Stories get written and actors get a part to play. Everyone had a distinct name, from their birth till cremation. (all men are cremated equal). All went off pretty well till circa 2010, till the numerologists started calling the shots. Whoever in authority, wanted to story rewritten in contemporary sense. Outsourcing being common, it was decided to send a team of experts, who hired another team of advisors to define how to go about the creative writing. Teams in place, finances tucked in, copywriters on board, everything was on schedule till the moment of dread – “luck, vaastu & numerology”. On board came Jaanleva Batliwala and Jumeirah Jumaani. They explained how Jeetoo’s daughter’s kismet changed with a letter, and AB and Baby both encountered success with an apostophy inserted. Who wants to take a panga anyways with numbers (esp. when mathematics was never a forte with the creative writers) They had no problems with the script. Keeping in mind the raahoo-ketou-shaney, they analyzed the names of all the players in the book, and refixed their combinations.

Most characters had inherent probs with their names, and the magic dots n letters rewrote their kismet before the book could roll out into the stores. Hey..problem fixed, exultations and celebrations followed. So, here goes the story…

Many years back, there was a saint (pssst. He was under the reserved quota, SC/ST) who sat under a tree and wrote an epic. (unlike Chetan, he was the one man organization). His name was Baalmickey (see, Valmiki was totalling up to 27 whereas the book demanded a total of 39). One day, the evil kings who invited their cousins to the roulette table literally stripped their brothers family into tatters, before robbing them of their elephants, horses and harems. Four brothers helplessly watched their kin (You-de-stir) gamble away the empire and their shared wife (ugh..true story??). Anyways, Dooh-sha-sawn dragged Draeupaddi into the court and tugged at her sari. Kreeshnah didn’t like it. He raised his left hand (coz the right held the chakra) and allowed Garden sari to flow outta them. The entire family, discarding the urbanization trend migrated from the city to jungles and villages. There Bheaem met heedimbaa and cut her nose(literally) and that let to Ra1 to wreak vengeance. He sat on a birdmobile and came to kidnap Seata. Voila. The same Kreeshnah was there too, albeit in a different Avatar (shaddup, not Cameroune).

Hey, same times man, nothing archaic.  There were ‘different rules for different men’ and the rulers were allowed to practice polygamy, gamble their country, adjudicate gay & pay rights and spend public money while peasants & washerwomen gossiped & drove men to suicide.

Many a wars were looming in Panipat. Not the powerlooms of heirlooms of Panipat. Asli wala fight, and the Panddavass were sent to the Drone-ach-air-ye institute in sector 32, Gurugaone to learn martial arts. Drones incidentally has had tremendous success in AfPak in similar sitiations. The numerologist said no to changing the names of all 16,342 who died in the battle but agreed, for a fee to change the luck of those who were leading the story.

Hence the blind womans bro was Shak-ooni, the kid who learnt cracking fighter formation became AB-man-you, the sword guy was Arr-june, Ckuntee, not so lucky she-khand-he, wise man Bhees-mah etc. etc.etc. I got access to the list, but man, How the F%$# do U spell those changes these numerologists suggest.

Nothing totals up in my case. Seems like I botched up the script too. Them’ Behosh daruwalla and Jumani walked away with the cheque, while I was benched for botching history.

Justice, Justice, please, someone !! I figured out now. No one dare touch me ..a-haaa…

MY NAME IS RAMEAESHH MAYNONE.

What do the planners chose? Pretend unpreparedness & do an “ostrich act”? Maybe, no. Some quarters of the planners and intellectuals decide to act, and work on the Delhi Master plan MPD 2021. The MPD 2021 document was notified by the government way back on Feb. 2007 vide the S.O No. 141. The government of India gazette notification is available for the public on the official websites of DDA and other agencies. It is no longer a mystery document. The MPD details are available online too. Lo & behold, the political class did not change the stance, and continue to drag it’s feet on three critical components of management – RESEARCH, RESPOND, REFORM, REGULATE & REGISTER.

Some sense seems to be returning back. Work on the ground is visible again with multiple agencies putting together their resources to make the change, before the change becomes the mess.

