Track2Realty: RICS and CREDAI have joined hands to promote professional skills in real estate and construction. At the 12th National Convention of CREDAI at Barcelona, a joint initiative called “RICS-CREDAI Skills Development Initiative” was announced to address the education and training needs of professionals engaged in the real estate and construction sector in the country.
Track2Realty: In most Indian metros, people have reached a point where the word “nature” has become a distant dream which they hope to enjoy on a vacation. All they get to see are tall scrapers coupled with a massive amount of pollution. Children in these cities do not know what it means to wake up to the chirping of birds, or even the view of sunrise. Most of India experiences such encounters with nature. However, people in metro cities are missing out on this special experience.
Track2Realty: Government is coming out with new PPP models to fast track infrastructure projects, said Jitin Prasada, Union Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways, while inaugurating the Conference on Infrastructure Project Management, organised by Confederation of Indian Industry in New Delhi on Thursday, Sep 20.
The Macquarie SBI Infrastructure Fund (MSIF) has announced the completion of an investment into Ashoka Concessions Limited (ACL) for $US150 million1 (INR8 billion), along with a co-investor, the SBI Macquarie Infrastructure Trust (SMIT).
Developers are outdoing each other in bringing the latest technology, and offering exclusive amenities and luxuries, not to mention the big-ticket designer names. Track2Realty finds the concept of luxury living is increasingly being redefined as the Indian real-estate market matures. There is no dearth of buyers either, provided luxury living is customised with buyers’ profile, taste, choice and needs.
The new concept of integrated townships is now more about a single developer taking over a large tract of land. There are benefits too. “The infrastructure is under the developers’ control,” explains Anuj Puri, Chairman and Country Head, JLLI, adding that the developer can plan and use the FSI better, and long-term maintenance is a possibility.
Integrated township as the future of urban living is an established reality. However, the future of integrated townships depends not only on the infrastructure development, but also creation of overall social infrastructure. Track2Realty delves deeper into the issue to find out the thin line that bifurcates between a successful case study and a dream unfulfilled.
What Government can look at is to increase the demand and continue interest reduction in housing or enhance the deduction limit. Government can also provide special tax incentives for budget housing.
The PE players have expressed concern about difficulty in exits, governance issues in investee companies and certain taxes such as the Dividend Distribution Tax which are excessive and do not conform with global standards.
Indian developers will borrow about $1 billion from private equity funds this fiscal year at rates higher than banks, which are cutting loans to builders, Knight Frank assessment suggests.