New Delhi
In a move to provide more solutions for consumer grievances the (Confederation of Real Estate Developers Associations of India) members of National Capital Region (NCR) has proposed a new set of rules. Now-a-days consumers are facing several problems mainly delay in possession, unfair trade practices, excess money demand over agreed value and ambiguity over sold areas.
Mr. Pankaj Bajaj, President, Confederation of Real Estate Developers Associations of India – National Capital Region (CREDAI NCR) said that, “our prime concern is consumer satisfaction transparency and accountability. Many middle class customers carry the perception that the developers are not answerable and that the only recourse is litigation which is a long drawn and messy process.”
The Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Associations of India (CREDAI) is the apex body for private Real Estate developers in India. CREDAI represents over 6,000 developers through 18 member associations across the country. According to the Bajaj the concept of introducing code of conduct is to segregate fair developers from fly by night operators in a sector which has been maligned for its opaqueness.
The fundamental objective of the CREDAI NCR’s Code of Conduct is:
•To promote the high standard of real estate development and construction activities so as to promote transparency in system;
•To maintain the honor and dignity of Developers in general and to secure a spirit of friendly co-operation between the Developers and their customers;
•To establish honorable and fair dealing of the Developers with their customers;
•To promote brotherhood amongst the members of the Association;
•To ensure that Developers discharge their responsibilities to the Society in a fair, transparent and efficient manner.

Mumbai:
State Housing department is taking strict actions against the top most IAS officers following to the “land grab” case. On this Monday authority asked to Mhada detailed report on the nature of their involvement.
Satish Gavai, vice-president and CEO of Mhada alleged five IAS officers as well as nine other Mhada officials for irregularities in the large peace of plot 3.11acre plot located in Borivli (E).
Moreover, he pointed out several allegations in the process which has been used for the sub-division of the plot and the alleged allotment of 40% of the land to a “fake power-of-attorney holder”.
The housing dept is now taking steps against the alleged con officers, whereas Mhada has already initiated the actions against officials at its level. However, it sought the state’s involvement in this case for taking action against the IAS officers.
Gavai’s report comprises the names of alleged officers such as Shyamsunder Shinde, Subhash Sonavane, Bipinkumar Shrimali, HK Jawale and Satish Bhide, all five accused officials were headed the Mumbai Mhada board between 2003 and 2010.

Mumbai:
The state government may use the new plan to redevelop cessed building in the Mumbai city. In a drive to upkeep the cluster-wise redevelopment of approx 16000 dilapidated buildings across the island city which will be implemented under the new development plan of Mumbai.
Till now private developers are allowed to implement their own redevelopment plan to redevelop cessed buildings, whereas authority is planning to set rules for cluster-wise development, which will guide the revamp of old and dilapidated buildings.
According to the officials this move was taken by the members of a high-powered committee appointed to suggest measures to redevelop dilapidated buildings.
The committee has also proposed that the government have to fix the minimum area for the redevelopment of cessed buildings and small peace of plots could be kept for open space and other public facilities.

For the first time in the history of the Accommodation Industry both the central and state governments are enacting the same legislation termed as THE REAL ESTATE REGULATORY BILL which seeks to control the builders and developers who are practicing in the cities and towns in MAHARASHTRA and this dual control will have a tremendous impact for the very survival of this mega crore industry specially in MUMBAI.
There can be no denying of the fact that MUMBAI city’s real estate prices are perhaps the highest in the world compared to NEW YORK, DUBAI, SINGAPORE or even HONGKONG therefore every government wants to put their finger in the pie and knockout some mileage and also control the very fundamentals of this mega operations for obvious reasons.
On the other side there can be no denying of the fact that there are a few black sheep in the Accommodation Industry but given the will and determination to act the existing laws like the Maharashtra Ownership Flat ACT, RIGHT TO INFORMATION ACT, CONSUMER RE-DRESSAL FORUM etc are sufficient to control the errant Builders Estate agents and it will only lead to more harassment and more corruption if there are two authorities one at the center and the other at the state level to regulate and control this industry with two more laws !
Without going into the detailed provisions of the two legislations enacted by the CENTRAL STATE GOVT. it would be pertinent to point out that no steps have been taken to remove the hurdles in the way of the industry like introduction of a ’single window policy’ for approval of projects, granting permissions and approvals within stipulated time frame and also financing the industry in a more liberal manner to enable them to complete their projects in time.
If you study the market in MUMBAI carefully you will find that most of the properties left to be developed are either ‘CLUSTER REDEVELOPMENT PROJECTS’ or disputed plots/properties hence no regulation can eradicate the need for sustained negotiations and finding solutions .This is exactly what the BUILDERS and DEVELOPERS in MUMBAI are doing as almost every slum colony has political connections and every redevelopment project has at least a dozen court cases ! Can legislation solve them ?
The need of the hour is to find solutions and help the ACCOMMODATION INDUSTRY to transform MUMBAI city with better and safer economical homes. It stands to reason and commonsense that more the supply of flats the prices are bound to fall and affordable housing will bring a sigh of relief and cheer to the needy home purchasers.
Therefore instead of strangulating the ACCOMMODATION INDUSTRY with dual legislations which will do more harm than good both the CENTRAL and STATE GOVERNMENTS need to evolve ways and means to remove all needless controls which only adds to costs and causes endless delay in completing the projects on time.