Now specifically to the BRT corridors under proposal – Are they required, or aren’t they? The Delhi government think tank seems to find merit that the BRT is the way forward. If I have to add a rider, it would be a caution flag not to repeat the mistakes of the Ambedkar stretch till Moolchand, and to factor in the gargantuan nature of the problem, growing on a daily basis.

RITES carried out the need & feasibility analysis, and seems to deduce that Delhi would require another 375 kms of BRT. Holy cow !!! 375 similar to 6.5 would be suicidal. Nevertheless, as facts stand, 5.6 kms would be added to the existing BRT corridor, and 16 new corridors totaling almost 369 kms would be added over the next 11 years. No one is yet questioning on the funding mechanism for these. Remember, these are internal city roads, and not toll expressways.

Most identified stretches, per estimates, would carry a vehicular traffic of more than 5000 units per hour, in either direction.

The longest of the recommended stretches would be from Khera – Najafgarh – Ibrahimpur whereas the fastest and shortest BRT corridor would be from Rohini sector 21 to Kanjhawala. Now, that seems to be some integrated development, since the government is already planning a couple of Large Hospitals, government housing projects and other social infrastructure in Kanjhawla. Besides, kanjhawala has one of the most sought after, and neat extended abadi Lal Dora areas in Delhi. It augurs well for the region that infrastructure & housing would be developed simultaneously.

Fingers crossed, but my bet seems to be in favour of the Government. Soon, dreams might be reality.

Hey!! That wasn’t the topic of my post… I wanted to share how designations have metamorphosised… hic!!! I misspelt again. Anyhow, let me get to the point.

Mr. Subroto Bagchi calls himself the Gardner, though he is an equity holder in Mindtree.

Mr. Narayanmurthy—poor man is relegated to be just a chief mentor.

Mr. Sahara shri is nothing but a managing worker.( not MD)

Cisco India has Wim Elfrink as the chief globalization manager, while Tracy Ann Curtis is the senior manager for diversity & Inclusion. 

Kalpana Veeraraghavan is now the Work life integration leader at IBM.

I am told that perfectly sane technology companies have key positions as Director of People success, Chief privacy officer, Chief competitive officer, vision-holder cum vice chairman, chief beverage server (the one who serves tea on the desk), four wheel manager (car driver), chief impression manager (receptionist), loss prevention manager (security), inlet-outlet minder (doorman) – I think I exaggerated the last one….. the others are all true.

While I have been trying to eavesdrop into the boardroom of many of these corporate, and fantasize on how each of the above senior people would have convinced their peers on the role change, there seems to be a problem of plenty at the bottom.

Earlier, there used to be one CEO and a few gardeners, on the lawns. Now, there would be a few gardeners on the top floor, and a few ‘vegetation managers’ at the gate. As the vegetation managers tend to the flora, the chief privacy officer ensures that the chief typo-speller(the stenographer) does not accept any illegal gratification (read emotional expressions) from the chief of the chief of wheel managers (the transport incharge). All this while, the chief of vision (bespectacled, of course) peers through the reams of excel sheets that the chief of mathematical delusions(CFO) and chief alliance interpretations(HR) together have offloaded onto this chiefs laptop. He calls in his chief of understatement of the cyber space(CTO) and commands him to explain him how the damn PC works… this chief calls in his chief of understanding the understatement (the CIO) and seeks assistance. Finally, the chief of the fuccha brigade (trainee) is summoned who checks through the various analysis & reports and comes up with the inference – THE BATTERY NEEDS TO BE RECHARGED!!

Hey Gardner? Not you sir… I am talking to the one who tends the vegetation… no not you sir trying to pluck a strand of hair from the forehead of the chief typist… not you sir.. then one with the pink pants trying to mentor the muscular trainee… yeah.. right… the one with the hose and spade in the hand… can you please look at the creeper on my window which has completely blocked the daylight off my window??? Whew… I never knew that the gardener attracts so much attention… hey!!! Is that a surname??? Is it like Kim in Korea now, in corporate India.

I have 10 in my company.

Whew !!! too many chiefs now…. sometimes, I feel like lost in the USA of the 19^th century when there were more chief with fancy names than Horses….

I sometimes wonder what would have prompted these changes??? Why do I still have an outdated designation on my visiting card??Why am I still known as the founding Partner?

