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.
Ravi Sinha: I think Mr Tripathi has a very valid point that the CCI has emerged. You have also seen the wrong side of consumer activism in a Noida Extension kind of a situation. When we think of reforms, government is looking for a regulator and a whole lot of sector’s wish list has not gone down well with the government. Do you think that the sector will move ahead with some sort of reforms in the year ahead?
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.
Track2Realty-Agencies: The fate of the Real Estate Regulatory Bill hangs in balance even after PMO steps in to resolve differences between two ministries—Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation and Urban Development— threatening to further delay the long pending Bill. The PMO has reportedly stepped in and directed the warring ministries to quickly resolve their issues over the bill which aims to protect property buyer’s interest from unscrupulous realtors.
Track2Realty: The year 2012 witnessed subdued interest in real estate due to inflationary pressures and rising interest rates in the country, coupled with the on-going economic crisis in the Eurozone and US.
Track2Realty Exclusive: Most of the real estate analysts believe the year 2012 has been pretty disappointing and actually a waste. Anshuman Magazine, CMD of CB Richard Ellis (South Asia), however, feels it was better than expected. He asserts when the global economy is down and the Indian GDP continuously nose diving, any movement is a positive indicator. In an Exclusive Interview with Track2Realty Magazine talks about the learning of the year and sounds cautious with the prospects of the year ahead.
Track2Realty Exclusive-Yearly Analysis: Realty sector may appear to be bullish and project that downside is over with rosy forecast ahead, yet the decline in fortune is far from being over. As a matter of fact, the learning in the last four years has forced most of the leading players to restructure their project portfolio and shed the flab.
Track2Realty-Agencies: After some neglect in the past several years, the realty industry in India finally saw some reforms that had a direct and indirect impact on its fortunes and which led to the some development of the sector in 2012. The prospect of a revival looks brighter once the central bank keeps it promise of cutting interest rates to spur overall growth.
Track2Realty: CREDAI has urged lawmakers to consider reforms in the real estate sector to boost growth. In an open letter to MPs, Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Association of India (CREDAI) National President Lalit Kumar Jain said, “Though the government is moving in right direction with bold reforms agenda, much more can be achieved without any controversy or incurring additional cost just by focusing on the housing sector.”
Track2Realty: In wake of stiff resistance from the states over the proposed regulator to safeguards the consumer interest against shady realty deals & delays, the Centre has reportedly decided to allow the states to set up their own grievance redressal mechanism.