By Nawaz Sayyed
By Accommodation Times Bureau

Mr. Vishwajeet Jhavar, Chief Executive Officer of Marvel Realtors and Developers Ltd.
has 16 years of experience in the areas of automation, engineering and construction. He manages key portfolios like land sourcing, automation and business development. Mr. Jhavar holds a degree in engineering from College of Engineering, Pune, with a specialization in instrumentation and controls. He has shared his knowledge with this newspaper.

According to builders lobby there are less chances of reducing property prices, what do you say?
As there is good demand from buyers, with demand exceeding supply, we do not see prices coming down.
The increase in both raw material costs – steel prices have reached Rs. 48/kg and cement Rs. 290/kg – and the time required to get approvals, have increased the financial and construction costs of projects. High taxation, by way of service tax and VAT, has also increased property prices.

According to reports, property rates are high and home loan rates too, so it means affordable housing remains a dream for Aam Aadmi in Metros particularly in Mumbai, isn’t it?
Marvel operates in the luxury segment, and no more than 15% of our total sales are financed by home loans, so the increase in home loan rates will not affect us that much. But yes, it is becoming difficult for buyers at entry level to purchase homes.

In the past two months there were several property exhibitions held in Mumbai, will these efforts be able to heal the wounds of the property market?
Sales promotion undoubtedly helps to increase sales, as well as provide information to potential buyers.

Will real estate market go down as new norms are introduced by the state government such as, it is essential to produce a building sanction plan and structural safety certificate as a pre-requisite to any form of registry? Average of registration of property 100 per day, but now 7 to 8 registrations per day after introducing new norms as per sub registrar officials?
At Marvel we do not sell any buildings before the plans are sanctioned and we have structural stability certification, so we don’t believe the introduction of these norms will affect us.

Will slowdown in International Real Estate market affect the Indian Real Estate market?
Most international real estate markets are speculative. The Indian real estate market however is driven by end users, so we don’t foresee it being affected. In addition, our markets are governed more by local factors, such as good monsoons.

What is your expectation from the upcoming budget and suggestion for realty players how to get over from downturn crisis?
We expect the real estate sector to receive industry status, so that real estate can be financed by regular sources of financing, as with other industries. This would result in more transparency in finance, as well as other aspects of the industry. With real estate being a priority sector, reversal of service tax and VAT will help the industry and make the product more affordable for end users. Presently service tax and VAT accounts for 4% of the total cost of an apartment.
Although in the Pune market we do not see a downturn at present, sometimes downturns are an opportunity for real estate companies to consolidate, increase the efficiency of their operations and acquire new properties.