 Can I not try and convince my management to make me the chief of cerebral masturbation and verbal diarrhoea? Can I address my good friend & colleague Ajay Dabas as the chief of Blabbering untruths and effecting growth (he incidentally is responsible for business development).

It is 01.30 am and I need to get to my bed as my tormentor in chief (wife) and chief of pissing in the sleep(2 year old son) both await me. Will complete this piece shortly.

 Many of those found uttering these through professionally worded PR jaunts weren’t actually practitioners. Many, most actually, had a strong connect with the Real estate Industry, which by design, isn’t acknowledged to be the most professionally run multi billion industry, where the demand outstrips supply.

 My questions kept getting bigger, as Mr. Modi’s grin. Of course, he made it seem as if $50 Million was the tip left on the table, post dinner. Nevertheless, factor of intrigue was the REAL estate connect of most (all??) the bidders. A few names or contenders who wanted to be part of the IPL renewed – Videocon, JayPee, Adanis, Sahara, Rendezvous, players in the earlier Pune & Ahmedabad consortiums, Kochi consortium, ICICI etc.etc. Even the Tinsel world contributions came from those who are known to use Real estate as the preferred investment product.

 Now, What is common between IPL & Real estate? Err… I mean, does IPL also have the same traits as real estate industry? Bhai, then tho it is another pakka bubble in the blowing… it would take a few down only after attaining a few billion dollar worth of valuation as well as swell the numbers first.

 Now, isn’t this the same industry which was asking for “Bailouts & Sops” a few months ago? Wasn’t this the same industry which wanted their buyers to wait patiently till their hard earned money see fruition? Wasn’t this industry wanting more money to complete projects? Wasn’t this the same industry which resisted regulation.. now.now.. I don’t want to get into the merits of the RE regulation bill.

 On a generic level, what is it that attracts the companies with a real estate connect to such events? Is it the holding pattern of most RE cos? (promoters own most shares, family run etc.) OR is it the genuine risk appetite. Is IPL planned to be run like the RE indistry, or would RE draw motivation from IPL. (slam-bang-thank-U-maam with the bechara buyer)

 Whatever so, the wait continues for the aam admi coz he has already paid half the money for the dream flat, and won’t even dare to ask questions to the Real estate developers, whether they have water harvesting or not. Sentiment and blessings always with the Real estate developers, from aam admi so that he could complete quickly and then go & play ^%$#@&*.

 Keep wondering, deciphering and finding your own truths.

This is no reflection on the credibility of those who are cash rich and buying teams. Musings only. Disclaimer is almost 150 pages, hence not posting here

Sets me thinking – What is it that the British had which we Indians haven’t been able to replicate.

Answer seems to be – “POSITIVE INTENT & TIME BOUND IMPLEMENTATION”

I am not once confused by the British intent Vs. Desi leaders’ direction. Both desired a certain vested interest, as well as the emphasis of their leadership on the so called “aam-janta”. To say the least, both succeeded, and how. Delhi hasn’t created any marquee landmark building, and still boasts of those that the British left for us, to savour, deteriorate and exploit. I have my sense of exasperation when I read that 54% of Delhi is Urban slums and unauthorized colonies.

A spate of recent announcements in Delhi sets me thinking – “are we finally ready to shed the image of an old dilapidated city, one constructed majestically by the British, and left to rot even more majestically”. However, things seem to be changing. Delhi government agencies seem to be taking the “Builder” tag seriously. Moti Bagh, Jawaharlal Nehru Bhawan, Maulana Azad marg, Janpath, INA, Shahdra, Kidwai Nagar, Vasant Kunj, Rajouri Garden and some more areas seem to have caught the attention for rebuilding projects.

• Is that owing to the acute shortage of Ministerial houses?

 • Do our policy makers desire swankier offices?

• Do they expect mega parking & parks for their fleets?

• Is there a genuine awareness, awakening and desire to re-build Delhi.

