23-Dec-2019

10-Oct-2019

06-Dec-2019

CREDAI Bengal Daily News Update | 23.12.19

WEST BENGAL NEWS

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Newspaper/Online The Times of India(online)

Date December 23, 2019

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Newspaper/Online The Telegraph(online)

Date December 23, 2019

OTHER NEWS

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Newspaper/Online The Economic Times(online)

Date December 23, 2019

Realty developers seek more government's help to boost demand

Realty developers are seeking more support, in addition to the measures announced,

including the Rs 25,000-crore stress fund for completion of stuck housing projects, from

the government to boost the demand for housing and easing liquidity pressure.

Realty developers are seeking more support, in addition to the measures announced, including

the Rs 25,000-crore stress fund for completion of stuck housing projects, from the government

to boost the demand for housing and easing liquidity pressure.

Developers have reached out to finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman with suggestions such as

allowing them flexibility on charging GST at 5% without income tax credit or 8% with income

tax credit and home loan rates at 7% for the next two years for all categories of housing

irrespective of low, middle or high income group project.

“A real financial impetus to the real estate sector can come with a major overhaul in terms of

GST relief and curtailing home loan rates. The sector needs a one-time subvention scheme and

restructuring of realty sector loans," said Rajan Bandelkar, president, NAREDCO, Maharashtra.

“Real estate sector needs treatment like information technology sector where tax holidays and

moratorium played a key role.”

According to him, slashing of home loan rates will change the demand dynamics among the

low, middle and higher income groups. The FM should consider enhanced deduction tenure for

taxation purposes, which will boost home buying.

Builders have also suggested that any property purchased in the past one year till March 2022,

the capital value as well as the interest paid thereon should be allowed as a deduction over a

period of 5-7 years.

“To prop up the economy, we are suggesting opening up few windows like creating demand by

giving little tax concessions to the consumers. Second, if RBI considers one-time re-structuring

of loans, then it will also help in these times of financial crunch, especially to stressed

developers,” said Vijay Wadhwa, chairman emeritus, The Wadhwa Group.

He believes that out of these suggestions, even if any one or two are accepted, they can boost

the economy.

The government, in its efforts to kick-start the economy, is looking to providing relief to the

housing sector, and eventually homebuyers, who have been waiting to take delivery of their

homes by setting up this distress fund. The move is expected to boost the sector as completion

of stuck projects would not only revive supply, but also improve liquidity for developers as well

Newspaper/Online ET Realty(online)

Date December 21, 2019

Link https://realty.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/industry/realty-developers-seek-more-governments-help-to-boost-demand/72913527

as financiers. Realty developers and industry observers are certain that the intentions are good,

but the government needs to set the wheels in motion as early as possible.

In the backdrop of liquidity crisis, sluggish sales environment and the debt trap, real estate

sector continues to seek emergency lifeline from the government that has announced several

measures, but actual implementation is yet to gather momentum.

The sector is hoping that the recent measures, including setting up of a distress fund, would help

it get out of the liquidity crisis, slower sales and debt trap that it got into to a certain extent.

Indian property sector’s debt exposure that continues to be the biggest stress factor for the

segment stands at $93 billion including advances by non-banking finance companies (NBFC)

and housing finance companies, showed recent data from ANAROCK Property Consultants.

Of this, around $21 billion is under some pressure but has the potential to get resolved with due

steps. In fact, the stress on this segment of the debt is largely on recovery of interest and not on

the principal amount. However, $14 billion, or about 16%, is under severe stress.

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Centre eases minimum land requirement for SEZs

From now, all existing and new SEZs would become multi-sector enclaves and help in co-

existence of such entities from any other sector.

The government has amended the minimum land requirement and categorisation of special

economic zones. The new rules will now enable co-existence of any SEZ from any sector with

others.

From now, all existing and new SEZs would become multi-sector enclaves and help in co-

existence of such entities from any other sector. Earlier, the rules were sector specific

prohibiting existence of several sectors within one SEZ.

The government has also simplified the provisions governing the minimum land requirement

and also simplified the rules.

Now, the minimum land required for setting up a multi-product SEZ has been revised from 500

hectares to 50 hectares.

Similarly, the minimum built up area for services have also been reduced. The step may help

unlock the potential of SEZs to attract investments and boost exports.

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Newspaper/Online ET Realty(online)

Date December 22, 2019

Link https://realty.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/industry/centre-eases-minimum-land-requirement-for-sezs/72924127

Over 200 buildings in Mumbai served notices over fire safety

Nearly 208 buildings inspected were found to be non-compliant and notices have been

issued to these housing societies and commercial complexes.

The Mumbai fire brigade this year inspected a total of 2,486 buildings to check if their fire-

fighting systems were functional.

