Editor’s Note

For years, commoners in and around Delhi have stopped even thinking of buying a house in the national Capital. This is primarily because of the lack of supply of new housing stock which in turn led to skyrocketing prices. This also led to increased housing activity in the cities bordering Delhi. But scenario is now set to change – albeit it will take some time. The Union Urban Development Ministry has given nod to Delhi Development Authority’s (DDA) Land Pooling Policy. In nutshell, the policy proposes pooling of land under public-private partnership, and developing the pooled land, thereby creating new housing stock. It is expected the Capital city will be flooded with 25 lakh new houses in the coming few years. How will it work and what will be the dynamics, we dissect the policy in our cover story this time.

While Delhi is set to witness massive housing supply in the years to come, Gurgaon has been the hub of new housing and commercial activity over the last decade. But the city’s infrastructure unfortunately hasn’t been able to keep pace with the increased construction activity and increased inhabitance. So how then the city aspires to be ‘smart’? We ask Anita Yadav, Administrator, HUDA, Gurgaon. The Administrator unveils the plans she has chalked out to eradicate the infrastructure woes of the city. She tells us what she has up her sleeves to tackle other problems of water scarcity, urban transport and land issues, etc.

More on Gurgaon…there’s lot to cheer for the developers and the homebuyers of the projects on Dwarka-Manesar Expressway. Thousands of buyers who have put in their money in the upcoming projects on the Dwarka Expressway had a sigh of relief when Punjab and Haryana High Court removed the stay on land acquisition, thereby clearing the way for construction of the two and half kilometers of the 18-km-long stretch. With the court order, the HUDA Gurgaon is ready with its plan of action and obviously the developers coming up with more than a hundred residential projects along the expressway are a happy lot now.

In our previous issue we asked the real estate sector stalwarts their opinion on the first year of Narendra Modi Government. In this issue JLL India Chairman & Country Head Anuj Puri says the first year has been balanced on hits and misses. Judging by the intents of the Government, Puri adds that the future seems to be promising.

In our Dveloper speak section Mahagun Director Dhiraj Jain stresses on the importance of social media platform for the real estate sector. He says social media is now one of the most significant mediums for marketing to achieve the desired sales.

In addition are our regular reads – new residential launches pan-India, prevailing property rates in some of the key localities in major cities, home loan rates of leading lenders, Vastu this time for the large scale industries, and your monthly horoscope. Enjoy reading!!!