It is heard that some areas of New Moti Bagh are shortlisted to build ministerial houses, and NBCC is the shortlisted partner who would not only build, but also fund the construction through a unique finance model wherein they would be allowed to sell 10% of the total land area for commercial purpose, in return for the ministerial housing. “The government is now open to the idea of making builders like us construct ministerial bungalows because they want the project to be delivered on time. Also, the government didn’t have funds for the project, so we came up with the idea of building them at our own cost and taking some land to build a commercial complex in return,” said Arup Roy Choudhury, chairman and managing director, NBCC. NBCC has already delivered 50 bungalows and the rest are expected to be completed in a year. Choudhury added, “Players like CPWD are quite understaffed so most of their projects suffer time overruns overtime, so the government is looking for fresh bidders who can have accountability.”

Other initiatives include 7.78 acres of land on Janpath under one of the Green building initiatives of the govt, an office complex in INA consisting of 6 blocks, one of which might house the HQ of CVC, another commercial complex in Kidwai Nagar, One residential pool accommodation project in Shahdra etc. The government is also planning a commercial complex in Kidwai Nagar, though no details are available. The cost expenditure for these projects alone would exceed about 600 crores, as per conservative estimates.

Can expect DDA to be left behind (in announcements only). They also have announced plans for housing complexes in Vasant Kunj Jasola, Dwarka, Narela, Baprola etc; a staggering 65000 residential units with an investment of almost $500 million. Parking lots in many areas like Subhash Nagar, Rajouri Garden, Hauz Khas, Gandhi Nagar, Model Town 2 and Munirka are already under construction with investments of around 200 crores . The project is worth Rs 170 crore.

Now, are these mirages or indicators?

 Both our leading ‘partees’ want to name the newly constructed 28 storey Civic headquarters in the name of some leader of their party. It could be named either “Dr.Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Civic blah blah center” or Gandhi(Sonia,Indira, Rajiv, Rahul, Rahul’s unborn son)  center for invigorating a sense of work culture in Dilli-MCD center” or even plain jane “Gandhi center for civic administration”.

 The new 28 storey building, one of the tallest structures in Delhi costed a MERE Rs. 550 crores of the Tax payers money, and it is of ‘sacramount importance’ that it be named right, for the babu inside to dispense his constitutional duty.

 The Lieutnant Governor (LG) of Delhi is a spoilsport. He just doesn’t understand the sentiments of the aam-aadmi for whom sadak-bijli-paani is a daily fight. The LG has gone ahead and suggested our LEADERS to accept the name ‘NEW TOWN HALL”. How sad. How can now the aam aadmi connect with the civic agencies when the building says “My name is Town Hall”, a la Khan.

If the entire nation was involved in “My name is khan”, do you think that the Chief secretary’s office in Delhi would not accord importance to this issue of national importance?  Sources say that considerable time, paper n think tank exposure was accorded to this ‘issue of national interest’ since two of the parties which ruled us / likely to rule us are hooting for this yeoman cause. There also was an official statement published in the print. Here goes:

 “The L-G has suggested that such an iconic building should not be named after any individual. The ultimate onus of naming the building lies with the state government,” Ranjan Mukherjee, Officer on Special Duty to the L-G, said.

“Based on his (L-G’s) letter, we have written to the MCD commissioner to name the building New Town Hall. It is a befitting name as across the globe no corporation offices are named Town Hall,” Chief Secretary Rakesh Mehta said.

 Now, it is of no consequence that we have already missed the deadline of moving into the new civic center.(don’t blame me, it might be called the OSAMA – Obama, Sonia, Atal, MDMK,atmaram Building) Instead of April’10, the civic agencies would move in after October’10. This gives ample time to check out another submersible monsoons and powerless summer.

It is time we appreciate the stand taken by OUR LEADERS. Both parties remain committed to the aam-admi. They say this:

“The decision of the MCD House is final in this case. Our naming committee will pass a resolution under Section 42 of the DMC act. It will then be introduced in the House,” BJP leader Vijender Gupta said.

“The commitment of the Gandhi family cannot be measured in the context of India. Hence, anything new has to have the “G” word on it”, a close associate of Kaun-gress said.

Ladies & gentlemen of Dilli, take heart. We are being ably led, and civic amenities would follow.

 “Hey !!!! watch that manhole while U tread the roads”.

It may be recalled that many an evictees had been issued ration cards and voter ID cards whilst they were accommodating (encroaching) themselves on government land.