Nearly 208 buildings inspected were found to be non-compliant and notices have been issued to

these housing societies and commercial complexes. Besides this, 10,800 hotels, restaurants and

other commercial establishments were inspected for fire compliance and action was initiated

against 6, 282 establishments for flouting fire norms.

Also, 9,921 gas cylinders were seized after fire officials found them being illegally used.

The inspection was undertaken by 34 special compliance cells under the fire brigade. The

compliance cell is supposed to be exclusively in-charge of conducting surprise inspections of

building premises.

The total number of blaze calls received by the fire brigade saw a 10% jump to 5,427 in 2018-

19 from 4,927 in 2017-18.

Chief fire officer P S Rahagandale said, “Structures were randomly selected for inspection and

many of these were found noncompliant following which notices were issued. If corrective

action is not taken within the stipulated time, we will have to initiate prosecution action by

disconnecting water and electricity supply to these premises.”

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Newspaper/Online ET Realty(online)

Date December 21, 2019

Link https://realty.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/regulatory/over-200-buildings-in-mumbai-served-notices-over-fire-safety/72913857

Notify plan for earthquake-prone buildings: Delhi HC

The court said a copy this order along with the orders passed on August 26, 2015,

February 9, 2016, February 1 and May 1, 2019 in the case, be brought to the knowledge of

the Chief Secretary for appropriate action.

The Delhi High Court Friday asked the Delhi Chief Secretary to file an affidavit explaining the

reasons for not complying with its previous orders on an action plan to make the buildings in

the national capital earthquake-proof.

A bench of Justices G S Sistani and Anup Jairam Bhambhani granted a last opportunity to the

Delhi government to notify the action plan, failing which the Chief Secretary would have to be

personally present in the court.

The court said a copy this order along with the orders passed on August 26, 2015, February 9,

2016, February 1 and May 1, 2019 in the case, be brought to the knowledge of the Chief

Secretary for appropriate action.

It listed the matter for further hearing on February 8.

The court in its various orders has directed the authorities to form an action plan to make

buildings compliant with requirements of the National Building Code 2005 for seismic zone-IV,

where the city is placed.

The bench was hearing a PIL by advocate Arpit Bhargava questioning how safe were the

buildings in Delhi if an earthquake, like that in Nepal, occurs here. The April 2015 Nepal

earthquake had killed nearly 9,000 people and left about 22,000 injured.

Bhargava said if the authorities would have complied with the court's previous orders, the

situation in the city would not have worsened so much and some serious action has to be taken.

Delhi government's counsel Santosh Kumar Tripathi told the bench that the action plan has been

prepared and the Delhi government's Law Department has sent back the file for clarification on

some points.

The government's status report said they have clarified the points raised by the Law Department

and the file has been again sent to it for vetting of draft notification of extended action plan.

The court had earlier observed that Delhi fell in a high risk seismic zone IV and had sought

action plans from various authorities to ensure that buildings in the city survived an earthquake.

Newspaper/Online ET Realty(online)

Date December 21, 2019

Link https://realty.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/regulatory/notify-plan-for-earthquake-prone-buildings-delhi-hc/72914436

It had also noted only 25 per cent buildings in the national capital are constructed with a

sanctioned plan and authorised in accordance with the law.

The remaining 75 per cent of Delhi appeared to be entirely outside the building regularisation as

they are unauthorised, the court had then observed.

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Gurugram: HSPCB wants builders to install anti-smog guns at sites

This means any site with an area of more than 20,000 square metre. The anti-smog gun

can be mounted on a truck to cover the entire construction area.

In a first, the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) has mandated at least one anti-

smog gun at every construction site larger than 20,000 square metre. A high-level committee on

the feasibility of air pollution control technologies met to discuss a plan of implementation.

“It was decided that anti-smog guns must be made compulsory for construction projects in

Delhi-NCR that require environmental clearances from (the) state/central level,” the

recommendations state.

This means any site with an area of more than 20,000 square metre. The anti-smog gun can be

mounted on a truck to cover the entire construction area.

An anti-smog gun is a device, shaped like a cannon, which sprays water into the air. It is

connected to a water tank for continuous supply.

The water creates an artificial mist, which helps settle the dust and disperse suspended particles

— especially PM2.5. The HSPCB officials said that this would make a big difference. Experts,

however, said more needs to be evaluated.

“This seems like a cosmetic measure. In the capital, anti-smog guns were installed but pollution

levels didn’t come down. There is a need to carry out proper research before recommending the

use of this device,” said a former member of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

Niranjan Raje, former member of EPCA, agreed: “There is a need to test the device first and

conduct more thorough research before making it mandatory for construction sites.”

