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Lucknow Estate Deptartment topped in tax defaulters list: LMC

admin — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 10:19:07 +0000

Lucknow: The Estate Department of the Uttar Pradesh government is among the top 10 house tax defaulters in the state capital with dues of over Rs 18 crores. As per the list of the Lucknow Municipal corporation, the Estate department of the state government which includes top government buildings like state assembly, ministerial bungalows, VIP guest house, Babu Bhawan and annexe building has defaulted on payment of house tax.
Besides, Nirman Bhawan — headquarter of Public works department (PWD) has house tax dues of over Rs 5 crores, state transport department with over Rs 3 crores and Medical University with over Rs 1.8 crores as house tax dues, they said.
Other top defaulters of house tax included Bridge Corporation, Lucknow University, Mandi Parishad, Agriculture department, Housing Development Board.

FSI calculations in Pune

admin — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 07:50:02 +0000

CASE NO.: Review Petition (civil) 1809 of 2005
PETITIONER: Promoters & Builders Association of Pune
RESPONDENT: Pune Municipal Corporation & Ors
DATE OF JUDGMENT: 11/05/2007
BENCH: G.P. Mathur & R.V. Raveendran
JUDGMENT: J U D G M E N T
REVIEW PETITION (CIVIL) NO.1809 OF 2005 IN
CIVIL APPEAL NO.3800 OF 2003 WITH
REVIEW PETITION (CIVIL) NOS.1856-1857 OF 2005 IN
CIVIL APPEAL NO.3804 OF 2003
G.P. Mathur, J.
These are review petitions seeking review of the judgment and order dated 5.5.2004 passed by this Court in Civil Appeal No.3800 of 2003. We will give the facts of Review Petition No.1809 of 2005, which is the leading case. 2. The Maharashra legislature enacted Maharashtra Regional Town Planning Act, 1966 (for short ‘the Act’) for planning and development of the cities, constitution of Regional Planning Boards and to make provision for the preparation of development plans with a view to ensuring that Town Planning Schemes are made in a proper manner and their execution is made effective and for ancillary purposes. Chapter III of the Act deals with development plans. Under the Scheme of the Act, Development Control Rules are framed separately for each city keeping in view the peculiar requirements of each city/town. The dispute here pertains to Development Control Rules (for short ‘DCR’) for Pune which has been constituted as a corporation under the Bombay Provincial and Municipal Corporation Act, 1949 (for short ‘BPMC Act’). Pune Municipal Corporation is also the planning authority under the provisions of the Act for the city of Pune. A concept of Transfer of Development Rights (for short ‘TDR’) was introduced in the Regulations of Greater Bombay and the object of introducing such concept was to facilitate acquisition of land for public purposes. The concept of TDR operates in the following manner :- “The owner or the lessee of the plot of land will hand over the possession of the reserved land to the planning authority and as against such handing over, such owner or the lessee will be granted “development right certificate” so as to enable such owner to construct built up area equivalent to permissible FSI of the land acquired in one or more other plots and in the zones specified. Such one or more plots are termed as “receiving plots”.
3. The State of Maharashtra issued a directive under Section 37(1) of the Act to the Pune Municipal Corporation on 8.7.1993 to amend Development Control Rules of Pune city. The Pune Municipal Corporation then issued a notification in the Gazette on 30.9.1993 by which the process of modification was initiated and it was notified that the modification would be on the same lines as applicable in Greater Bombay. One of the proposed modifications was in Rule N.2.4.11 which was as under :
“FSI of receiving plot shall be allowed to be exceeded by not more than 0.4 in respect of D.R. available in respect of the reserved plot and upto a future 0.4 in respect of D.R. available in respect of the lands surrendered for road widening or construction of new roads as prescribed.”
After prescribed procedure had been completed, the Corporation forwarded the proposed modification to the State Government. The State Government then issued a notification under Section 37(2) of the Act on 5.6.1997 sanctioning the proposal and notified the modified Development Control Rules of Pune Municipal Corporation. Rule N.2.4.11 which was sanctioned and notified by the State Government reads as under :
“(a) The FSI on receiving plots shall be allowed to be exceeded not more than 0.4 in respect of DR available for the reserved plots.
(b) The FSI on receiving plots shall be allowed to be exceeded by further 0.4 in respect of DR available on account of the land surrendered for the road widening or construction of new road from very said plot.”
4. The State Government while sanctioning Rule N.2.4.11 introduced a departure from the Bombay Development Control Rules. Some other changes were also made by the State Government in the Rules which had been proposed by the Pune Municipal Corporation. Thereafter, some exchange of correspondence and meetings took place between the Pune Municipal Corporation and the State Government as regards the interpretation of the above Rule. The Chief Secretary of the Urban Development Department, Government of Maharashtra then sent a detailed letter to the Pune Municipal Corporation on 11.6.1998 regarding the correct interpretation of the notified Development Control Rules. Regarding Rule N.2.4.11 it was stated as under in the said letter :
“8. Use of 0.4 Transferable Development Rights and 0.4 Development Plan Road together making 0.8 Floor Space Index on the same property.
The policy adopted by the Mumbai Municipal Corporation should be followed by the Pune Municipal Corporation.”
5. In view of the clarification issued by the State Government, the Pune Municipal Corporation issued a circular on 20.7.1999 and with regard to Rule N.2.4.11 it was stated as under :
“As per the rule No.2.4.11 (a & b) of the Development Control Rules the TDR of 0.4 of the total floor space area of the receiving plot out of TDR of road widening or other roads widening and 0.4 of the total floor space area of the receiving plot out of TDR of areas reserved for other purposes is allowed. Thus a maximum of 0.8 of the total floor space area of the receiving plot shall be permitted.”
