I would say I am relatively dissatisfied with the focus of budget on realty sector in the last ten years. Our expectations have never been fulfilled and I now demand investments in infrastructure sector should be set as a priority, as good infrastructure is very necessary for the economic growth of the country.
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.
India is today facing a unique challenge of dealing with high inflation, while continuing on its high growth trajectory. Boosting of supply in all industries, including through incentivizing of infrastructure development, streamlining of regulatory process to reduce time and costs for business and tax incentives for low cost housing are all important areas which will help reduce inflation and also enable growth rates to be maintained.
New research from Jones Lang LaSalle reveals that positive business sentiment and solid corporate hiring are buoying leasing demand in the office markets of Asia Pacific. In 2010, aggregate net take-up across major Tier I markets was more than double the level of the previous year.
Gone are the days when we were chained to our desk from 9 to 5. How we work is changing. The idea of a “Third Place,” a space that’s neither home nor office but where people want to spend a portion of their lives, was introduced as far back as 1989 in Ray Oldenburg’s book “The Great Good Place.” Today, thanks to the advent of wireless technology, the concept has evolved from being merely from a civic or entertainment space and now also applies to a flexible work space for mobile employees.
There will be significant changes in term of the redevelopment of Mumbai seafront with the revamping of the Coastal Regulation Zone norms that direct construction in these areas. Numerous old structures and unregulated residential developments that have been awaiting this signal in the areas in question will now be redeveloped.
Mumbai witnessed the highest absorption in the year in 4Q10 which was recorded at 1,328,582 sq ft (123,429 sqm) indicating robust demand. Demand for Grade A office space was broad-based and not restricted to the banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI) sectors, which typically dominate Mumbai’s tenant landscape. Domestic and multinational occupiers from the consulting, aviation, IT/ITES and other industries were active in acquiring front-office and back-office space in 4Q10.
The Hyderabad commercial office market posted a strong increase in demand in 2010 with the foray of new occupiers such as United Health Group, JP Morgan Chase and Facebook, and the expansion of existing tenants including TCS, Accenture, Google, Mindtree and Cognizant. Majority of the leasing transactions were recorded in the peripheral districts of Hitec City and Gachibowli. During the year, the city also witnessed strong pre-leasing activity. Demand of SEZ space in the city increased as compared to IT Parks in 2010.
The period ending 4Q10 witnessed low to moderate activity levels in the CBD and SBD of Delhi NCR. The CBD, with its low vacancy levels, continued to cater to small office queries, while the SBD with significantly more office stock, catered to the larger corporate office space demand.
Bangalore continued to witness increased market activity in 4Q10. Transaction volumes have improved significantly compared to that in the previous quarter. The improvement in transaction activity can be attributed to the stabilising macroeconomic situation, positive business environment outlook and the strengthening domestic market conditions.