A check list for NRIs buying a house in India - Yahoo! News India : Investment from any source in the housing sector is an appreciated aspect in today's Indian  real estate  scenario, from an industry perspective. Let it be resident Indians, NRIs or even companies, constructing houses creates jobs for a lot of people. A back-of-the-napkin calculation shows that for a 1000 sq feet house, 100 direct  employment opportunities  (architect, building engineer, masons, helpers, electricians, plumbers, painters, carpenters, etc)  and over 1000 indirect employment opportunities (people working in cement plant, brick kilns, tiles kilns, electrical fittings companies, saw mills, steel plants, paint companies, etc) are created. Of course the duration of the employment will depend on a number of factors like nearness to a supply sources for material and labour, access to high tech equipment, architecture, etc. But to construct a house is not all that easy. It is not witho...

लागत ने हिलाई रीयल्टी की नींव - Navbharat Times : रवि तेजा शर्मा  नई दिल्ली।।  कंस्यूमर डिमांड में कमी से रियल एस्टेट इंडस्ट्री पहले ही मुश्किल में है। कोयले की कीमतें और मालभाड़ा बढ़ने से उसके मार्जिन पर और प्रेशर बढ़ा है। इसी वजह से रीयल्टी कंपनियां प्रॉपर्टी की कीमत नहीं घटा नहीं पा रही हैं, जिसका असर डिमांड पर पड़ रहा है। अगर डिवेलपर्स घरों के दाम कर पाते तो इससे डिमांड बढ़ाने में मदद मिल सकती थी। इंडस्ट्री एग्ज़ेक्युटिव्स ने बताया कि पिछले तीन महीने से डिवेलपर्स को मजदूरों की कमी का सामना करना पड़ रहा है। ऐसे में, रियल एस्टेट कंपनियों को कंस्ट्रक्शन प्रोजेक्ट्स पूरा करने के लिए मजदूरी बढ़ानी पड़ी है। इस दौरान सीमेंट और स्टील जैसे रॉ मटीरियल भी महंगे हुए हैं। सीमेंट की कीमत (50 किलोग्राम) 220 रुपए से बढ़कर 280 रुपए हो गई है। नोएडा में इसका दाम 325 रुपए है। वहीं, बिहार में सीमेंट की कीमत 50 फीसदी बढ़कर 350 रुपए प्रति बैग हो गई है। कन्फेडरेशन ऑफ रियल एस्टेट डिवेलपर्स असोसिएशन ऑफ इंडिया (क्रेडाई) के प्रेज़िडेंट ललित कुमार जैन का कहना है, 'पिछले 3-4 महीने में रियल एस्टेट...

Property dispute: Delhi woman pushed by brothers from first floor, dies | Deccan Chronicle : In a freak accident, a 25-year-old girl died after being pushed from the first floor of her house by her two brothers when she tried to prevent the two from beating their mother, police said on Friday. The incident, the result of a property dispute, was reported in east Delhi's Jyoti Nagar area on Thursday night when Shobha was trying to stop the duo from beating their 60-year-old mother. According to police, Deepak and Jagdish live on the ground floor of the building and their mother Vidhawati (60) and her daughter Shobha live on the first floor. Deepak and Jagdish returned to their home in an inebriated condition, went to the first floor and started arguing with their mother over construction of a room on the ground floor. They started thrashing their mother. They even pulled her hair and tried to drag her towards the balcony. "Shobha tried to intervene and calm down her brothers...

Most interest-free banks and investment companies have turned out to be cheats, defaulters or failures. Unless the RBI stands guarantee, no one should deposit or invest money. The Baitun Nasr Coop Society of Mumbai is a classic case of failure. The Society invested huge funds in booming real estate in the city. When boom turned into doom, the values of the property crashed and Baitun Nasr had no liquidity to run the daily transaction. The first hint of danger made the depositors made a beeline at the offices of Baitun Nasr in Mahim. The company is facing litigation, its directors have relocated themselves and remain incognito. To my knowledge the directors were innocent and honest. Al-Ameen Islamic Financial Investment Company (AIFIC) of Bangalore vanished with Rs. 18 crore of the deposits ie. Khushahal Deposit, Hajj Deposits, Ramadan deposits. Several widows and NRIs had deposited their money in the AIFIC. The company was liquidated as huge money was defalcated. Some of the company...