Last month, the Supreme Court had asked the Centre to install smog towers and anti-smog guns

to fight pollution in Delhi-NCR and ordered the CPCB to be part of the plan. Delhi had done

trial runs of anti-smog guns earlier. Smog towers are essentially large-scale air purifiers, with

capacity to clean up to 32 million cubic metres of air per day.

The regional office of the HSPCB has sent the directions to the GMDA, TCP and PWD —

authorities that have big construction sites in the city.

There are more than 900 big construction sites in Gurgaon. The EPCA had imposed a blanket

ban on construction early last month, when pollution levels had reached alarming levels. It was

lifted after about a month.

Newspaper/Online ET Realty(online)

Date December 23, 2019

Link https://realty.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/regulatory/gurugram-hspcb-wants-builders-to-install-anti-smog-guns-at-sites/72931574

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Municipal act to simplify building permissions in Hyderabad

At the workshop, emphasis was laid on the approval system which will be introduced in

new municipalities to simplify building permissions.

The Municipal Act, 2019 which ran into turbulence and came under judicial scrutiny will now

be available in public domain. The decision was taken on Friday in a workshop held with town

planners across the state.

At the workshop, emphasis was laid on the approval system which will be introduced in new

municipalities to simplify building permissions. The permissions will be issued on the lines

of TS-iPASS, providing single-window clearances for industries.

This new approval system will be implemented as a part of the new Municipal Act. “The new

approval system will change the perception of the people towards town planning officials,” said

MAUD minister KT Rama Rao.

As per the act, the municipal officials can demolish illegal structures that violate the norms. In

case there is an errors by officials, action will be initiated against them.

The vacancies in the Town Planning department will be filled according to MAUD officials and

will focus on improving infrastructure of municipal offices.

The new norms are applicable only for municipalities, and will not be applicable for buildings

raised in Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) limits.

Officials of MAUD and Directorate of Town and Country Planning were directed by KTR to

ensure all the documents and software tools pertaining to building permissions should also be

available in both the state languages apart from English.

“I request Arvind Kumar, Principal Secretary, MAUD, to upload the act online in Telugu and

Urdu too,” said Rao.

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Newspaper/Online ET Realty(online)

Date December 21, 2019

Link https://realty.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/regulatory/municipal-act-to-simplify-building-permissions-in-hyderabad/72914124

Realtors hopeful on proposal to turn Visakhapatnam into executive

capital

Residents and representatives of Left parties, however, fear that the cost of living in the

region will shoot up if the proposal takes shape.

Chief minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy’s proposal to turn Vizag the executive capital of the state

has boosted hopes of increased construction activity among realtors in the city.

Residents and representatives of Left parties, however, fear that the cost of living in the region

will shoot up if the proposal takes shape.

Speaking to TOI, president of Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India

(Credai), B Srinivasa Rao, predicted that the demand for houses and cost of apartments in

Yendada, Madhurawada, Bheemili and Tagarapuvalasa will soon show a steep hike as buyers

may choose to invest in real estate following the CM’s proposal.

As Vizag has the advantage of a coastal location, the city will see more high-rise buildings

coming up as the demand for flats and land will increase, he added.

Realtors are of the opinion that prices of land and apartments in the city will increase by at least

30 per cent once the government takes a concrete decision on the executive capital. At present,

over 5,000 flats in apartments and housing societies across the city are up for sale, most of

which are on the outskirts, said B Ramachandra Rao, a city-based realtor.

However, “the proposed executive capital in Vizag would result in more traffic snarls,

mushrooming number of brokers, middlemen and land grabbers, and above all, the cost of

living in the city will shoot up by at least 40 per cent,” said B Lokanadham, CPI(M).

He added that middle class and lower-middle class families would be hit by rising prices and

the city may face a water crisis with rapid urbanisation.

V Ganesh, a resident of Kommadi in the city said, “We are paying Rs 7,000 rent per month for

a two-bedroom flat in Kommadi, which is around 12 km from the city. If the city becomes the

executive capital, rents may further increase and become a big burden.”

Land prices in the core city area may not increase much as prices already reached saturation

around two years ago. In Rushikonda, the price of land is Rs 15,000 per square yard, which may

go up Rs 25,000 per sq yard in future, he added.

Newspaper/Online ET Realty(online)

Date December 21, 2019

Link https://realty.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/industry/realtors-hopeful-on-proposal-to-turn-visakhapatnam-into-executive-capital/72910910

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PMRDA likely to get land for Pune metro in January

About 2 hectares of land (1.49 hectares from the state government and 0.96 hectares from

teh Centre) were required for the project.

The central and state government departments are expected to transfer land for the 23.3km

proposed third Metro line from Hinjewadi-Shivajinagar by the first fortnight of January 2020.

