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Location: Sector- M 1, Manesar.

Site Size: Approx. 14 Acres

High rise Apartments along with Townhouses and Independent Floors.

Area:

Apartments:
1760 sq ft ( 3 Bedroom with Servant Room)
2125 sq ft (4 Bedroom with Servant Room)
Townhouses : 2960 sq ft & 3070 sq ft
Independent Floors : 2860 sq ft

They wanted to go to Ghodi Bachheda village. They told the administration either they be allowed to go to the village to give financial relief to the victims or the families should be brought to the border The families refused to come to Noida.

Later, after invervention of senior officials, the leaders agreed to go back but said they would come on August 25 to disburse the relief of Rs 2 lakh each for the victim families.

DDA's Master Plan is one of the six projects in urban planning selected out of 17 countries for the recognition. Besides Delhi, the award has been given to one institution each in the Netherlands, Belgium, Mexico, Poland and China. The International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISOCARP) is a professional Association of City & Regional Planners, with members from more than 75 developed and developing countries and recognized by the UN, Council of Europe, with consultative status with UNESCO. ISOCARP decided to award the DDA plan during a meeting of the jury held in Madrid, Spain, on July 17, 2008.

However, ISOCARP, which had instituted Award for Excellence on its 44th Anniversary in the year 2005, gives it to a city or an institution in recognition of exceptionally innovative urban and regional planning initiatives that best express the theme of the ISOCARP Congress, that year. The theme of ISOCARP Congress this year is "Urban Growth without Sprawl -- A way towards Sustainable Urbanization".

The award will be given at a ceremony in Spain in November on the occasion of World Planning Day.

In the June 2008 quarter, revenues for the developer were up a somewhat disappointing 19 per cent to Rs 1000 crore y-o-y although the operating profit margin improved 114 basis points y-o-y to 59 per cent due to increased contribution from the residential segment. The profit after tax was pushed up by lower outflows on interest and a lower provisioning for tax.

The company has been able to rope in an investor for a project being executed by Shivalik Ventures---a joint venture between Unitech and local Mumbai developers.

Lehman Brothers Real Estate will invest Rs 740 crore for a 50 per cent stake in the first phase of the project to develop one million square feet in Mumbai.

The inflows should help ease Unitech's cash flows --- the company's gross debt is estimated at around Rs 8,600 crore and analysts estimate that the average cost of the debt should be about 12 per cent. Outflows on interest had increased to Rs 280 crore in FY08 from Rs 120 crore in the previous year.

It is believed that a couple of the firm's projects in Chennai and Hyderabad may have been pushed back because of delays in approvals. The firm has a strong presence in the eastern and northern parts of the country and residential projects account for close to 75 per cent of its land bank.

Of the approximately 55 million sq feet under construction currently, about 30 million sq ft is in the residential segment. In its balance sheet for the year to March 2008, the Unitech management has sounded a cautionary note. "It is quite clear that after a fairly long bull run, the real estate sector in India has begun to show signs of slowing down to a more realistic equilibrium rate of growth. The first signs of market slackening were evident in the second half of FY08. The correction has become more pronounced thereafter."

In the June 2008 quarter, revenues for the developer were up a somewhat disappointing 19 per cent to Rs 1000 crore y-o-y although the operating profit margin improved 114 basis points y-o-y to 59 per cent due to increased contribution from the residential segment. The profit after tax was pushed up by lower outflows on interest and a lower provisioning for tax.

The company has been able to rope in an investor for a project being executed by Shivalik Ventures a joint venture between Unitech and local Mumbai developers.

Lehman Brothers Real Estate will invest Rs 740 crore for a 50 per cent stake in the first phase of the project to develop one million square feet in Mumbai.

The inflows should help ease Unitech's cash flows the company's gross debt is estimated at around Rs 8,600 crore and analysts estimate that the average cost of the debt should be about 12 per cent. Outflows on interest had increased to Rs 280 crore in FY08 from Rs 120 crore in the previous year.

It is believed that a couple of the firm's projects in Chennai and Hyderabad may have been pushed back because of delays in approvals. The firm has a strong presence in the eastern and northern parts of the country and residential projects account for close to 75 per cent of its land bank.