“The decision of the respondents (government and civic agencies) holding that the petitioners are on the right of way and are, therefore, not entitled to relocation, is hereby declared as illegal and unconstitutional,” the bench said, adding all those eligible for rehabilitation should be granted an alternative site as per the Master Plan-Delhi 2021 within four months.

Now, therein lies the big challenge. The Masterplan for Delhi MPD 2021 was notified in Feb’ 2007, and since then many a committees have debated and finally the recommendations have been lying with the Ministry of Urban development. When would the Master plan of Delhi be released for the public? How would the private sector play a role in that? Which are the areas where government and private sector would complement each other with investments?

To understand these, I met Mr. Ramesh Menon of the online initiative, www.delhi-masterplan.com. This is what he had to say.

“How would these plans be implemented before releasing the zonal plans and LAP (local area plans) into the public domain? The recent supreme court judgement of 8th Feb 201 whereby almost 12000 acres of land qualify for acquisition by the DDA also would face stiff resistance in the absence of the zonal plans. It would be in the interest of the public to release the zonal plans so that the investors, sellers and buyers are clear on where to invest”.

As per Menon, the ideal location wherein investment would flow into would be zone ‘N’ of the MPD 2021 which has the ideal mix of clear land, Industrial, PSP corridors and residential areas. It may be recalled that zone N has almost 14000 Ha of land with the ideal mix of green belt, two mega industrial areas, PSP of almost 800 Ha and the Mini India project of about 150 acres.

Though the judgements are landmark in nature, it would place additional stress on the civic agencies and the government, esp. the MuD to act faster in the larger interest of the Delhi-ites.

The master plan of Delhi, in 2007, had given three years time for the polluting industries under 99 categories to either shift, or close down their units within three years. To revisit the Delhi Master plan MPD 2021 which was released in Feb 2007, the notification issued then said – “Industries listed under prohibited category shall not be permitted to be set up in Delhi. The existing industrial units under prohibited category need to relocate themselves outside the Capital within a period of three years.”

Most of these units are located within 22 different Industrial hubs spread across Delhi.  The deadline is getting over in the matter of a few days. Would almost 5000 Industries be disallowed to operate? Shut-down?

Ruchika Bhardwaj, an analyst with the leading consulting firm Certes Realty Ltd avers that “most Industrial consumers aren’t aware of the deadline. They might fall prey to the sudden awakening of the govt. machinery after the deadline elapses”.

It is understood that the Ministry of Urban development and other agencies have had several rounds of meetings to put together a plan. The unfortunate part being “too little, too late”. “It isn’t uncommon knowledge that these polluting industries is not likely to get protection from the courts too, in view of the pollution, the recent judgements and provisions under the MPD 2021″ says Mahipal Jain, an Industrialist with a unit within Delhi.

“Delays in the implementation of the zonal plans under MPD 2021 is the only factor responsible” says Ajay Dabas of Certes. He mentioned that the government had moved the provisions to acquire almost 945 acres of land under three villages in North West Delhi, almost 5 years back. Had the Industrial area been ready, these Industries could have found solace. The MPD 2021 itself mentions that the zone ‘N’ under MPD 2021 is the most suitable for high density developments owing to the topography, as well as the cheaper availability of the lands.

Ruchika avers that “an amendment or Ordinance by the government, to amend or delay to the notification issued by the MuD could be the only factor to buy time for these Industries”. It may be recalled that the Delhi state government might not be the regulator in these matters. The DDA is the implementing agency for the decisions released by the Ministry of Urban development.

The categories of Industries which are likely to be affected by the closure orders, if and when they are released soon include gas compressors, acids, alkalis, animal and fish oils, abattoirs and animal blood processing, bitumen blowing, bone grist, bone meal stainless steel pricking, dry cell batteries, electric wires and cables, fatty acids, fungicides, cranes, hoists and lifts (excluding assembly), flexographic ink, fuel oils, illuminating oils and other oils such as synthetic oil, lubricants, foundries, glass furnace (more than 1 ton/day capacity), gases-carbon-disulphide, ultramarine blue, chlorine, hydrogen, sulphur dioxide, acetylene (other than LPG, medical, CNG and oxygen), limekilns, leather tanning and dyeing (raw hides/skins to semi finish), methanol, methylated spirit, mineral salts which involves, use of acids, manufacturing of diesel engines, generators except assembly, potteries/ refractories (using coal or furnace oil), pyridines, plasticisers manufacturing, polythene polymers including resins, phenol, rubber solution and thinner, saccharine, secondary zinc industry, smelting, sugar, khandsari and vegetable oil hydrogenated.