About 2 hectares of land (1.49 hectares from the state government and 0.96 hectares from teh

Centre) were required for the project. “The Union government has given an “in-principle”

agreement for the land. The state government, too, has given consent and in the coming weeks

the land is expected to be transferred for the Metro project after due discussions,” The Pune

Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) commissioner Vikram Kumar told

TOI.

Police wireless service department, Rajbhavan, MSEB, Agriculture college, Police recreational

hall, COEP hostel, Civil court, Balewadi sports complex, revenue departments are the state

government departments that will transfer land for this project for the running section, station

and staircase for the elevated metro line. “From the central government departments, NCL, RBI,

AIR, Central Bee Research Institutes, IMDA and LIC will have to transfer land mainly for the

station area and staircase,” a PMRDA official said.

The land parcels will be transferred to the concessionaire consortium of TRIL Urban Transport

(a subsidiary of Tata Realty and Infrastructure) and Siemens Project Ventures. “Once 90% of

land is transferred, work can commence on the Metro line,” another PMRDA official said.

Pune collector Naval Kishore Ram said the departments agreed to transfer the land at the

earliest and he would hold a round of talks in the coming week to execute it at the earliest.

The first phase of around 8km from Hinjewadi to Balewadi is expected to be operational by

2020-end. There will be 23 stations on the entire Metro stretch. The project has been proposed

to be completely operational by 2023.

The project is being developed on design, build, finance, operate and transfer (DBFOT) mode

with the initial concession period of 35 years. The project implementation will start from

February 2020 after the consortium has 100% land in their possession.

The consortium of 74:26 percent (Tata Realty and Infrastructure; and Siemens Project

Ventures) will take a share of the profits for the first 20 years and then part with some share

from the 21st year in their 35 year agreement.

Newspaper/Online ET Realty(online)

Date December 22, 2019

Link https://realty.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/infrastructure/pmrda-likely-to-get-land-for-pune-metro-in-january/72923577

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Chandigarh civic body to collect Rs 40 lakh as property tax from 13

villages

Since the property tax has been imposed for the first time in these villages, on the lines of

the power and water bills, the tax branch of the MC is all set to send bills individually to

all the tax holders.

As the Chandigarh administration has imposed property tax on commercial properties in 13

villages, the tax branch of the municipal corporation has calculated approximately Rs 40 lakh

that they will incur from these 13 villages annually.

Since the property tax has been imposed for the first time in these villages, on the lines of the

power and water bills, the tax branch of the MC is all set to send bills individually to all the tax

holders and ensure 100% compliance of the same.

“Since the imposed commercial property tax will be effective from the coming financial year

starting from April 1, 2020, we have time to intimate people in this regard. Therefore, we have

decided to send property tax related bills so that the property holders concerned can get

information in this regard. Earlier, the idea to send the notice was also there, but most of the

people don’t get intimation through notices, thus we have decided to use the time to send

individual bills,” said an official of the MC.

Since the municipal corporation has already done a detailed survey of each villages, they have

identified 3,138 commercial properties in these 13 villages. Out of these properties, Daria

village has recorded optimum commercial properties.

Significantly, all these 13 villages were transferred to the municipal corporation in October

2018 and since then the offices of the MC were trying to convince the general house the need of

imposing to tax, but the member of the house outrightly rejected the matter, without listening

the financial constraints.

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Newspaper/Online ET Realty(online)

Date December 22, 2019

Link https://realty.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/regulatory/chandigarh-civic-body-to-collect-rs-40-lakh-as-property-tax-from-13-villages/72923593

Ludhiana civic body's staff told not to evict people without

alternate housing

On December 18, officials from Punjab Small Indusries and Export Corporation (PSIEC)

and MC had attempted an anti-encroachment drive in the area, but it failed after

residents gathered there in large numbers against officials.

“Before evicting the occupants from their land in Rajiv Gandhi Colony in Focal Point, the civic

body and district administration will have to ensure accommodation for the families living

there,” said the member of the National Commission for Safai Karamcharis, Manju Diler, on

Friday after visiting the colony, and meeting the residents living there.

However, Gaurav Bhatti, the husband of the Congress councillor, alleged that some miscreants

had pelted stones at his car when he had gone there to talk to Manju about the issue.

On December 18, officials from Punjab Small Indusries and Export Corporation (PSIEC) and

MC had attempted an anti-encroachment drive in the area, but it failed after residents gathered

there in large numbers against officials.

Bhatti told Diler that many houses were built on land belonging to the railways as well, and if

she wanted to do something for these people, then she should ssiue instructions that the land be

allotted to the people living there. He said it was in the jurisdiction of the Union government to

provide the Railways land to the people. However, Manju asked Gaurav to meet her in Delhi

over the issue.