About 70 percent of India is poor: Top adviser - Yahoo! India Finance : New Delhi, March 25 (IANS) Debunking the government's claim that the number of poor in India has come down, a top adviser has claimed that around 70 percent of the country's 1.2 billion population is poor, and stressed the need for a multi-dimensional assessment of poverty. "The government claim that poverty has come down is not valid... there is a need for a multi-dimensional assessment of poverty as around 70 percent of the population is poor," National Advisory Council member N.C. Saxena told IANS in an interview. According to Saxena, the various poverty estimates the government relies on to assess the impact of developmental schemes are faulty as they fail to factor in the lack of nutritional diet, sanitation, drinking water, healthcare and educational facilities available to the people. The former bureaucrat, who now is part of the NAC that reports to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, claim...

‘Cycle is the future in India’ | Nature | New Delhi : Cycling to work may soon become a reality in Delhi, and not just for the poor. With pollution and shrinking roadspace, the capital is under pressure to adopt the Netherlands model that promotes cycling as an alternative to driving. "Cycle is the future in India but the voice has to reach out," said Pankaj Munjal, president-designate, All India Cycles Manufacturers' Association. Cycling enthusiasts are hopeful of getting separate bicycle lanes (File photo of a cyclist in Bangalore) Every Sunday, Munjal and a group of 150 cyclists from across walks of life assemble at the Lutyen's Bikers' Zone between Rashtrapati Bhavan and India Gate in the capital for 45 minutes of vigorous biking and bike-related discussions - which end with a small feast. "We drive to India Gate at 6 a.m., offload our bikes and cycle on the biker's tracks," said Munjal, also the managing-director of Hero Cycles. The bikes ...

The Hindu : Life & Style / Society : Propelled by circumstance : The Hindu THE DAILY GRIND: As daily wagers rickshaw pullers have little or no social security. Photo: V. Ganesan. Oblivious of the Supreme Court batting for them, rickshaw pullers live life one day at a time The Supreme Court ruling on Monday against Municipal Corporation of Delhi's proposal of fixing the number of licenses for cycle rickshaws may seem like a glimmer of hope for the community, but spending a few hours with them tells another story. Marred by the oncoming summer on the one hand and struggling for a livelihood on the other, for most rickshaw pullers finding the next commuter is the real issue. Most are not only oblivious of the recent developments in their favour, but also of the existence of bodies like the MCD or even a licensing system for pulling rickshaws. They, however, agree with the apex court's concerns about their livelihood if any such cap is implemented. “Fine, ...

Cycle rickshaws: SC verdict gets mixed response - Times Of India : NEW DELHI: The city has been fighting a losing battle against private vehicles but it had chosen to clamp down on the most eco-friendly mode of transport - cycle rickshaws - to prevent congestion. However, tri-cycles finally got some respite on Monday after the Supreme Court upheld their right to ply in the city without facing harassment. The judgment has been welcomed by many who felt that it addressed two necessary issues - providing clean public transport and protecting human rights of the migrant population. But a certain segment says that absence of regulations would not only compound congestion on roads but also worsen Delhi's population problem. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi had placed a cap of 99,000 on the number of rickshaws in the city, colour coding them zone wise for easy identification. Under the municipal bylaws, the authority had the power to confiscate, crush and sell for crap any rickshaw f...