More than two years thereafter, the Pune Municipal Corporation passed a Resolution on 29.10.2001 not to allow use of additional 0.4 FSI in the area other then the plot from which the land for road widening has been acquired which was in tune with clause (b) of D.C.R.-2.4.11. This decision of the Corporation was endorsed by the General Body on 21.11.2001. It may be pointed out here that while sanctioning the proposal of the Pune Municipal Corporation, the State Government added the words “from the very said plot” towards the end of clause (b) of Development Control Rule N.2.4.11 in the notification which was issued by it on 5.6.1997. It is the addition of these words by the State Government which gave rise to the litigation which was ultimately decided by this Court in Civil Appeal No.3820 of 2003 and the introduction of said words is also under challenge in the present review petitions. 6. Promoters and Builders Association of Pune, a Society registered under the provisions of Societies Registration Act, filed Writ Petition No.5198 of 2001 against Pune Municipal Corporation and State of Maharashtra challenging the modified Development Control Rules, especially Rule N-2.3(A) and N.2.4.11 (a) and (b), wherein the principal relief claimed was that a writ of mandamus be issued commanding the respondents to the writ petition to implement Development Control Rule N-2.4.11(b) in a manner that the road area in respect of the plot, which is reserved for the road can be utilized being 0.4 FSI on the same plot and the balance unutilized FSI, if any, can be converted into TDR and can be used anywhere on a receiving plot to the extent of 0.4 FSI, in addition to the 0.4 FSI permissible on the receiving plot for amenities under Rule N-2.4.11(a) and direct the Municipal Corporation to forthwith dispose of the applications which had been submitted by the members of the petitioner Association in the light of said clarification. The writ petition was contested by the Pune Municipal Corporation and State of Maharashtra by filing counter affidavits. The High Court after considering the provisions of Section 37 of the Act and also of the Development Control Rules, allowed the writ petition on 23.4.2002. It will be useful to reproduce the findings recorded by the High Court and the relevant part of paras 18, 19 and 21 of the judgment of the High Court are reproduced below:
“18. In our opinion, therefore, it was not possible for the State to add the words “from the same plot” in clause 2.4.11 as the same have been added without being publicized as required by the provisions of Section 37(1). The planning authority did not want the words “same plot” to be introduced. It did not therefore propose the modifications in that fashion. It is the claim of the Planning Authority before us that the words were inserted by the Government. There is no answer to this by the State Government and it was obvious that it was done by the State Government. Since the addition has been done by the State without following the procedure established by Section 37(1)(A) or Section 37(1), the words added cannot be read as validly added in the Development Regulations and the addition will have to be struck down as beyond the competence of the State Government. The State Government has not directed under Section 37(1) to make modification in the Regulations as the direction does not include the words “from the same plot”. There was no notice to the persons affected and therefore there was no objection raised to it. The insertion of those words by the State while granting sanction is therefore tantamount to modifying the Final Development Plan in the exercise of its powers under Section 37(1)(A). The State could have done so but then it was duty bound to follow the procedure under Section 37(1)(A). Obviously there is failure on the part of the State to do so and therefore inclusion of those words in the Regulation is illegal.
19. On the principles of promissory estoppel also, therefore, the Corporation cannot be allowed to insist that the additional 0.4 FSI be used on the same very plot. In our opinion, therefore, even if the interpretation put by us on Section 37 is not accepted still on the ground of promissory estoppel, the corporation will have to be restrained from requiring the owners or builders from giving up additional 0.4 FSI on the interpretation of the regulation of 2.4.11 to mean that it must be used on the same very plot.
21. In the result, therefore, the petitions succeed and are allowed. The words “from the same very plot” in clause 2.4.11 of the Development Control Regulation as passed by the Planning Authority, Municipal Corporation, Pune are hereby struck down. The respondents Planning Authority is directed to permit the use of 0.8 FSI to the petitioners and other similarly situated owners, builders etc. as transferred development rights wholly or on part as proposed by them. Consequently, the respondents are directed to sanction the building plan submitted by the petitioners incorporating FSI of 0.8 as available in accordance with D.C. Rules 2.4.11.”
7. Feeling aggrieved by the decision of the High Court, the Pune Municipal Corporation filed Civil Appeal No.3800 of 2003 in this Court. After hearing learned counsel for the parties, this Court allowed the appeal by the judgment and order dated 5.5.2004. The judgment of the High Court was set aside and the writ petition filed before the High Court was dismissed. For the sake of convenience, the relevant part of the judgment of this Court is reproduced below : “The question now for consideration is whether the State Government can make any changes of its own in the modifications submitted by Planning Authority or not. The impugned Section 37 of the Act reads as follows:
“37(1) Where a modification of any part of or any proposal made in, a final Development plan is of such a nature that it will not change the character of such Development plan, the Planning Authority may, or when so directed by the State Government shall, within sixty days from the date of such direction, publish a notice in the Official Gazette and in such other manner as may be determined by it inviting objections and suggestions from any person with respect to the proposed modification not later than one month from the date of such notice; and shall also serve notice on all persons affected by the proposed modification and after giving a hearing to any such persons, submit the proposed modification with amendments, if any, to the State Government for sanction.
(1A) (1AA)
(1B) (2) The State Government may, make such inquiry as it may consider necessary and after consulting the Director of Town Planning by notification in the Official Gazette, sanction the modification with or without such changes, and subject to such conditions as it may deem fit, or refuse to accord sanction. If a modification is sanctioned, the final Development plans shall be deemed to have been modified accordingly.” (emphasis supplied)