Of the approximately 55 million sq feet under construction currently, about 30 million sq ft is in the residential segment. Analysts estimate the net asset value of the firm at around Rs 200 per share for FY 10. The stock currently trades at Rs 165.

For this, the state would be divided into four regions - east, west, central and Bundelkhand - and the students there will be provided with delicacies of their respective region, they added.

"As per the new menu of MDM, Bati Chokha, Rajma, Kheer and other delicacies will be offered to the students taking regional taste into account," a senior official associated with MDM told sources.

"Initially, we have to introduce this as a pilot project," Basic Shiksha Adhikari Lucknow Rakesh Kumar said. The pilot project will be launched next month.

"Depending upon the acceptance of the new scheme amongst the students, we would go ahead. The feedback from the students will also be sent to the central government," he added.

At present Khichri and Tehri (a dish made from rice and vegetable) are provided under MDM, officials said.

In Uttar Pradesh, MDM covers about 150,000 schools, under which lunch is provided to students till class 8, they added.

Ansal Properties & Infrastructure Ltd a leading real estate developer in India, has announced a total investment of about Rs36nm in their soon to be launched IT/ITES SEZs/Parks, Ansal API is one of the first developers in India to obtain notification for setting up of IT/ITES SEZs in the country.

The company currently has approval for setting up IT/ITES SEZs in Greater Noida, Gurgaon and Mumbai. While the IT SEZs have been branded as 'The Campus', the IT Parks have been christened ‘Net City'.

Construction, for some of the projects has already commenced and they are expected to be completed in the next five to seven years.The total area to be developed Under the scheme would be approximately 270 acres with built-up area of about 17mn sq.ft. Strategically located close to IT companies, expressways and airports, these SEZs will offer immense value to IT/ITES companies in the area besides contributing to its development. Based on the walk-to-work culture, the proposed SEZs will consist of an IT Zone (Processing area), a commercial zone (non-processing), a residential zone and a recreational area.

Speaking on the occasion, Pranav Ansal, Vice- Chairman and Managing Director, Ansal API said, “We are extremely delighted to announce our expansion into West India with the launch of IT SEZ ‘The Campus', Khopoli. These SEZs are aimed at growing IT & ITES companies who are choosing to set up centers in adjoining areas of Tier- 1 cities in view of the global economic pressure to reduce costs and maximize returns. Ansal API SEZs will offer them the best value for money."

These SEZs will be equipped with all modem amenities like 100% power back-up, professionally managed 24X7 facility services, central air conditioning etc. Special attention has been given to the architecture in order to maximize space utilization. Large and efficient floor plates, lesser columns and high ceiling height and ample car parking space are some of the other features that will be offered to customers. These SEZs / Parks will also endeavour to adhere to energy efficient building practices. Earlier in the year, Ansal API announced Haryana's first private Integrated Industrial Park Pioneer spread over 100 acres at Pathredi in Gurgaon.

The real estate in Indian market is constantly changing and developing at a rapid pace. The most preferred destinations of last year may not be the better options this year, while next year might bring certain unparallelled set of investment destinations in the real estate market of India. As such nothing can be predicted in advance in this sector.

The basic reason for this changing situation is that the real estate is booming which is causing most of the country's metros and also certain previously popular Tier II towns to modify at an unequalled pace.The prices of the immovable property have actually reached sky heights which might be beyond the reach of the middle class group, but it still forces them to expect a little more abroad each year. The investors assess these trends of migration, examine the magnitude and range of growth and determine certain new towns as the next destination.

The Information technology (IT) companies, are these days the capital growth drivers in the real estate market of India and are stunningly not dependent on the central business locations. The core of the entire boom of outsourcing is that it sorts more awareness for the multi-nationals to transfer the functions of back-office and even undergo extensive research processes to India rather than undertaking them in their home countries.

A majority of the office space demand in the suburbs is driven by the 'IT' & ITES sector. But thanks to the economic situation globally, this demand seems to be falling now. In fact, not just IT, but the impact is also visible on demand coming from banking and financial sectors in these areas.