Gaurav alleged that while he was going back, somebody from the crowd started throwing stones

at his car. He said luckily, nobody got injured, but his front windscreen was damaged. He

claimed he would complain against the miscreants after meeting the police commissioner on

Saturday.

Now, MC and district administration officials have been advised to form a committee in which

residents from the colony can also be included for finding a solution to the encroachment

problem. Diler said either residents be provided with houses of 50 square yards each, or their

existing houses be regularised at subsidised rates.

Diler said if any damage was caused to any sanitation employee organisation’s family members,

then the administration would be solely responsible for that. He said the Union government was

committed to providing a house to every person by 2022. She said families of ‘safai

karamcharis’ should not be made to suffer for the fulfilment of this commitment.

Newspaper/Online ET Realty(online)

Date December 21, 2019

Link https://realty.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/regulatory/ludhiana-civic-bodys-staff-told-not-to-evict-people-without-alternate-housing/72914214

Meanwhile, BJP councillor Yashpal Chaudhary, who had requested Diler to visit the area, once

said, “Almost 50% of the occupants work in MC as Class IV employees, and all of them had

fear in their minds that MC authorities could pressurise them to vacate their houses. We

requested Diler to visit the colony where people were living for more than 30 years.”

He said she had passed on instructions to officials for first arranging accomodation for the poor

people there if the MC wanted that land to be vacated. Chaudhary added that people living there

were ready to move out, but they wanted an alternate arrangement, and now they were hopeful

nobody would be evicted forcefully.

Notably, on December 18, cops were deployed in the locality. But gradually, residents living in

those houses started coming together, and all the roads leading to the locality were blocked by

protestors. The Akali Dal and BJP leaders also sat in protest.

The cops, however, also recommended the PSIEC and MC staff not to go ahead with the drive,

because it could lead to a major clash in the area. Fearing such a clash, civic officials and

PSIEC staff preferred staying inside Focal Point police station, and then it was decided to

postpone the drive.

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Maharashtra government may merge housing bodies

The official said while these were independent bodies, the government was of the opinion

that having so many bodies to execute affordable housing projects would become too

unwieldy.

The state government is considering bringing the several agencies in charge of affordable

housing schemes under a single umbrella.

According to a source, the government is mulling the possibility of bringing

the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA), Slum Rehabilitation

Authority (SRA) and others under the urban development department to streamline and

expedite affordable housing projects.

The official said while these were independent bodies, the government was of the opinion that

having so many bodies to execute affordable housing projects would become too unwieldy. The

previous BJP-led government under Devendra Fadnavis had aimed to build affordable housing

for all by 2022 as a part of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) scheme.

“Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray had expressed an interest in merging these agencies to

expedite the projects. While a meeting was held in Mumbai pertaining to that city, similar

meetings will be held for other key cities,” an urban development department official said.

In 2018, the government had signed agreements with Credai-Maharashtra and Maharashtra

Chamber of Housing Industry to develop around 9.15 lakh affordable housing units in the rural

areas of the state by 2022.

The state had also notified set a target of building 19.4 lakh houses in urban areas by 2022.

Work on 13.5 lakh units is underway, the official said.

Another government official said the state’s policies for the construction of affordable housing

were really effective compared to those of other states. “The benefit of increased FSI (Floor

Space Index), low land cost, reduction of stamp duty to just Rs1,000, are a boost to affordable

housing,” senior state government official said.

The state government had recently announced an additional subsidy of Rs2 lakh for those

working in the construction industry and also devised policies to develop green zones in a

sustainable way under PMAY, the official said.

Newspaper/Online ET Realty(online)

Date December 22, 2019

Link https://realty.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/industry/maharashtra-government-may-merge-housing-bodies/72923559

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Real estate sector in Surat yet to come out of recession

Though town planning department of Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) had approved

459 building plans in 2019, only 43 were executed.

The city’s real estate sector is yet to come out of severe recession in which it has been

languishing for the past few years.

Though town planning department of Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) had approved 459

building plans in 2019, only 43 were executed. Builders say Real Estate (Regulation and

Development) Act, demonetization and GST had together dried up the cash flow.

Figures from banks show compared to other cities in the country, real estate sector was growing

rapidly in Surat. With 12 per cent growth, real estate sector in Surat had left Ahmedabad much

behind, which was registering only 8 per cent growth for the past few years ago. However,

situation has not been the same since three years now.

Year Projects Approved Projects executed

2017 611 145

2018 659 140

2019 459 43

Jasmat Videa, former president of CREDAI Surat, said, “Surat real estate market was always a

favourite with investors. Around 40 per cent of the money in the sector was that of investors.