Reading of this provision reveals that under Clause (1), the Planning Authority after inviting objections and suggestions regarding the proposed amendment and after giving notice to all affected persons shall submit the proposed modification for sanction to the Government. The deliberation with the public before making the amendment is over at this stage. The Government, thereafter, under Clause (2) is given absolute liberty to make or not to make necessary inquiry before granting sanction. Again, while according sanction, Government may do so with or without modifications. Government could impose such conditions as it deem fit. It is also permissible for the Government to refuse the sanction. This is the true meaning of the Clause (2). It is difficult to uphold the contrary interpretation given by the High Court. The main limitation for the Government is made under Clause (1) that no authority can propose an amendment so as to change the basic character of the development plan. The proposed amendment could only be minor within the limits of the development plan. And for such minor changes it is only normal for the government to exercise a wide discretion, by keeping various relevant factors in mind. Again, if it is arbitrary or unreasonable the same could be challenged. It is not the case of the Respondents herein that the proposed change is arbitrary or unreasonable. They challenged the same citing the reason that the Government is not empowered under the Act to make such changes to the modification. Making of DCR or amendment thereof are legislative functions. Therefore, Section 37 has to be viewed as repository of legislative powers for effecting amendments to DCR. That legislative power of amending DCR is delegated to State Government. As we have already pointed out, the true interpretation of Section 37(2) permits the State government to make necessary modifications or put conditions while granting sanction. In Section 37(2), the legislature has not intended to provide for a public hearing before according sanction. The procedure for making such amendment is provided in Section 37(1). Delegated legislation cannot be questioned for violating principles of natural justice in its making except when the statute itself provides for that requirement. Where the legislature has not chosen to provide for any notice or hearing, no one can insist upon it and it is not permissible to read natural justice into such legislative activity. Moreover, a provision for ’such inquiry as it may consider necessary’ by a subordinate legislating body is generally an enabling provision to facilitate the subordinate legislating body to obtain relevant information from any source and it is not intended to vest any right in anybody. (Union of India and Anr. v. Cynamide India Ltd and Anr. (1987) 2 SCC 720 paragraphs 5 and 27. See generally HSSK Niyami and Anr. v. Union of India and Anr. (1990) 4 SCC 516 and Canara Bank v. Debasis Das (2003) 4 SCC 557). While exercising legislative functions, unless unreasonableness or arbitrariness is pointed out, it is not open for the Court to interfere. (See generally ONGC v. Assn. of Natural Gas Consuming Industries of Gujarat 1990 (Supp) SCC 397) Therefore, the view adopted by the High Court does not appear to be correct.
The DCR are framed under Section 158 of the Act. Rules framed under the provisions of a statute form part of the statute. (See General Office Commanding-in-Chief and Anr. v. Dr. Subhash Chandra Yadav and Anr. (1988) 2 SCC 351, paragraph 14). In other words, DCR have statutory force. It is also a settled position of law that there could be no ‘promissory estoppel’ against a statue. (A.P Pollution Control Board II v. M V Nayudu (2001) 2 SCC 62, paragraph 69, Sales Tax Officer and Another v. Shree Durga Oil Mills (1998) 1 SCC 572, paragraphs 21 and 22 and Sharma Transport v. Govt. of AP (2002) 2 SCC 188, paragraphs 13 to 24). Therefore, the High Court again went wrong by invoking the principle of ‘promissory estoppel’ to allow the petition filed by the Respondents herein.
For the foregoing reasons, the view adopted by the High Court cannot be sustained.”
8. We have heard Mr. U.U. Lalit and Mr. V.A. Bobde, Senior Advocates for the review petitioners and Mr. Mukul Rohatgi, Senior Advocate for the respondents at considerable length and have examined the record. 9. The main challenge of the review petitioners is to the addition of the words “from the very said plot” towards the end of clause (b) in DCR-2.4.11. Learned counsel for the petitioners have submitted that in the proposal sent by the Pune Municipal Corporation after following the procedure prescribed in Sub-section (1) of Section 37 the aforesaid words were not there. However, the State Government while sanctioning the proposal added the said words which in law it could not do. It has been submitted that the Municipal Corporation had submitted the proposal after inviting objections and after giving an opportunity of hearing and the proposal so made by the Municipal Corporation could not have been modified or altered by the State Government without inviting objections or giving an opportunity of hearing with regard to changes which it proposed to make and which were ultimately made in the notification issued by it. This point has been considered and examined in the judgment and order of this Court dated 5.5.2004. The language of Sub-section (2) of Section 37 uses the expression “sanction the modification with or without such changes, and subject to such conditions as it may deem fit, or refuse to accord sanction”. The language of the Section is very clear and it empowers the State Government to sanction the proposal of the Municipal Corporation regarding modification of Development Control Rules “with or without any changes as it may deem fit”. These words are important and cannot be ignored. They have to be given their natural meaning. In Union of India v. Hansoli Devi (2002) 7 SCC 273 it has been held that it is a cardinal principle of construction of a statute that when the language of the statute is plain and unambiguous, then the Court must give effect to the words used in the statute and it would not be open to the court to adopt a hypothetical construction on the ground that such construction is more consistent with the alleged object and the policy of the Act. In Nathi Devi v. Radha Devi Gupta (2005) 2 SCC 271 it was emphasized that it is well settled that in interpreting a statute, effort should be made to give effect to each and every word used by the legislature. The courts always presume that the legislature inserted every part of a statute for a purpose and the legislative intention is that every part of the statute should have effect. In Dr.Ganga Prasad Verma v. State of Bihar (1995) Supp. (1) SCC 192 it has been held that where the language of the Act is clear and explicit, the Court must give effect to it, whatever may be the consequences, for in that case the words of the statute speak the intention of the legislature. Therefore, the view taken by this Court in the judgment and order dated 5.5.2004 that the State Government had full authority to make any changes or add any condition in the proposal of the Municipal Corporation is perfectly correct. In fact, on the plain language of the statute no other view can possibly be taken. 