According to a report by JLLM, the demand for IT, banking and financial office space in the suburbs of cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai is expected to fall by about 10-15% over the next two quarters. A similar dip is expected in the rentals too, during that period. Experts say, oversupply is another reason why rentals are heading south.  

Anuj Puri, Chairman & Country Head, Jones Lang LaSalle Meghraj, said, "There's a huge amount of supply in the suburban areas for office space, which is going to be hitting the market or is currently hitting the market, as a result of which, the supply is now in access of the demand in those suburban areas". He added, "Whether it is Navi Mumbai in Mumbai, or Whitefield in Bangalore, or Greater Noida in Delhi, the suburban areas to major cities are susceptible."

Currently office rentals in suburbs like Navi Mumbai and Gurgaon are between Rs 45 to Rs 130 a square feet per month. While Gurgaon absorbed approximately 3 million square feet of supply in 2007, about 9 million square feet is expected to hit the market by the end of this year. Similarly, suburban areas of Mumbai like Navi Mumbai, Thane and Powai will absorb over 6.5 million square feet.

Location: Sector- M 1, Manesar.

Site Size: Approx. 14 Acres

High rise Apartments along with Townhouses and Independent Floors.

Area:

Apartments:
1760 sq ft ( 3 Bedroom with Servant Room)
2125 sq ft (4 Bedroom with Servant Room)
Townhouses : 2960 sq ft & 3070 sq ft
Independent Floors : 2860 sq ft

Farmers gathered from the nearby districts of Bulandshahr, Aligarh, Baghpat, Meerut, Muzaffarnagar and Ghaziabad to condemn the police firing on farmers on Aug 13 in which five people were killed and passed a resolution that the farmers would not allow further acquisition of their land.

Farmers' leader Raj Kumar Bhati said: "The authorities forcibly acquire farmers' lands at a very meagre price and then sell these at a very high premium - more than 100 times. The land is the only livelihood of the poor farmers. After the acquisition of land, the farmers become jobless and their unskilled generations do not get any job. Therefore, to save their families, no further land acquisition is acceptable to us."

"If the land is required for any development, it should be bought directly from the farmer through negotiations at the prevailing market rate," added Bhati.

The meeting passed a resolution that criminal cases filed against farmers be withdrawn immediately, the compensation amount to the families of the farmers killed in police firing be raised from Rs.300,000 to Rs.1.5 million and a job be provided to a member of the family whose land had been acquired, Bhati said.

"NTPC should explore ways to reduce land requirements for its future power plants. For example by going vertical in township area of the project," Minister of State for Power Jairam Ramesh said, during his visit to NTPC's Dadri Power Plant in Uttar Pradesh.

The ministry wants NTPC to set up vertical townships at its project sites. This would help accommodate more people in lesser area.

About the Dadri project Ramesh said, "The two power plants of 490 MW each, would meet the deadline of September 2009 and January 2010 respectively. These plants would be part of infrastructure for the forthcoming Commonwealth Games (2010)."

Out of the total power generated by these two plants, 90 per cent would be destined for Delhi and rest for Uttar Pradesh. Dadri already has four units of 210 MW each presently.

• 467 SEZs formally approved till July 2008 by the Board of Approvals, Union ministry of commerce
  
• 225 of these SEZs have been notified across states
  
• Exports expected to touch Rs 1.25 lakh crore during 2008-09, an increase of over 86 per cent over the last fiscal
  
• Exports pegged at Rs 67,088 crore in 2007-08
  
• About 2.8 lakh people find employment with SEZs. Incremental employment generated in the last 3 yrs: over 150 per cent

As the India story was celebrated amidst applause, many missed the contradiction in that assertion. As the saga of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) plays out--committed corporates with crores sunk into projects across the country pitted against a "million mutinies" by farmers, fisherfolk, tribals, academics, some economists--the contradiction between free market and democracy is, perhaps, at its sharpest.

