Large building complexes like offices, housing apartments, malls, multiplexes, which have changed the urbanscape, do not have any mandatory inspections to ensure that building plans and fire safety norms are in place, says
Vivek Shukla
The avoidable tragedy at Carlton Towers in Bangalore on February 23 has once again highlighted the sheer apathy of agencies [...]

Service tax burden imposed by the Union Budget on realty transactions will affect the sector, says Prabhakar Sinha
The Union Budget 2010-11 is a big disappointment to the middle-class urban housing sector. However, it has bet on the economic growth to drive demand in the sector. By tweaking the income slab, finance minister Pranab [...]

Foreign debt, banned in real estate, is finding its way into property firms as bankers and lawyers help builders cobble together new deals to raise money.
Even though foreign loans—better known as external commercial borrowings—are not permitted in construction, property firms have spotted a mechanism where the debt can be provided by foreign institutional investors (FIIs) [...]

DLF, the country’s largest realtor by market value, is planning to build a premium residential apartment complex at Worli in Mumbai instead of a high-end mall project, as demand for retail spaces has come down sharply, according to a company executive.
“We felt residential will do well here, and we will fix the price depending on [...]