10. The High Court also accepted the contention of the writ petitioners based on the ground of promissory estoppel. The Development Control Rules are framed by the State Government in exercise of power conferred by Section 158 of the Act. Consequently they must be treated as if they were in the Act and are to be of the same effect as if contained in the Act and are to be judicially noticed for all purposes of construction and obligation. [See State of U.P. v. Babu Ram Upadhya AIR 1961 SC 751 and State of Tamil Nadu v. Hind Stones AIR 1981 SC 711 (para 11)]. If the Development Control Rules have the same force as that of a statute, then no question of promissory estoppel would arise as the principle is well settled that there can be no estoppel against a statute. We are in complete agreement with the view taken earlier by this Court and there is not even a slightest ground which may cast any doubt regarding the correctness of the earlier judgment. 11. As was observed by this Court in Col. Avtar Singh Sekhon v. Union of India (1980) Supp. SCC 562 review is not a routine procedure. A review of an earlier order is not permissible unless the Court is satisfied that material error, manifest on the face of the order undermines its soundness or results in miscarriage of justice. A review of judgment in a case is a serious step and reluctant resort to it is proper only where a glaring omission or patent mistake or like grave error has crept in earlier by judicial fallibility The stage of review is not a virgin ground but review of an earlier order which has the normal feature of finality. This view has been reiterated in Devender Pal Singh v. State (2003) 2 SCC 501 (para 16). This being the legal position, there is absolutely no ground for review of the judgment and order dated 5.5.2004. The review petitions are, therefore, liable to be dismissed. 12. Learned counsel for the review petitioners next submitted that after the clarification had been issued by the Chief Secretary of the Urban Development Authority of the State Government by the letter dated 11.6.1998 and consequent circular had been issued by the Pune Municipal Corporation on 20.7.1999 which provided that a maximum of 0.8 of the total floor space area of the receiving plot shall be permitted, large number of land owners whose properties were reserved for public amenities like roads, schools, gardens, etc. were encouraged to hand over their lands to the Pune Municipal Corporation free of cost, in the expectation of fetching higher price for this TDR as a result of greater utilization to the extent of 0.8 being permissible as against the earlier 0.4 FSI. Similarly, the developers while negotiating for buildable properties considered total FSI potential of 1.8 (1 + 0.8 TDR, FSI) as against 1.4 FSI and have accordingly paid much higher consideration towards the land. Many developers commenced their projects after sanctioning regular 1.0 FSI and as per the Pune Municipal Corporation procedure applied for further 0.8 TDR, FSI. In fact, many builders and land owners had got their entire project lay out approved from the Corporation with 1.8 FSI and had constructed some buildings upto the sanctioned height. Many such plans were approved by the Pune Municipal Corporation between the period 20.7.1999 and 21.11.2001 when the second circular was issued adopting a different stand. It has been urged that refusal of Pune Municipal Corporation to honour its own lay out plan has given rise to disputes between developers and buyers of the flats and also between the developers and land owners. The difficulty being faced by the review petitioners appears to be quite genuine as the stand of Pune Municipal Corporation between the period 20.7.1999 to 21.11.2001 was different and building plans were sanctioned without giving effect to the words “from the very said plot” occurring towards the end of clause (b) in D.C.R.-2.4.11. A reply affidavit has been filed by Shri Prashant Madhukar Waghmare, City Engineer, Pune Municipal Corporation giving statement of TDR cases wherein an excess of TDR was claimed during the period 20.7.1999 to 21.11.2001. The sanction of plan and construction undertaken have been broadly described in 7 categories and category nos.1 to 4 are as under : :-
S. No.
Description Total
Cases Total sanctioned
area (in sq. meters)
Excess TDR utilized (in
sq. meters) 1.
Details of construction works for which the final completion certificate was granted after 21.11.2001, wherein the original sanction for construction by the Corporation was in excess of 0.4
TDR. 213763.89 35544.66
2. Details of construction works for which the part completion certificate was granted after 21.11.2001, wherein the original sanction for construction by the Corporation was in excess of 0.4
TDR. 92287.14 20073.25
3. Details of construction works for which the completion certificate was granted between 20.07.1999 to 21.11.2001, wherein the original sanction for construction by the Corporation was in excess of 0.4 TDR. 31124.47 4676.57
4. Details of construction works for which no completion certificate has been granted so far, wherein the original sanction for construction by the corporation was in excess of 0.4 TDR 8555.62 1600.88
It will be seen that in all the above mentioned four categories the Municipal Corporation gave sanction for construction in excess of 0.4 TDR and even completion certificates were issued for serial nos.1 to 3. 13. During the course of hearing Mr. Makarand D. Adkar, learned Advocate for Pune Municipal Corporation, on instructions received from the Commissioner, Pune Municipal Corporation, has made a statement that having regard to the facts and circumstances of the case, the respondent corporation will have no objection if the constructions made as enumerated in category nos.1 to 4 described above are treated to be not in violation of clause (b) of D.C.R.-2.4.11. In the written submission filed by Mr. Vishwajit Singh, Advocate, learned counsel for Pune Municipal Corporation, it is stated that the Corporation does not have objection if the four categories of construction mentioned above are given relief in view of the fact that – a The building plans have been sanctioned by the Corporation b In most of the cases, the completion or the part completion certificates have been issued by the Corporation. c In all the cases, the TDR has been loaded/utilized and commencement certificate has been issued for the particular projects.
d In all the cases, the construction has taken place with sanction of Corporation. The statement made by Mr. Makarand D. Adkar, Advocate, is accordingly taken on record. 14. The review petitions are dismissed, recording the submission on behalf of the Pune Municipal Corporation that the constructions mentioned in categories 1 to 4 above will not be treated to be in violation of clause (b) of D.C.R.-2.4.11.