After demonetization, RERA and GST, money flow from this segment has just dried up. This

has led to collapse of real estate market in the city, drying up demand for different types of

housing. Some projects, including under affordable housing segment, are not starting despite

approvals.”

Anuj Puri, chairman of a property consultants firm, said, “There is job insecurity in the market

because of lack of demand. It is very important that investors return to put the real estate

segment on the growth path again. But much will depend on government policies. It may take at

least a year for the real estate sector to bounce back in the city."

Newspaper/Online ET Realty(online)

Date December 22, 2019

Link https://realty.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/industry/real-estate-sector-in-surat-yet-to-come-out-of-recession/72923524

Secunderabad: Railway land to be leased out to private developers

While railways believes it would ride on the government’s ‘look east’ policy and spur

more development in the eastern parts of the city, sceptics question leasing out precious

railway land to private developers.

Taking a leaf out of other government agencies to generate revenue, the Railway Land

Development Authority (RLDA), in a move which could stir a hornet’s nest, has decided to

lease out its prime land in Secunderabad for development to private players.

While railways believes it would ride on the government’s ‘look east’ policy and spur more

development in the eastern parts of the city, sceptics question leasing out precious railway land

to private developers.

While about half a dozen sites have been identified by RLDA to lease out for commercial

purposes, land parcels at Mettuguda, Rifle Range Colony and Chilkalguda have been chosen for

fresh development. Land parcels near Moula Ali (37 acres), Uppal bus stand, Secunderabad

(five acres), Rail Kalyan (four acres) and IRISET (15 acres), would be up for grabs soon,

sources said.

The land will be leased for a period of up to 99 years. Senior officials in South Central Railway

said it would be a win-win situation for both railways and private developers. “Apart from

railways earning revenues, several colonies and dilapidated buildings will be refurbished,” an

official explained.

RLDA has invited bids for development of railway land at Rifle Range near Rail Nilayam and

at Chilkalguda. Officials said the land available is 7.35 acres and the developer will have to

Newspaper/Online ET Realty(online)

Date December 21, 2019

Link https://realty.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/industry/secunderabad-railway-land-to-be-leased-out-to-private-developers/72914385

provide mandatory railway infrastructure of 352 residential flats and commercial offices in 4.69

acres. “The balance 2.66 acres land can be utilised by the developer,” officials said.

In Chilkalguda, the entire 9.32 acres would be given for development. “The minimum lease

premium to be paid by a developer is Rs 50 crore. They will have to complete development of

the area in four years,” a senior official said.

RLDA set its plans into motion in October this year when it handed over two acres at

Mettuguda. Officials say they are on right track with spurt in economic and commercial activity

in Secunderabad in the eastern corridor.

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Only 17% properties in Gujarat registered in women's name

Between 2004-05 and October 2019, a total of 1.35 crore properties have been registered

across the state. Of these, only 23.16 lakh properties have been registered in the name of

24.66 lakh women

Although the Gujarat government has accorded a 1% waiver in property registration fees for

women since 2004-05, properties registered in the name of women have remained at a mere

17% of the total properties that have been registered over the years.

Official records say that although there has been a marginal increase in the number of properties

being registered in the name of women over the past three years, the number of properties

registered in the name of women between 2004-05 and 2019-20 (until October) is just 17% of

the total properties registered.

Between 2004-05 and October 2019, a total of 1.35 crore properties have been registered across

the state. Of these, only 23.16 lakh properties have been registered in the name of 24.66 lakh

women, say figures made available by the state revenue department.

In monetary terms, the government has granted waiver of registration fees worth Rs 1,549.80

crore for properties registered in the name of women.

When asked about the low number of properties being registered in the name of women,

revenue minister Kaushik Patel said that the rationale to grant a 1% waiver in registration fees

for women was to improve gender equality and ensure better family welfare.

“There is still a lot of scope for improvement of property registration in the name of women.

Our government is focusing on encouraging registration of properties in the name of women.

The society must also come forward in registering properties in the name of women,’’ the

minister said.

In an encouraging trend that has emerged over the past three years, the number of property

registrations in the name of women has increased from 1.49 lakh in 2016-17 to 1.92 lakh in

2018-19. The number of total property registrations have also registered a rise from 9.89 lakh in

2016-17 to 12.4 lakh in 2018-19 during this period.

However, the number of properties registered in the name of women in the past three years

ranges between 15% and 16%, which is below the overall share of 17% over the past 15 years.

Newspaper/Online ET Realty(online)

Date December 22, 2019

Link https://realty.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/residential/only-17-properties-in-gujarat-registered-in-womens-name/72910944

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Dehradun civic body announces commercial property tax rate for

new wards

The DMC has also decided to give a 5% relaxation to owners of commercial properties in

these wards if they submit their tax before January 31, 2020.