Eight
years after the Indian government adopted the Chinese SEZ model, and three years after the enactment of the SEZ law, as the forces of market economics and democracy are pitted eyeball to eyeball, it's tempting to ask: who'll blink first? People's right to know; citizen consent for projects; relationship between people, their government and corporates; the scope of power vested in SEZ developers are related issues but the fundamental issue still is: what's a sustainable SEZ model for India? As historian Ramachandra Guha says, "We cannot transplant what worked in China for many reasons but primarily because we are a democracy and China isn't."

India's SEZ map looks in a fair bit of disorder.

 The Union commerce ministry, through the Board of Approvals, has given formal nod to as many as 467 SEZs till July 2008, 225 of which are notified and the rest are in various stages of notification. Most notified SEZs, however, are stuck with land acquisition from farmers. Developers have missed deadlines, time is slipping away and costs are escalating. This is the leitmotif across India, though there are some success stories. In the big league, Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) arguably lead the pack with their 1,400-acre Mahindra World City in Chennai. Their second development, near Jaipur, has commitments from IT majors like Infosys and Wipro.

Says Arun K. Nanda, executive director, M&M: "We took the public-private partnership route, did not take village land but acquired only barren land, and invested in infrastructure and industry before retailing residences."

The economic argument for SEZs is powerful--low-cost, tax-free production of export-oriented goods and services that earn crores in forex and provide employment to lakhs. As "engines of India's growth", the SEZs are offered a pile of incentives, including 100 per cent FDI, "public utility" status, relief from labour and environmental laws, 15-year tax exemption on export profits, income tax exemption for any 10 years, exemption from service tax, customs duty and local taxes for imports, freedom to retain forex earnings, control over power and water. It's a sweet deal, especially when land use is considered.

DLF The Aralias, Gurgaon: Only fairways here, no fouls

A Haven, Or Just An Island?
For

• Well-ordered living spaces in which like-minded people can rediscover meaning of community
  
• Good for kids. Can play safely with other kids, be sporty.
  
• Provides good security for large numbers, taking pressure off the police
  
• Good for India because middle class look after themselves, letting government focus on poor
  
• Generates economic buzz in peripheral areas by bringing well-off people to live in them

• Sterile ghettos for people of the same class, shutting out others, especially poor
  
• Give kids no exposure to different types of people. Friends are clones, often at same school.
  
• Makes India safe for some people not others. Without pressure, policing declines.
  
• Bad for India because those with clout no longer have stake in improving the system; become consumers instead of citizens
  
• Social contrasts, environmental impact on neighbourhood cause huge resentment

The place is called Palm Meadows, which is exactly the sort of name you'd expect it to have. The first gated villa complex to be developed in Bangalore in the early 2000s, it is still one of the most desired addresses of its kind, though snazzier clones are coming up everywhere. It has been known to print T-shirts saying: `Proud of Palm Meadows'. Its residents have been known to wear them.

Palm Meadows, Bangalore: This presswallah is the only incongruity in this picture of suburban splendour

They are, as you might imagine, a transnational crowd: self-made entrepreneurs, head honchos of mncs and IT companies, NRIs and western expats. Not surprisingly, Fourth of July and Hallowe'en are events on the social calendar. "This could be anywhere in the world," residents tell you, with pride. Yes, anywhere, except India.

Next stop on the bubble trail is ATS Greens Village, at the other end of the country. There are glimmerings of transnationalism here, too, but most residents seem to be down-to-earth North Indians. Many, who bought early and relatively cheaply (Rs 50 lakh four years ago for a 2,800 square foot flat that has trebled in value), are emigres from Delhi neighbourhoods.

Emigre, which means political exile, really is the right word. By turning their backs on power outages and water shortages, they probably took the most political step of their lives. They opted out. Usha Gupta, a government school teacher who moved here from the DDA colony of Sukhdev Vihar, smiles as she recalls how it used to be: getting up early to fill water, parking fights and garbage rows. Other residents also radiate pleasure. It is the pleasure of being in a warm room after a blizzard.

When you take a good look around, it's clear that while this is not Palm Meadows, it is no wallflower in the amenities department. It has 24-hour electricity, purified water, golf buggies, neat mosaic paths and fountains, a Food King supermarket and an Uncle Sam's pastry shop.

