Pune, June 17, 2025: FLAME University’s Executive Education Cell, under the aegis of Project IncLand, successfully hosted the ‘Land Matters’ workshop, an intensive, capacity-building initiative, addressing the critical challenges across land governance, planning, development, management, and real estate sectors.
The one-day workshop held at the university brought together a diverse group of stakeholders comprising urban planners, real estate developers, policymakers, academics, and government officials, anchoring a day of deep interdisciplinary dialogue. Spearheaded by Prof. Prasad Pathak, Faculty of Environmental Studies, FLAME University, the conference is part of FLAME’s broader engagement with Project IncLand, a national initiative committed to strengthening land-focused pedagogy and institutional capacity in India.
Speaking on the significance of this event, Prof. Venkataramanan, Pro Vice-Chancellor, FLAME University, emphasized the need for such workshops and the urgency of interdisciplinary approaches in tackling India’s land challenges and shared, “Land is more than a physical asset; it is a foundation for economic development, urban equity, and environmental sustainability. Through initiatives like Project IncLand and programs like this workshop, FLAME University aims to foster critical thinking and cross-sector collaboration that can reshape India’s land governance landscape.”
The event featured an insightful fireside dialogue titled ‘Land at the Core,’ where experts focused on longstanding bottlenecks in the sector, such as land titling, regulatory overlaps, and valuation hurdles, along with the need for collaborative solutions in land administration. This discussion featured Ramnath Sonawane, IAS and Ex-Municipal Commissioner, Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation; Satya Prabha Giri, Managing Partner, Lotus Landmarks, Pune; Ajay Katuri, CEPT University and National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA); Mohammed Hussain Shaikh, Founder, Land Masters Advisory, Mumbai; and Santosh Bhansali, Founder, White Lotus Realty, Mumbai.
This was followed by a masterclass on ‘Practical Insight: Town Planning Schemes, Land Management & Governance’ by Mr. Rajan Kop, former Director, Department of Town Planning and Valuation, Government of Maharashtra. The day concluded with a roundtable discussion to identify skill development, work mechanisms, and knowledge gaps in land planning and management, with insights from representatives of various sectors.
Prof. Prasad Pathak, Faculty of Environmental Studies, FLAME University, also shared his views and added, “There is a need to bridge the silos between real estate developers, planners, and governance authorities. Our aim with ‘Land Matters’ was to create a cross-learning platform where all these experts can share experiences, explore land complexities in real estate and infrastructure projects, and work towards long-term capacity building.”
This workshop also highlighted FLAME University’s role in Project IncLand. As a key academic collaborator, the university, through its innovative initiatives such as the development of a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) titled ‘Introduction to Land Governance,’ has taken the lead in capacity building. This aims to equip students across disciplines with a strong foundation in land administration and governance.
Identifying the significance of initiatives like Land Matters, Mr. Pranab Choudhury, Co-Founder and Director, Landstack, said, “It was good to see engineers, planners, and real estate developers from both the government and the private sector, along with academicians, come together to discuss how land matters to everybody. The reason for that is quite often, land is not just a commodity but also an identity. In India, land has traditionally been left for the state to deal with, which is not the case globally. Initiatives like ‘Land Matters’ by FLAME University and LandStack are addressing this and making it an interdisciplinary subject so that land, which impacts everyone, also becomes an inclusive resource for the society to collectively ideate, develop, plan, and manage.”
‘Land Matters’ forms part of FLAME University’s mission to drive impactful interdisciplinary education and real-world problem-solving. Future programs under Project IncLand will continue to address institutional and pedagogical gaps in the land sector through executive education modules, research publications, and curricular innovations.