Wadhawa Group

admin — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 12:14:54 +0000

Addddvantage Chhattisgarh………..

admin — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 09:25:57 +0000

By Pallavii Pitale

Chhattisgarh came into existence on 1st November ‘2000 as the 26th State of India.

Known as Dakshin-Kausal, the land finds it’s mention in Ramayan and in Mahabharat.

Raipur is the capital and the biggest city in the state and a fast developing important industrial centre. The city lying on the Mumbai – Nagpur – Haora mainline, is well connected by air and rail to the main cities and is a good base to visit the tourist centers of the region.

The development of the tourism sector in the state has started attracting tourists world wide and NRIs have started showing interest in the Real Estate sector in the state by investing large amounts, which has led to the evolution of an improved real estate sector in the state.

The state is being promoted as a “tourist destination of choice”. Due to it’s dense forests, caves, waterfalls, rich bio-diversity and handicrafts that have tremendous potential to develop into popular tourist attractions. The state has announced tax incentives and other sops to the private sector for investing in the hospitality sector within the state. Various Camp sites, hotels and resorts have been and are being developed by various Government and private authorities at places of tourist interest. Since the districts of the state are resplendent with abundant natural beauty, the private real estate agencies are focussing more on construction of lodges, cottages and resorts in the land. Well known hotel groups like Taj Hotels, Club Mahindra ,International Park Plaza, Sterling Resorts are planning to start their operations at various places in the state.

Chhattisgarh has attracted considerable foreign direct investment, such as the Greenfield coal-based power generation plant by US based AES Corporation at a cost of $1.22 billion. Investment in infrastructure and industrial projects has also been forthcoming from Indian business houses. -the Vedanta Group, BALCO and The Tata Power Company have made investments worth Rs. 20,000 crore in steel, aluminium and power generation. The state is actively pursuing the bio-diesel project from Jatropha plantations.

