Pranay Vakil: No but the same developer used to rent out commercial office space, but he won’t rent out the residence because of the return. So, according to Gaurav funding is the issue and according to Atul return on investment is the issue.
Track2Realty-Agencies: After weeks of hectic negotiations, the government on Thursday, April 19, has managed consensus on the crucial Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill, paving the way for its consideration and passage in the second half of the budget session of Parliament beginning April 22.
Track2Realty Exclusive: Conceptually across the world integrated townships have gone beyond a well-planned housing complex that meets daily needs of its residents to a functioning city that aims at self reliance. The townships being built today have a balanced configuration of residential and commercial spaces intermingled with well-developed infrastructure and recreational amenities besides the green and open spaces.
Gaurav Gupta: I think you will have to take into account the historical background of real estate industry. All of us know historically real estate was never a professional industry in the country before FDI came in 2005. The industry was really fragmented and the industry was with small developers and it was more like a family business.
Track2Realty Exclusive: Integrated township in the Indian context is a baby that everyone was expecting with their own set of expectations. And hence, within a decade the term was so over-used that it lost its relevance. Any and every mixed land use was projected as an integrated township and it often lacked the basic DNA of affordability, convenience, lifestyle and walk-to-work. As a matter of fact, Trck2Realty noted township projects were also conceptualized by many as safe investments in India at a time when funds were on the look out to deploy and developers needed more projects in the kitty to bag that.
Jhumur Ghosh: I am a little curious. In 2008, all the funds of the world were lining up for real estate and signing and today we are having this discussion, in just four years. How does that happen?
Track2Realty Exclusive: Manoj John, VP, Corporate Planning & Strategy, RNA Corps maintains there is a correlation between cost of FSI and the nature of development that is viable given the high cost of land with limited development potential. If more can be built on the same land, the cost of land attributable to the project, which is as high has 50 to 80 per cent of project cost would come down. Hence, it would be viable for the developer to build residential projects at lower cost and hence make it more affordable.
I would like to ask the developer friends here when they say there is an ambiguity as far as ECB is concerned. Which are the funding routes that you find without ambiguity—whether it is private equity, QIP, IPO or any other route to raise money?
Gaurav Gupta: I would say there are multiple challenges for the sector.
Track2Realty Exclusive: For quite some time the developers in Mumbai were making pitch for the review of FSI in the city which they termed as archaic. Their grouse has not been lacking the merit also.
Track2Realty-Agencies: A builder who failed to start a Greater Noida residential project on time has landed in trouble as a consumer court in New Delhi has directed him to pay compensation of Rs.3 lakh and refund the over Rs.49 lakh cost of a flat to a complainant.