Then, there is that grass again, maybe not a Palm Meadows green, but a lot better than anything on the other side. To protect it, six notices have been put up by the estate's developer in the middle of the lawn. No cricket, football, litter, pets or cyclists. "Please report in," says one notice, a little ominously, "if you find someone spoiling your own complex." Gosh, this sounds so Singapore, especially `the report in' bit. Do people get fined for chewing gum? Not yet. But a labourer was thrown off the premises for spitting gutka.

My informant is Shishir Sirkan, who manages the facilities here, on behalf of the ATS Group.

He explains that it was the developer who laid down the rules and regulations, so that the place could run as a community. Some residents weren't too happy with the one-way traffic rule in the complex, but have now fallen in line. These are Dilliwallas, right, why aren't they throwing the rulebook right back? Usha's engineer husband Onkar provides the clue: "Don't Indians behave differently when they go to Singapore?"

ATS Greens Village, Noida: Yes, you float on luxury here

When it comes to security, ATS Greens makes Palm Meadows look like a wimp. More than 85 security guards and 96 cameras protect the 650-odd families who live here. Apart from guarded main gates, there are guards and sensor-activated iron gates in every block. "When schoolbuses arrive and leave, guards surround them to protect the children; they are on full alert," says Sirkan. At night, they carry licensed arms.

"We have made our territory impenetrable," he declares. Let no one dare say it is located in Noida.

Even a decade ago, the idea that regular Indian middle-class folk--as distinct from the exceptionally privileged--could enjoy `global' lifestyles within enclaves, with armed guards protecting them, seemed outlandish. Today, as growing numbers flock to Meadows, Glens, Valleys, Dales, Residencies and Retreats, this is a reality. It is a vote for quality by the urban educated, says Anshuman Magazine, chairman and managing director of real estate consultant CB Richard Ellis. "Security, the clubhouse, power back-up and running water are givens. And there is also a softer part, wanting to live with like-minded people."

Environmentalists, however, say when it floods, neither the embankment nor the raised platform will be able to save these buildings, as they would be flooded by rising underground water.

But government agencies, including the developers, have been arguing the new buildings, the transport depot, the games village etc are coming up on a raised platform.

"Also, the embankment will prevent any flood from touching these installations," said a senior government official.

"The games village is in a low-lying area and the floodplain is made of sand. In case of flood, when the water level of the underground aquifer rises, it will come up and inundate the surface," warned environmentalist Manoj Misra of the Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan, a coalition of NGOs working to protect the riverbed from encroachments.

The move would benefit 8.7-lakh State employees and around 5.5-lakh teachers.

Making this announcement on the opening day of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly session, the Chief Minister said the panel's recommendations would be implemented with retrospective effect from January 1, 2006 and the employees would be entitled for the revised payscales from December 1, 2008.

Ms. Mayawati said an additional expenditure of Rs.5,179 crore would be entailed by the State government with the payment of arrears from January 1, 2006 costing another Rs. 14,775 crore to the State exchequer.

The Chief Minister said the expenditure would be borne by the State's resources.

Property firms are eyeing newer overseas markets for business opportunities as the domestic real estate market continues to slump.

While the looking overseas trend isn't too new, firms such as the Bangalore-based Puravankara Projects Ltd and Sobha Developers Ltd, and the Delhi-based Parsvnath Developers Ltd are pushing ahead to expand their global presence.

Overseas offices can help in multiple ways. An office in the US, for instance, could help them look for more private equity funds; in China it can help find cheaper construction material; there are potential buyers in Singapore and Australia, which also has possible investors. And in countries such as Sri Lanka and Malaysia, Indian developers are looking to identify properties.

PRA Realty, a property developer from Pune, which is pumping in nearly $100 million (Rs432 crore) into three township projects in Nagpur and Pune and Nashik, has set up an office in Chicago with a new chief financial officer (CFO) based there.

"The idea is to interact with US-based funds there, raise capital and explore business opportunities," said Rustom Bharucha, managing director (MD), PRA, which also has a marketing office in Dubai.