New Delhi: ADaRSH, a platform to facilitate a pan-India, ongoing interaction and networking between building professionals, developers and government officials in association with The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Govt of India, organised a two-day ‘National Conference on ‘Green Design’ and also launched the SvaGRIHA Rating System.
Present on the occasion were, Mr. Arun Maira, Member- Planning Commission, Government of India, Dr. R K Pachauri, Director General, TERI, Dr. A K Tripathi, Director, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India, along with government officials, architects, engineers and construction management professionals from across the country.
In his address Dr Farooq Abdullah, Minister for New and Renewable Energy, Govt of India, “while expressing concern about the way the buildings sector is growing, lauded TERI, ADaRSH and his Ministry for creating awareness about GRIHA Rating. He emphasised that GRIHA should impart more trainings to professionals and architects to sensitise the masses about Green Buildings. Congratulating ADaRSH for coming up with SvaGriha rating systems for residential homes, Dr Abdullah expressed the desire to popularise SvaGriha rating system to encourage individuals to build greener homes. He further added that the Delhi-Mumbai corridor would have maximum green buildings and Griha and ADaRSH would play a pivotal role in achieving this goal. “This annual conference is a platform to embrace new challenges and take stalk of the situation. A national institution for Renewable Energy in collaboration with TERI is in the pipeline, which will promote the importance of renewables.”
Speaking at the inaugural session, Dr. R K Pachauri, Director General, TERI, said, “There is a building boom in India that is only going to accelerate. Thus there is a need to build in a way that does not get locked in inefficiency. To bring about a major change, ratings based on solid scientific principles, architectural techniques and methods that stand the test of times are essential. TERI has been at the forefront of this and is fortunate to get MNRE’s support and encouragement in this process.”
Emphasising the need for green buildings, Mr. Arun Maira, Member- Planning Commission, Government of India, said, “In order to promote green buildings in India, we need to engage more and more people in the process, and, the government plays a very important role in doing so. We should spread awareness about green buildings among the mass, so that they demand more green from the government.”
The sustainability of our building industry is crucial to the economic, social and human development of our country. The annual growth rate of our construction industry is far higher than the global average. Further, it contributes significantly to our GDP. Direct employment generated is second only to agriculture; with indirect employment generation in ancillary industries, as high as 5 -10%.
The scale and pace of construction in India is unparalleled and at this scale, cost of green building materials, renewable energy systems and design services can all be brought down for everyone’s benefit.
This year, the conference delved and discussed the following themes-
•Resource optimisation for self sufficiency
•ADaRSH – Shaping a sustainable India
•Looking beyond buildings – Sustainability and the City
•Smaller footprints – From Megawatts to Kilowatts
•Materials making environmental sense
•Innovation in building design and systems
•Next generation green – Envisioning 2020
The two-day conference also hosted an exhibition on the sidelines to showcase green building products, energy efficient solutions and new technologies services that are available todayto build a sustainable habitat. Prominent and responsible corporate entities committed towards building a sustainable environment exhibited a range of energy efficient products, which will help lower energy costs, provide comfort as well as enable building a greener future.
Plaque awards were awarded to corporates encouraging green designs and green buildings.
•S P Infocity: 3 Star GRIHA Rating
•Doon School: 2 Star GRIHA Rating
•Commonwealth Games Village : 2 Star GRIHA Rating
•Ganga Skies: 3 Star GRIHA Rating
GRIHA Exemplary performance awards to
•For architecture : Akshay Urja Bhawan (HAREDA), Panchkula
•For Site Management: Palace Gardens, Panvel (Hiranandani project) and SABIC Research Technology Pvt. Ltd., Bengaluru
•For Water Management: INFOSYS Technologies Ltd, Pocharam Village Hyderabad
•For Low-energy Material: Gandhi Research Foundation, Jalgaon (Jain Irrigation campus)
•For Renewable Energy: Pimpri Chinchwad New Township Development Authority Building, Pimpri Chinchwad (suburb of Pune)
Till date there are 171 GRIHA/TERI GRIHA registered Projects, spread across 28 States, covering over 75 Million Sqft Green Footprint, and over 10,000 professionals trained across the country.

The Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure approved the investment proposal for the implementation of the four laning of Chandikhole –Dubari – Talcher section on NH 200 in Orissa under NHDP Phase II on DBFOT basis in BOT (Toll) mode of delivery.
The total project cost estimated for implementing under DBFOT pattern is Rs.1469.90 crore out of which Rs.226.90 crore will be towards land acquisition, rehabilitation, resettlement and preconstruction.
The total length of the project is 132.500 kms. The concession period will be 24 years including construction period of 30 months.
The main object of the project is to expedite the improvement of infrastructure in Orissa and also in reducing the time and cost of travel for traffic plying between Chandikhole – Dubari and Talcher. It will also increase the employment potential for the local labourers for the project activities.
The project will cover the districts of Angul, Dhenkenal and Jajpur in Orissa.

