scoreboard review (15 minutes) a daily dispatch huddle (10 minutes) a fixed purchase-approval window (cutoff + queue) The meeting isn’t the magic. The repetition is. When it repeats without drama, it becomes believable. When it becomes believable, people start syncing to it, even the ones who were unsure. Common Mistake New leaders enter with energy and pressure: “show impact”. So they try to fix reporting, planning, quality, procurement, digitization … everything. The result is predictable. People don’t know what is truly “must follow”. So everything becomes “optional”. They do a little of each, and nothing holds. If you want change to stick, pick one focal ritual and make it sacred. Not forever. Just long enough for the bell to become the bell. Field Test Step 1 : Pick one pain area that creates daily chaos: delayed dispatch, pending purchase approvals, rework, overdue collections. Step 2 : Set the ritual: Fixed time, fixed duration (15 minutes). One scoreboard (one page, one screen). Same three questions every time: – What moved since last time? – What is stuck and why? – What decision is needed today? One owner who closes the loop (decisions + due dates). Step 3 : Protect it for 8 weeks. Don’t cancel because you’re busy. Don’t skip because a VIP came. Don’t “postpone once” because someone complained. I’ve seen a simple weekly dispatch scoreboard die this exact way. Week one was sharp. By week three, it got pushed “just this once” because someone had a client visit. Week four, it moved again for “urgent work”. After that, nobody took it seriously. The old follow-ups returned, and the leader was back to chasing people daily. The first casual cancellation tells the system: “This was a phase”. And the old normal returns fast. One Warning Don’t turn the ritual into policing. If it becomes humiliation, people will hide information. If it becomes shouting, people will stop speaking. If it becomes a lecture, people will mentally leave. Keep it calm. Keep it consistent. Keep it useful. A bell doesn’t shout. It just rings. (The author is Co-founder at PPS Consulting and a business operations advisor. She helps businesses across sectors and geographies improve execution through global best practices. She could be reached at rashmi@ppsconsulting.biz)

Mumbai 3.0 to reshape land economics

AI generated image
AI generated image

Mumbai: The Maharashtra government’s approval of a comprehensive land acquisition and allotment policy for the proposed “Mumbai 3.0” or “Third Mumbai” marks a decisive step toward expanding the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) eastward into the Atal Setu (Mumbai Trans Harbour Link) influence zone. Envisaged as a large-scale urban–industrial hub, the project is expected to reshape land economics, infrastructure planning and real estate investment patterns across Uran, Panvel and adjoining talukas.


However, it also raises concerns among local residents regarding livelihoods, environmental sustainability, and equitable development.


Policy Framework

The policy provides a structured mechanism for acquiring and allocating land through mutual agreements or under the 2013 land acquisition law, while offering compensation in cash, Floor Space Index (FSI), or Transferable Development Rights (TDR).


Approximately 200 sq km of land has been earmarked under the New Town Development Authority and the MMRDA to facilitate planned growth and infrastructure rollout in the region.


A distinctive element is the “pass-through” cost model, under which land acquisition and infrastructure costs will be borne by plot holders or allottees, with MMRDA levying establishment charges and allotting land largely on an “as-is-where-is” basis.


The policy also prioritises large industrial investments and foreign direct investment (FDI), requiring a minimum of 100 acres and Rs 250 crore investment per 100 acres within four years to qualify for priority allotment.


Impact on Real Estate

From a real estate perspective, the policy could significantly alter supply dynamics within the MMR. By unlocking large contiguous land parcels, the government is creating a rare development opportunity in a market historically constrained by land scarcity. Planned townships, logistics parks, and industrial clusters are likely to stimulate demand for both commercial and residential projects in the extended region.


The emphasis on private cost-bearing may initially raise project entry barriers but could also accelerate execution timelines by reducing fiscal burdens on the state. Analysts expect early-stage land aggregation and speculative investments to intensify, especially in areas linked to the Atal Setu corridor, which promises enhanced connectivity to Mumbai’s island city.


However, the “as-is-where-is” allotment structure and infrastructure funding responsibilities may increase capital risk for developers, particularly mid-sized firms. Real estate pricing could witness a bifurcation: premium industrial and logistics projects backed by FDI may flourish, while residential segments may grow gradually depending on transport connectivity and civic amenities rollout.


Infrastructure Change

Infrastructure development is central to the Mumbai 3.0 vision. The policy is designed to expedite roads, logistics networks and industrial infrastructure in the Atal Setu influence zone, thereby reducing congestion in existing Mumbai and promoting balanced regional growth.


Strategically located near the Sewri–Nhava Sheva corridor, the area is poised to evolve into a multimodal logistics hub supporting port-based industries, warehousing, and manufacturing.


Nonetheless, the success of the infrastructure push hinges on parallel investments in mass transit, water supply and social infrastructure. Without integrated transport planning such as metro, suburban rail or bus rapid transit, residential real estate absorption may lag behind industrial growth.


Residents’ take

Residents in the proposed impact zone have expressed mixed reactions. A farmer from Pen said, “We hope the compensation in FSI or TDR will secure our future, but we want clarity on how quickly payments and rehabilitation will happen.” Another resident from Uran noted, “Development will bring jobs and better roads, but we fear losing our traditional livelihoods and green spaces.”

 

However, some local youth see opportunity: “If industries come, we won’t have to migrate to Mumbai for work,” said a college graduate from Panvel. Yet, environmental concerns remain strong, with several villagers stressing that “the coastal and forest ecosystems must be protected during expansion.”

 

Overall, the land acquisition policy for Mumbai 3.0 signals a structural shift toward decentralised urban expansion and infrastructure-led growth in the MMR. While it offers significant upside for real estate developers, industrial investors,

 

Prashant Sharma, President, NAREDCO Maharashtra said, “We welcome the Maharashtra cabinet’s decisive approval of the land acquisition and allotment policy for the Third Mumbai initiative, a visionary step that reinforces the state’s commitment to planned and sustainable urban growth."

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