Track2Realty: Western suburbs of Mumbai are set for a facelift through redevelopment post the new Development Control Rule (DCR). Ravi Sinha speaks to Lalit Kumar Jain, CMD, Kumar Urban Development and CREDAI President to understand whether it would add more pressure on the existing crumbling infrastructure of the suburbs. Excerpts of the interview:
The unfulfilled demand of more than 24 million houses in the country needs large scale impetus to achieve desired results. Allowing deduction for investment into affordable housing is a welcome step and will surely boost morale of housing industry and will accelerate investments in affordable housing.
The 2009 Mr. Salim committee report (parliamentary standing committee on housing) lays great emphasis on accelerating housing supply through increasing housing stock and promoting rental housing. It also refers to 24 million home shortage which will soon be 27 Million and ever increasing.
In the wake of the real estate community under the industry body CREDAI, asking for only self-regulation and no government regulator, the Union Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath has bluntly refused to heed to any such fancy thoughts.
Track2Realty: Describing Union Finance Minister’s Arun Jaitley’s maiden budget as “half glass full” and half filled with hopes, realtors’ apex body CREDAI Chairman Lalit Kumar Jain said it met with some expectations and left some out.
Track2Realty: Citing the inordinate delay in obtaining approvals for projects that is stalling growth of the real estate sector and also the economy of the country, Lalit Kumar Jain, Chairman CREDAI and CMD, Kumar Urban development Ltd, urged the Union Government to form a high power realty committee to accelerate big ticket realty projects worth between Rs.200 Cr and Rs.1000 Cr.
Track2Realty: Describing the National Green Tribunal (NGT) populist ban in sand mining as arbitrary and anti growth , developer’s apex body CREDAI Chairman Lalit Kumar Jain has threatened that the developer community is considering appropriate legal options to challenge the order. The nationwide stay on sand mining from river beds by the NGT adds to the ever increasing burden on the real estate industry.
Track2Realty: Opposing the Maharashtra government’s decision to impose local body tax (LBT) in lieu of octroi, developers’ apex body CREDAI Chairman Lalit Kumar Jain said the new levy will result in rise in corruption and be detrimental to business as well as consumers. There is a potential threat of it becoming breeding ground of corruption.
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 Impact: When Track2Realty pan-India survey said it in May this year that Indians prefer to pay more for ready-to-move property and find new launches risky, the sector was obviously not amused. CREDAI President Lalit Kumar Jain had differed with the Track2Realty survey findings in an interview with Tehelka and said that “ready-to-move-in flats comes at a premium rate and the availability of such in the country is currently just 5 per cent.”