With the joint effort of both the government and other agencies, the state is steadily getting all the new look. The main thrust of the state government of Chhattisgarh is on the complete infrastructure of the place which includes roads, hospitals, hotels, office apartments, residential flats and public utility spaces like parks. While the State administration is based in Raipur, a new capital for Chhattisgarh at an investment of Rs. 40,000 crore on an area of 36,000 hectares to accommodate 5.4 lakh people is being planned. In the 1st phase of the project to be completed by 2011, ambitious commercial and residential projects shall be executed. An IT Park, a township with a golf course, a capitol complex and a five-star hotel shall be developed by IL &FS Infrastructure Development Corporation, the partners and advisors to the project. The other developments include state of the art infrastructure like four lane roads with dedicated bus lanes, sports complex, logistics hub and a convention centre. The 2nd and 3rd phases of the city shall be completed by 2021 and 2031.

Raipur, is experiencing a boom in retail sector. Property developers are drawing up plans for commercial projects in Raipur – Prabhatam Developers is building a 3.5 lakh sq.ft shopping mall, as well as the Mani group from Kolkata on 4 lakh sq. ft. A Regional Trade Centre on a 50 acre stretch is being planned near Mandi. An IT Park is being developed by Omaxe in Raipur. The Reliance group has invested Rs.1 billion for developing multiplexes in Raipur, Bhilai, Bilaspur, Korba, Raigarh, Ambikapur and Rajnandgaon. It will boost the commercial property sector in Chhattisgarh.

Residential property development in Chhattisgarh is being propelled by developers like Omaxe, Bengal Ambuja ,Merlin Projects and many others which are building mega housing complexes and town ships throughout the state in the important cities and towns. Apart from the new state capital, new townships by PACL India are being planned on 5000 acres in various districts of Chhattisgarh. PACL’s real estate investments in Chhattisgarh include the construction of 1,000 houses each in Raipur and Bilaspur for all categories of buyers.

Chhattisgarh is India’s fastest growing state and truly a land of opportunities. with it’s rich mineral resources like steel, coal, aluminium, tin and bauxite, It has abundant power and water for industrial needs. Industrial lands here are available at much reasonable rates. It ranks high in terms of good industrial relations and labour productivity. It has various Industrial Parks – the Bhilai steel plant and the BALCO aluminium plant in Korba have attracted ancillary industries. In the Borai Industrial Park in Durg, Industrial Growth Centres in Urla and Siltara near Raipur, and in the Sirgitti Growth Centre in Bilaspur, The others being a Metal park at Rawbhata near Raipur, An Apparel Park at Bhanpuri Raipur, food processing park at Rajnandgaon,Herbal and Medicine park at Dharamtari, Raipur, Gems and Jewellery park at New Raipur. The manufacturing and commercial activities are expected to pick up, as land is ready for allotment. Apart from the regular Industrial Estates, large tracts of land have been reserved and earmarked in various districts for mega-projects.

There are tremendous potentials for the public – private- partnerships in the sectors like horticulture, floriculture, sericulture, pisciculture ,agro industrial services, renewable energy management, Industrial parks and power plants. The trouble free industrial environment of the state, with its excellent work culture and labour relations is conducive to the rapid growth of off-shore software development centres, BPOs and call centres. The State is committed to extend appropriate financial and operational support to entrepreneurs and enterprises in the software and hardware industry.

Along with this, a multi tier strategy for the development has been put in place. The telecom, road, IT and urban density is being improved.Various Incentives for mega projects, thrust industries, small-scale industries and sunrise industries, particularly information technology have been announced to attract investment in the State. State initiatives have focused largely on critical areas of e-governance, fiscal reforms, social safety, health, environment, education and law & order. The State offers incentives for the revival of existing sick units. With the new thrust of the State Government to push industrial development within the State, opportunities for investments are huge.

Chhattisgarh has an excellent road network. All district headquarters, tehsils and development blocks are also connected with good all weather roads. Existing road network is being strengthened. Chhattisgarh has borders with six states. To facilitate smooth ride for inter-state and internal traffic, about 3,106 kms. road length has been specially taken up for upgradation.

There are good health and education facilities in the state. Bhilai is a major centre of education. Apollo hospital – Bilaspur, Fortis Health Centre – Raipur and J.N.Medical Institute – Bhilai (of SAIL) are some of the major hospitals in the state.
With a number of Engineering Colleges, Polytechnics and ITIs, trained engineers and technicians are available to the industries.

The climate of Chhattis garh is tropical with hot summers and cool winters with the average annual rainfall being 1800 mm.

Except the recent maoist movements and attacks, the wonder land of chhattisgarh is all set to call one and all to invest in and with the overall development happening in various sectors in the state, it is surely a place worth investing in.

————————————————————————————————————–

orissa

· Orissa is a resource rich state. The state is endowed with minerals such as iron ore, coal, chromite, manganese, bauxite, etc.