Dehradun Municipal Corporation (DMC) released the commercial property tax rates for new

wards on Friday. According to DMC officials, the commercial tax rates in 32 of the 40 newly-

added wards are around 25-30% lesser than the tax rates in the old wards.

The DMC has also decided to give a 5% relaxation to owners of commercial properties in these

wards if they submit their tax before January 31, 2020.

The rates have been decided on the basis of the width of the road in front of the property and the

highest rate has not been kept more than Rs 2.12 per square foot. Also, the municipal

corporation has asked the owners to submit the carpet area of their commercial properties

before January 31, 2020.

As per DMC estimates, there are around 15,000 commercial properties in these 32 wards which

previously used to form 72 gram sabhas. The residents of these new wards have also been

exempted from paying house tax for 10 years.

Meanwhile, the DMC has also speeded up the process of collecting property tax from

government properties of the city. There are a number of government properties which come

under the jurisdiction of the DMC, including MLA Transit Hostel, Tehri House, Secretariat, and

others.

Notably for the current financial year, the DMC had set a target of Rs 75 crore for property tax

collection which is three times more than their last years’ target. DMC has less than four

months to go in this financial year to achieve their target.

“All the government properties under our jurisdiction have already been served with notices to

submit their property tax. Bills have been raised for those who didn’t respond to the notice.

There are many government properties which haven’t paid their property tax. We will collect

tax from all before the end of this financial year,” said DMC commissioner Vinay Shankar

Pandey.

Newspaper/Online ET Realty(online)

Date December 21, 2019

Link https://realty.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/commercial/dehradun-civic-body-announces-commercial-property-tax-rate-for-new-wards/72914317

Godrej seeks more payout to part with land for bullet train

The 534km Mumbai-Ahmedabad corridor is slated to pass through Thane creek and

proposed to open in December 2023.

The city's largest private landlord, Godrej & Boyce Manufacturing Co Ltd, has challenged the

state's action in waiving a social impact assessment provision over acquisition of a 10-hectare

Vikhroli. plot for the bullet train project. The 534km Mumbai-Ahmedabad corridor is slated to

pass through Thane creek and proposed to open in December 2023.

The company sought status quo in the acquisition process, but the court didn't grant that or any

immediate relief, and posted the matter for hearing in January 2020.

The company on December 18 approached the Bombay high court with a fresh move to

challenge as unconstitutional and arbitrary an amendment made by Maharashtra government to

the law dealing with compensation for land acquisition.

The amendment arbitrarily allows exemption for the bullet train project an otherwise-mandatory

provision of social impact assessment study for land acquisition in a public project, said Godrej.

Such emergent acquisition can only be done by the Centre under a provision which requires an

additional 75%compensation to be paid, it said.

The infrastructure project is within's the Centre's jurisdiction since it traverses two states and a

Union territory, it argued.

Land acquisition for a public project has to be under the Right to Fair Compensation &

Transparency in land Acquisition, Rehabilitation & Resettlement Act, 2013-a Central law

introduced to make the process more participative, humane and transparent for industrialisation

and infrastructure creation.

The Godrej land issue has been pending for a while. The high court had earlier asked the

company, state and Centre to resolve the compensation issue after the company agreed to give

an alternative plot.

On September 4, the HC observed that the parties failed to arrive at a mutually acceptable

solution and said the National high Speed Rail Corporation Ltd (NHSRCL; the bullet train

project's implementer) could acquire the plot, but the company was entitled under the Act to

raise objections, including on valuation. It essentially argued that the state, while being

delegated powers by the Centre to acquire land, cannot then make or rely on amendments to the

law.

Newspaper/Online ET Realty(online)

Date December 21, 2019

Link https://realty.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/infrastructure/godrej-seeks-more-payout-to-part-with-land-for-bullet-train/72931501

"Where land is to be acquired for a public purpose, a Social Impact Assessment study is to be

carried out by the appropriate government," says the Act. It analyses the benefit of the project

against costs, including displacement.

NHSRCL says it urgently needs the land, for which it offered Rs 572 crore. The state in October

issued notifications, citing 'public interest'. The company has challenged these notifications.

The state government claims that the plot offered by Godrej forms part of the larger 3,000 acres

of land it staked claim to in a 1973 suit filed before the high court. The company disputes the

state's claim. The land title suit has documents dating back almost two centuries and is still

pending trial.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Gurugram split into six sub-cities for infra push, better upkeep

Officials said a detailed study will done under the infrastructure and environment plans

on the sub-city-wise problems and then solutions will be proposed and implemented

accordingly.