Traditionally, Indian developers have been opening marketing and sales offices in the United Arab Emirates, particularly in Dubai, with builders such as Hircon Llc., Ajmera Housing and more recently, Omaxe, constructing projects there. But developers such as Parvsnath, Lodha Group, Sobha and Puravankara are also moving in on new locations, such as South-East Asia and China, as well as traditional locales such as the UK and US.

Some of the SEZs , which have already attracted PE funds include DLF, which received $400 million from US hedge fund DE Shaw in DLF Assets Private Ltd, and an IT park near Greater Noida that got $420 million from UK fund Trikona.

Besides, Trinity Capital Plc, a Trikona arm, is planning to invest around $75 million for a 49.4 per cent stake in Luxor Cyber City. The SEZ, to be developed at a cost of $400 million by Luxor and Trinity, spans over 63 acres and will cater to IT/ITeS companies.

Says Ravindra Sannareddy, CMD, Sri City, PE investors are drawn towards multi-product SEZs as they offer various investment opportunities.

The recently-launched Sri City, has also attracted PE investors who will hold 60 per cent in the project. The SEZ is being developed by Chennai-based Sri City Private Limited in Tada, Andhra Pradesh, with an initial investment of Rs 1,000 crore. By 2012-13, the total investment in the project would be Rs 17,500 crore, he informs.

Banks are still the main magnet for financial savings in the country, but middle class portfolios have changed. Money has also gone into mutual funds, real estate and insurance plans. Deposits in banks--and hence the rates on them-- are far less important.

Middle-class families have also borrowed more than ever to buy homes and gizmos. These quiet changes in family balance sheets ensure that we are more interested in what banks charge us for loans rather than what they pay us for deposits. The headlines reflect this.

"As business confidence continues to remain strong...the private corporate investment in 2008-09 is likely to increase, although it may grow at a slower pace", said an RBI analysis on the corporate investment growth in 2007-08 and prospects for 2008-09.

The turnaround in corporate investment, RBI said, "Which began in 2002-03 and maintained healthy thereafter, is expected to be sustained in 2008-09".

Pointing out that downside risks arising from high international oil prices, hardening interest rates etc will be there, the analysis said, "the domestic demand is still resilient and supporting overall economic growth, driving corporates to continue the ir expansion plans at the back of rising capacity constraints."

The capital investment intentions for 2008-09 based on institutional assistance up to the end of March 2008, aggregates to Rs 1.48 lakh crore as against Rs 1.25 lakh crore in the previous year.

The proposed investment taking into account financial assistance from other sources such as ECBs and public issues, would work out to be Rs 1.73 lakh crore during the current fiscal, the analysis said.

In addition to this, the RBI added, the capital expenditure envisaged by the fresh projects in the private corporate sector has been above Rs 1 lakh crore in the past two years and "the incentive to invest are likely to remain strong in the current fisca l."

Three of the proposals relate to the IT/ITES sector, and one to agro products.

All the fresh SEZ proposals sent to the Centre for approval will be developed in the National Capital Region (NCR) or western UP.

Two proposed SEZs, by CBS International Projects Private Ltd, Noida, on 10.29 hectares, and RC Info Systems Private Ltd in Greater Noida, on 10.08 hectares, have been sent to the Centre seeking formal approval.

The other two, Diamond Software Developers Private Ltd, Noida, on 10 hectares, and Anand Agrochem India Ltd, Aligarh, on 62 hectares, had been sent for seeking in-principle approval, official sources told Business Standard.

At present almost 67 SEZ proposals ranging from IT/ITES, biotech, multi product, leather, handicraft, drugs, textiles, engineering, non-conventional energy and the agri sectors in UP are in various stages of consideration and waiting for approval with the UP government or the Centre.

"Most of these SEZ are proposed to be developed in Noida and Greater Noida, especially in the IT/ITES sector," a source informed.

The remaining SEZs will be developed in Kanpur, Lucknow, Unnao, Varanasi, Bhadohi, Aligarh, Ghaziabad, Chandauli, Moradabad, Mathura, Dadri, Sikandarabad and Agra.