Track2Realty-Agencies: Real estate players and analysts on Tuesday welcomed the Reserve Bank’s move to cut short-term lending rates, but said that more such steps are needed to bring growth back to the sector.
Track2Realty Roundtable Panelists—Dr Anil Sharma, CMD, Amrapali Group
Sunil Dahiya—Sr Vice President, NAREDCO & MD Vigneshwara Developers
Harmit Chawla—MD, HCorp Realty
PK Tripathi—President, Unitech
Moderator—Ravi Sinha, CEO & Managing Editor, Track2Realty
Ravi Sinha: Would any of you agree that the pipeline visibility and land bank suddenly has turned out to be a land liability?
Track2Realty Exclusive: The image of the tall crane or earth moving equipment standing amid construction rubble is a ubiquitous one across our cities. In projects involving malls, housing complexes and tech parks, the visual signals are strong and clear: real estate is booming in India.
Ravi Sinha: In 2013 when most of the PE Funds are maturing, they may not be investing again in the real estate. So, from where will you generate the funds?
Track2Realty: Walking on a tight rope of fiscal management, the Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram did his best to bring smiles on the faces of home buyers. Something that should cheer up the real estate sector looking left, right and centre for buyers with piling inventory. Still, a section of real estate is sulking. Why so? Track2Realty tries to understand the grey zones where for the realtors it was a case of “ye did maange more.”
Track2Realty Exclusive: The Indian real sector has evoked mixed response to the Union Budget 2013-14, though by and large there is optimism within the sector. Here are some of the responses—
Ravi Sinha: All said and done, land acquisition bill is going to be a reality. What are the issues that make you so critical of it? Is it just the fresh cost of acquisition?
Ravi Sinha: The point here is how feasible are the wishful thoughts of the sector in 2013?
Sunil Dahiya: The commercial essence of our product has been taken out. Now the consumer is saying let me wait for something, and he is waiting in eternity for something better to come. What he is waiting for, we also don’t know. So, the consumer has been loaded with confusion, and we are loaded with a product which is dead.
Track2Realty Exclusive: Most of the development in the NCR has occurred in the vicinity of the commercial hubs. In the Gurgaon micro market, developers have shifted their focus to the Dwarka Expressway, also called the Northern Peripheral Road. The forthcoming expressway will provide a convenient alternative link between Delhi and Gurgaon.
I welcome all the panelists in the final roundtable for Track2Realty Focus 2013. As we come to the end of 2012, it is time to look in & look ahead as far as the prospects of the realty sector are concerned. In this discussion, we would try to wrap up the year 2012, and see where the sector has been heading to in 2013. So, when you look at the year Mr Sharma, don’t you think “oh! what a waste.” So much was expected this year but nothing has moved forward, be it in terms of administrative reforms, fiscal reforms or land reforms; nothing has gone right for the sector.