To facilitate citizens with better development, Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority

(GMDA) has divided Gurugram into six sub-cities.

Officials said a detailed study will done under the infrastructure and environment plans on the

sub-city-wise problems and then solutions will be proposed and implemented accordingly.

The sub-cities will be further divided into sectors. Hence if a particular sector has water

shortage, special emphasis will be laid on strengthening the water infrastructure in that sector.

The details about the sub-cities were shared at the first Resident Advisory Council meeting held

in Gurugram on Thursday.

The area that falls on the left side of the Delhi-Gurugram expressway while travelling towards

Jaipur has been designated as sub-city 1. This covers most of new Gurugram and sectors along

SPR. Sub-city 2 is the area between the national highway and the railway line, which is part of

old Gurugram.

Similarly, sub-city 3 covers the area between Sohna road and Naurangpur Road, including

sectors 68 to 80. IMT Manesar is part of sub-city 4, while sub-city 5 and sub-city 6 cover

sectors 81 to 96 and the area north of the railway line and along the NPR, respectively.

As Gurugram has multiple physical barriers, GMDA officials said, dividing it into sub-cities

would make it easier for the authority to plan and execute the development work.

“These sub-cities will further be divided into clusters. We’ll be analysing the development

needs sub-city-wise. While things like a multi-speciality hospital might be developed only at the

city level, other institutions such as schools or community centres can be developed at the

cluster level,” said Dinesh Chauhan, GMDA chief town planner.

“These sub-cities will also be an integral part of the infrastructure, environment and mobility

plans as mandated by the GMDA Act. For instance, groundwater depletion might be much more

severe in some sectors as compared to others and hence special emphasis will be laid in the

water recharge plans in these sectors,” he added.

GMDA’s plans will focus on problems at the most local level. Another example for which

could be the green cover. Some of the areas in the city might fare much worse in terms of the

Newspaper/Online ET Realty(online)

Date December 21, 2019

Link https://realty.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/infrastructure/gurugram-split-into-six-sub-cities-for-infra-push-better-upkeep/72914359

green cover as compared to others and hence the green plan will have specific solutions for

these clusters.

GMDA chief V Umashankar had earlier told TOI that the study of the infrastructure and issues

at the sector level “is a time-intensive process” and one of the reasons for delay in the

infrastructure and environment plans.

The matter of sub-cities was also discussed at the first-ever Resident Advisory Council meeting

held in Gurugram on Thursday. RAC is a body mandated under the GMDA, which include

members from different sections of the society. Its basic role is to monitor the pace of

development projects being undertaken by GMDA.

The meeting also saw discussions on various infrastructure projects, including the remodelling

of Huda City Centre, Mahavir Chowk and the underpass at Atul Kataria Chowk.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Cement demand in east to grow by 8-10% in FY20: Experts

Growth in cement demand in India is expected to be lower at seven per cent in the current

fiscal, down from double-digit rise in the previous year, owing to slowdown in the

economy, the report said.

Cement demand in the eastern region of the country is expected to grow by 8-10 per cent in the

current fiscal despite slowdown in the economy, industry insiders said on Friday.

Demand for the construction material in the eastern part of the country will continue to be better

compared to pan-India scenario in the current fiscal, according to a rating agency report.

Growth in cement demand in India is expected to be lower at seven per cent in the current

fiscal, down from double-digit rise in the previous year, owing to slowdown in the economy,

the report said.

"Cement demand growth during Q1 (April-June 2019) in the east was 15-16 per cent but since

then it has tapered off. However, we expect strong demand in Q4 and hope to end the year with

8-10 per cent growth," JSW Cement head (east) Gautam Mukhopadhayay told on the sidelines

of a seminar organised by ICC.

Speaking about JSW Cement, he said the company will continue to go ahead with its expansion

plans but in line with demand situation.

"Currently, cement capacity of the company in the east is 3.6 million tonne per annum and the

same will be doubled in phases over the next 3 years," Mukhopadhayay said.

The capacity ramp up will be at manufacturing units at Salboni, West Bengal where the

company will add 2.4 mtpa, Jajpur, Odisha facility with an addition of 1.8 mtpa along with one

mtpa capacity addition at Shiva Cement, the company said earlier.

The steel-to-cement major will make additional capital expenditure of about Rs 250-300 crore

to enhance the proposed capacity in the eastern region, he said.

The manufacturing capacity of JSW Cement is currently at 14 mtpa.

It is aiming at nearly doubling its production capacity to 25 million tonnes per annum by 2023

by investing around Rs 2,875 crore.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Newspaper/Online ET Realty(online)

Date December 21, 2019

Link https://realty.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/allied-industries/cement-demand-in-east-to-grow-by-8-10-in-fy20-experts/72910882