पावर ऑफ अटॉर्नी के पेच में हजारों फंसे - Navbharat Times : नगर संवाददाता ॥ नवयुग मार्केट : जीडीए और यूपीएसआईडीसी की ओर से अलॉट करीब 17 हजार प्रॉपर्टी पावर ऑफ अटार्नी के आधार पर खरीदकर लोग परेशान हैं। सालों से ये लोग पावर ऑफ अटॉर्नी के आधार रजिस्ट्री कराने की छूट का इंतजार कर रहे हैं। अगर इन प्रॉपर्टी की रजिस्ट्री होती है तो इससे सरकार को भी करोड़ों रुपये का स्टांप शुल्क मिल सकता है। जीडीए और यूपीएसआईडीसी की ओर से हाल ही में एक लेटर प्रदेश सरकार को भेजा गया था।  ये होंगे फायदे नुकसान  पांच साल पहले प्रदेश सरकार ने पॉवर ऑफ अटार्नी के बेस पर खरीदी गई प्रॉपर्टी की डायरेक्ट रजिस्ट्री करने की सुविधा दी थी लेकिन फिर इसे रोक दिया गया। ऐसे में अगर पॉवर ऑफ अटॉर्नी होल्डर रजिस्ट्री करते हैं तो इसके लिए इसके दो नुकसान हैं। पहला ये कि पॉवर ऑफ अटॉर्नी के तहत जितनी बार भी प्रॉपर्टी बेची गई है उन सब के नाम पहले रजिस्ट्री करानी होगी। इससे कई गुना स्टांप शुल्क देना होगा। दूसरा कि प्रॉपर्टी के मौजूदा सर्किल रेट के आधार पर जमीन की रजिस्ट्री करानी होगी।  वहीं, अगर प्रदेश सरकार से...

धर्म स्थलों वाले शहरों में प्रॉपर्टी की भक्ति - Navbharat Times : अमित शानबाग  घरेलू तीर्थस्थलों में आनेवाले श्रद्धालुओं की तादाद दिनोंदिन बढ़ रही है। ऐसे में देशभर के पवित्र शहरों में प्रॉपर्टी खरीदने की होड़ सी मची है, लेकिन क्या ऐसी लोकेशंस बढ़िया इनवेस्टमेंट साबित हो सकती हैं?  जब अनुजा वागले और उनके परिवार सदस्यों ने दस साल पहले मुंबई के पश्चिमी उपनगरीय इलाके में नया मकान खरीदा, तब उन्हें इस बात का कतई अंदाजा नहीं था कि वह ऐसे मंदिर से सटे मकान में शिफ्ट कर रहे हैं, जिसकी मान्यता काफी ज्यादा है। अनुजा ने कहा, 'हमने यहां मकान इसलिए खरीदा था कि उस समय प्रॉपर्टी के दाम काफी कम थे और कीमत हमारे बजट के मुताबिक थी। हम खुशकिस्मत रहे कि ऐसा मकान मिला, जिसकी दीवार मंदिर से लगी है।'  जैसे-जैसे यह उपनगरीय इलाका डिवेलप हुआ और यहां दुकानें बनने लगीं, तब हाउसिंग डिमांड में भी इजाफा होने लगा। जाहिर है, ज्यादातर डिमांड मंदिर के आसपास की प्रॉपर्टी की थी। वागले ने कहा, 'बीते कुछ साल में मंदिर की प्रसिद्धि भी काफी बढ़ गई। यही वजह है कि पिछले कुछ वर्षों के दौरान इस इलाके में प्र...

Should you buy property in a religious location? - Economic Times : When 32-year-old Anuja Wagle and her family moved into a new house in the western suburbs of Mumbai 10 years ago, they had no idea of its proximity to a famous temple. "We bought the house as the property rate was very low then and the price fit our budget. We believe that we were lucky to get a house that shares the temple's boundary wall," she says. Residential Apartments As the suburb developed and shops came up, the housing demand also rose, and most of this demand was centred in the vicinity of the temple. "Over the years, the popularity of the  temple  has also increased. This is why the property rates in this area have gone up tremendously since the past couple of years," adds Wagle. Does this mean that one should buy a house near a place of worship as the price appreciation will be highest there? Will you earn a good rental income from such a property? This will probably be true for ...