· Adequate water resources

· Comfortable power situation

· Major sea port

· Wide road and rail Network

· Conducive agro-climatic conditions

· Skilled manpower

· Competitive labour costs

· Responsive state administration

· Rich biodiversity with flora and fauna, marine life forms

· Rich forest wealth and medicinal herbs

Indore calling …….

admin — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 09:31:11 +0000

By Pallavii Pitale

Established by the Holkars, the princely state of Indore has a rich cultural and Architectural legacy. The Architecture of the city shows a beautiful blend of Maratha, Mughal, Afghan, Rajput, Colonial, Art Deco and other styles. Various palaces, Temples and Historical monuments not only from city but from places nearby such as the famous Ujjain, Mandu and Dhar are the known destinations for study tours among the students of Architecture.

The city is known to have connections with many well known personalities in the field of Theatre and Cinema, Literature, Art, Cricket and Politics.

Gaan Kokila, Lata Mangeshkar was born in Indore. Singer and Actor Late Kishor da was the student of Christian College, Indore. famous bollywood comedian Johny Walker, Actor Salmaan Khan’s family, well known cricketers of India, C.K.Naidu, Mushtaq Ali and Narendra Hirwani all belong to Indore. Painters M.F.Hussain and N.S.Bendre have learnt their lessons in Art here from Vishnubua Deolalikar.

This commercial capital of Madhya Pradesh is also known as Mini Bombay due to enterprising nature of it’s citizens. Over the years the city of Indore has welcomed people from all castes, creed and color. People from all corners of the country have migrated and settled in here for their livelihood , education or just for its peaceful culture.

The crafts of Indore are as famous as it’s mouth watering chaats, Namkeens and other culinary delights. The famous Maheshwari saree from Maheshwar, the capital of Ahilya Devi Holkar and the hand block prints from the village of bagh are the famous crafts of Indore.

The climate of Indore is moderately extreme, with summer temperatures rising upto 35-40oc. At times even upto 45oc. But evening and nights are mostly cool n breezy.

The winter here is very pleasant with temperatures varying from 25oc to 10oc. In night. The city experiences moderate rainfall every year of about 80 cms.

The city is well connected to all the major cities in India via rail, road and air transport services and has been a rail and road transportation hub since long.

Now with many class II and III cities are emerging as the potential real estate markets for investing, Indore too, has been identified as a major centre for development and growth in Madhya Pradesh, the heart of India. In the past few years, various infrastructural developments have come up and are happening in and around the city with the help of central and state agencies .

A very ambitious project of DMIC- Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor is proposed to be passing from this city.

The first Greenfield operational SEZ ( Special Economic Zone) is being developed at Pithampur, about 25 KMs. Away from the city.

An environment friendly Bus Rapid Transit System ( BRTS ), a project mainly beneficial for the public transport in the area is bound get to finished within a couple of years.

For better connectivity to all major towns in and around M.P., various state and national highways are being made upto 4-6 lanes wide with most of them to complete within 2-4 years.

The work of International wing of Devi Ahilya Airport of Indore is in full swing and is likely to be fully operational very soon.

The unique water supply system of the city that gets the water from river Narmada has been boosted and the work is almost to get over.

The drainage system of the city is also getting modified by laying an additional new drainage line of 165 KMs.

With many Medical, Engineering, Management, Art and other institutions and Devi Ahilya University, Indore is the only city to have both, the IIM and the IIT.

The city is now having a world class Hotel, Radisson with 5 star facilities and 201 rooms for the accommodation which was recently opened in April, 2010.

With various malls like Indore Central, Orbit, Treasure Island, Mangal City, Silver, Sapna Angeeta , PC and E Mall and prestigious townships such as Sahara City Homes, Omaxe City, DLF, County Walk, Parshwanath, Vatsalya and many more coming up in and around the city, Indore is on the verge of a total make over.

The city now, is calling the investors, both nationals and Internationals to invest in various Real Estate Opportunities that are speedily coming up in the city.

Ahmedabad, a City on the threshold of a real estate boom

admin — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 06:52:08 +0000

By Pallavii Pitale

Ahmedabad, the city well known for Art and Architecture is about to witness a big boom in the realty sector within next couple of years.

Lots of new developments are happening in the realty sector of the city.

With the ongoing pace, The city is expected to have large amount of new residential property units not less than 12,000 by the year 2012.

Most developments are expected to take place in the Northern and the Western parts of the city whereas the central Ahmedabad with areas like, Paldi, navrangpura, Ashram Rd, Vasna and Usmanpur are expected to show least developments.

The western part is coming up with residential plot schemes wherein all other areas are coming up with dwelling systems. According to a recent survey, a Housing Price Index ( HPI ) has shown 57% increase in the western parts, 55% increase in the northern parts and 17% increase in the areas like Bhadra, Dhudeshwar and Gaikwad Haveli since last year.

The city now is all set to become a shopper’s paradise too.

With already about 13 malls present in the city, 11 more malls with almost 5 million square feet of space are coming up in this single year in various parts like satellite, Gurukul, Wadaj, Chandkheda etc. With this there would be around 24 malls in the city by the end of this year which is a biggest influx of malls in the city history.

