Pinnacle

Source : Times of India

What makes the NCPA Apartments so exclusive? Property experts say there are residential buildings far superior to the NCPA but it is the list of top honchos who stay there that gives this tower a mark of exclusivity.

Vodafone CEO Asim Ghosh, Hindustan Constructions chairman-cum-managing director Ajit Gulabchand, Shell Group chairman Vikram Mehta, Bank of Rajasthan chairman P K Tayal, Kotak Mahindra Bank vice-chairman and managing director Uday Kotak, Tata Sons financial director Ishaat Hussain and Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group director Amitabh Jhunjhunwala are some of the high-profile residents of NCPA.

“The building looks haunted at all times because no one is permitted to loiter around on the compound or in the lobby. The chauffeurs are segregated in a large room with a television, a fridge and dining tables. They can only step out when they get a call from their employer, asking them to bring out the car,’’ an insider said.

“Residents do not want to be seen and simply vanish inside as soon as they step out of their cars. They do not want to show their presence in the building. They never discuss, never chit-chat in the lobby,’’ he added.

The building does not have a swimming pool but it has a “world-class’’ gymnasium spread over 5,000 square feet with a yoga and meditation room, a weight-lifting area, a sauna bath, a steam room and a massage enclave.

The tower has 10 high-speed elevators; two of them are meant only for transporting heavy equipment. The monthly outgoing for each resident is between Rs 20,000 and Rs 24,000. NCPA Apartments does not have large cash reserves unlike some of the cash-rich societies in the Cuffe Parade and Altamount Road areas but, whenever there is a need to raise funds, members are known to contribute generously.

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Ram