Four laning of Gomati Chauraha – Udaipur section of NH 8 in Rajasthan
The Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure approved the investment proposal for the implementation of the four/two laning of Gomati Chauraha – Udaipur section on NH 8 in Rajasthan under NHDP Phase II on DBFOT basis in BOT (Toll) mode of delivery.
The total project cost estimated for implementing under DBFOT pattern is Rs.1114.27 crore out of which Rs. 199.77 crore will be towards land acquisition, rehabilitation, resettlement and preconstruction.
The total length of the project is 79.31 kms. The concession period will be 27 years including construction period of 30 months.
The main object of the project is to expedite the improvement of infrastructure in Rajasthan and also in reducing the time and cost of travel for traffic plying between Gomati Chauraha – Udaipur. It will also increase the employment potential for the local labourers for the project activities.
The project will cover the districts of Rajsamand and Udaipur in Rajasthan.

Four/two laning with paved shoulders of Madurai – Ramanathapuram section on NH 49 in Tamil Nadu

The Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure approved the investment proposal for the implementation of the four/two laning of Madurai -Ramanathapuram section on NH 49 in Tamil Nadu under NHDP Phase II on DBFOT basis in BOT (Toll) mode of delivery.
The total project cost estimated for implementing under DBFOT pattern is Rs.828.07 crore out of which Rs.145.07 crore will be towards land acquisition, rehabilitation, resettlement and preconstruction.
The total length of the project is 115.110kms. The concession period will be 30 years including construction period of 30 months.
The main object of the project is to expedite the improvement of infrastructure inTamil Nadu and also in reducing the time and csot of travel for traffic plying between Madurai –Ramanathapuram. It will also increase the employment potential for the local labourers for the project activities.
The project will cover the districts of Madurai, Silaiman, Thirupuvanam, Manumadurai Sivanganga, Paramakudi and Ramanathapuram in Tamil Nadu.

Impact of regulation on builders and developers
“Many markets have seen strong impacts of regulation on the real estate development market. In Dubai for example the real estate regulation bills, caused much more successful completion of projects and faster execution. So it is our view that once this regulation is impacted and the real estate bill is passed there would be much better progress of developers completing projects on time and not miss utilizing funds. So the impacts on developers and builders will be very positive. However, only the high quality developer and professional builders will be able to survive and lot of the first time developers and builders will be unable to complete projects and
will not be able to expand their business without having completed their previous projects,” Mr. Samarjit Singh, MD, IndiaHomes said.

Comments concerning customer’s viewpoint
“From a customer point of view the regulation bill is a boon because what it will do, it will ensure that the developers are accountable and are licensed by a centralized body to make sure that they look after their customers and make sure that their commitments to the customers are met. So we see this as a huge confidence in builders, in the real estate sector. The moment there is some clarity on the actual execution of the real estate regulation bill, we believe that customers will get much more confidence and will be much happier in investing in real estate projects.”

Change in pricing trends
“We expect that there will be a marginal increase in the price of the residential real estate and this is largely because of the cost of complying with the legislation will be passed on to the customers and developers will not be able to use cash flows for cross subsidy of projects. So we expect a 2-5% increase in price in the residential real estate post of the bill having being passed”.

Effect on buying trends
“We believe that impact on buying of real estate will be extremely positive, as many people who do not have faith in the real estate eco-system and developers, will immediately turn around and buy a property. They will be very confident and comfortable that the developer will execute the projects and deliver their homes on time and therefore will be much more comfortable in making investments. So we expect great buoyancy and see a positive trend the moment the regulation bill is brought in”.

Mumbai:
Recently the State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission mentioned that stilt parking or open parking both of which are part of common facilities and builders have no rights to sell parking space.
According to the Commission only housing society’s general body having rights to allot the parking space to flat owners. The commission directed Vardhaman Homes to give an account of Rs 9,045 collected as maintenance and other expenses, and also pay Rs 5,000 as compensation to the complainant, Dilip Joshi, and his wife, Deepa.
The advocate and his wife has lodged the complaint against the Vardhaman Homes had sold parking spaces to some residents of their building in Thane (W). According to the Joshis meeting had called between flat purchasers and the builder, when the latter was told that such spaces could not be sold under the Maharashtra Ownership Flats Act. But the builder told the members that there would be no refund, and such rulings should be ignored as they keep changing everyday.
The commission has said that “the builders and developers can not sell parking space and also have no right to interfere in society’s concern, the society and general body are the supreme authorities to decide issues faced by complainants pertaining to open parking and stilt parking space.”