MMRDA opens Virar-West skywalk

admin — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 13:03:58 +0000

589 meter long and 4-meter wide Virar-West skywalk is thrown open
Skywalk runs from Virar Railway Station to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Statute
Mumbai, March 22, 2009 – The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has thrown open another skywalk for public at Virar-West, which runs from Virar Railway Station to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Statute.
“We are happy to open the 7th skywalk in the city completely which cost rupees 9.15 crore. Virar-West skywalk is 589 meters long with four meters wide walkway. I am sure, this skywalk will be useful for thousands of Virar residents as many train services culminate at Virar”, said Ms. Ashwini Bhide, Joint Metropolitan Commissioner, MMRDA.
The MMRDA has, till today, thrown open, fully, seven skywalks at Bandra-E, Bandra-E Eextension up to Bandra Court, Kanjurmarg-E, Mira Road-E, Vidyavihar-W, Badlapur-W and Virar-W. The Authority has also opened 9 more skywalks, partially, at Borivli-W, Ulhasnagar-W, Chembur-W, Ghatkopar-W, Santacruz-W, Kalyan-W, Badlapur-E and Dahisar-E and W.
The MMRDA will be constructing in all 51 skywalks in the city of Mumbai and it’s Metropolitan Region.

BKC Car parking

admin — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 05:25:55 +0000

MMRDA extends date to file bids to operate and maintain multi-storey Car-Park

The Car-Park offers 800 ‘paid car-rests’ in ‘G’ Block of BKC

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has extended the date to file bids to operate and maintain its multi-storey car-park, which offers 800 ‘paid car-rests’ in ’G’ Block of Bandra-Kurla Complex, up to January 20, 2010 with a view to accommodate more bidders and to make the bid more competitive.

The bids were invited in the month of December asking interested parties to file bid documents latest by January 5, 2010 and in all ten parties had responded. However, during the pre-bid submission meeting held in the fourth week of December, a few prospective bidders raised queries with regards to taxes and outgoings, availability of additional car-parks in the near future, number of entry and exit lanes, insurance for the premises, first right of refusal etc. “Though the queries were duly answered, because of the two back to back long weekends, the interested parties requested for extension of time to file the bid documents. We have now extended the date up to January 20, 2010”, said Dilip Kawathkar, Joint Project Director (PR), MMRDA.

The 30,000 square meters of floor space in a multi-storey building is made available with demarcated entry and exit points and other ancillary facilities such as ticketing offices, toilets, refreshment facilities and rest rooms etc. The car-park is also equipped with adequate fire safety measures with proper ventilation and lighting.

Bangalore shifts into 1BHK homes

admin — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 08:42:19 +0000

A city that rarely saw a 1-bedroom hall kitchen (BHK) apartment or a studio apartment could soon have a plethora of them. Many developers in the city are looking at building such units — 1-BHK ranging between 500 sqft and 800 sqft with a price tag of around Rs 10 lakh to Rs 15 lakh. This could particularly benefit young professionals, newly wed couples, and senior citizens. Most of the handful of 1-BHK apartments around are actually 2-BHK apartments converted into 1-BHK ones, sporting a large drawing room.

Price wise, these units command the same rates as a 2-BHK. Electronic City, Whitefield, Marathahalli and Bannerghatta Road are the current hotspots for 1-BHK and studio apartments. Brigade Group, which just announced the launch of its value homes, says that 30 percent to 40 percent of the 10,000 units it‘s expected to build would comprise 1-BHK units.

Bengaluru: Low Demand, Over Supply spells doom for realty

admin — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 08:32:05 +0000

The real estate sector may be limping back to normalcy, but the poor offtake has resulted in an inventory glut, which has piled on to the market’s woes. The study —’Bengaluru Real Estate Report 2009′— conducted by IndiaReit Fund Advisors, the India-focused real estate venture capital fund, and global real estate advisor DTZ, said the vacancy levels in the city have increased due to slower sales.

The negative streak continued with 21 percent of the under construction projects remaining unabsorbed. The vacancy levels point to a stark contrast in the demand and supply ratio. Vacancy rates currently stand at 56 percent for all the projects expected to be ready for possession in 2011, said the report. A total of 20,395 new units would be added in the second half of 2009, which includes under construction properties and new project rollouts. The total supply pipeline for 2009-11 stands at 51,470 units with 193 projects at various stages of development with most of the projects concentrated in the eastern and southern Bangalore. In central Bangalore alone, 24 percent of the units under development are currently lying vacant. The trend is no different in the south with average vacancy levels hovering at 26 percent with 12,000 out of the total 26,000 units currently remaining unoccupied. While in the east, the vacancy gap has widened to 27 percent, but north Bangalore has remained unscathed reporting a mere 5 percent vacancy.

The depression in the realty market can also be attributed to the property prices in the city falling by 10-30 percent over the last one year. The slump in the residential segment is showing no signs of abating putting project deadlines under pressure. In South Bangalore, 26,000 residential units are expected to be completed over the next two years out of which 8,506 units are expected to be completed in the next six months. The eastern part of the city, which accounts for more than 34 percent of grade A residential space, is expected to see an addition of 7,212 units during the second half of the year. Most of the projects are in the mid-income category and around 45 percent of the expected supply will hit the market only by 2010, the report stated.