The moot question however remains – Why is the MuD delaying the zonal plans, and what more time would it take for Delhi to implement the provisions of the MPD 2021. Three years hence, time runneth over.

Myth 1 – Land is a scarce commodity  

Most hoarding or reckless buying of land happens on the presumption that land is a scarce commodity and that it should be bought yesterday. In the Indian context, it is pertinent for the buyer to understand on “why” a certain land is attractive. Our recommendation always hinges on two factors – “demand for finished products on a 5 year horizon” and “Intent & ability for infrastructure development”.

Myth 2 – You need to have Deep pockets

Many an investors misunderstand that land investments entail a whole lot of capital, whereas fact remain that one can invest at varying ticket sizes. The same amount of capital can buy more land, if one can get expert assistance and identify opportunities for growing the money in well researched places.

Myth 3 – land is Land. What’s so specialized?

Anything, and everything related to real estate has a land connect. People generalize land as one asset class. However, there are @ least 20 kinds of land, which can be put to varying uses, and varying yield/ returns. For example, anything from race course, amusement parks, warehouses, commercial, residential, gold courses, resorts, exotic farming etc. can be created on land, but the price of each one of them would be different.

Myth 4 – Price of Land increases gradually.

Limited short terms returns In our opinion, since there aren’t many organized advisory firms specializing in the land business, the one eyed end up criticizing the product, rather than expose their limited abilities. Hence, the myth that land doesn’t yield desired returns in the short term. If invested into the right land, at the right time, at the right price, Land yields are the highest within the Real estate products.

Myth 5 – Instinct and hearsay is enough expertise for land

It is indeed the most misunderstood concept where investors, builders etc. use their common sense approach to identify land assets, rather than engage experts at the ground level to assist them in the endeavour. In the process, there are not enough success stories, especially for the small investor. Land should be bought through someone who understands the local level nuances like area, topography, social and physical infrastructure etc.

Myth 6 – Land is always sold, not bought

 The common practice is to have a “reactive”, rather than “Proactive” approach towards buying land. Most investors look at land assets when someone proposes, rather than make it an ongoing exercise to continually identify assets which would yield the highest returns. Our advice remain not to be restrictive, and choose from 3 options, but to widen the search from macro to micro analysis of opportunities.

We compare land and the other realty assets on three key parameters of Risk exposure, Liquidity terms and ROI terms.

It would be a good idea to share the seven reasons why we feel that investing in land is the best option within real estate compared to the much more “touted & publicised options” of built up spaces in buildings.

Reason # 01       Land is an evergreen, ever-growing asset. Brick & mortar assets like buildings (mall space / office blocks) deteriorate with time, whereas LAND DOES APPRECIATE, with time. Remember, some studies confirm that the value of any commercial building becomes ‘Zero’ in 27 years. Even when the building is useless & demolished, what is left behind is LAND.

 Reason # 02       Land is an asset from day one. It has very little lead time to mature from purchase to progress. For e.g. If you are an early bird buyer for a residential or commercial property, it typically takes 3-5 years for your asset to be registered in your name, and to draw returns from them. One keeps investing money & time for 3-5 years, without returns. Land can be put to interim use to deliver returns.

Reason # 03        Land is one asset which affords the most flexible options, within the real estate products. You can choose to buy any size & dimension, any value, anytime. Besides, land can be put to multiple uses during the period of ownership. Let me elaborate. Agricultural land if invested into; can be used for farming. Post zoning, land use can be changed and commercially used. Anything build on it can be redeveloped, for e.g. the same piece of land could end up being used as warehouse premise, commercial, residential, etc. etc.

Reason # 04       Land affords simple investment management. Once bought, it doesn’t incur high costs compared to built-up products. It is most likely that the land bought is self sufficient in deriving the maintenance cost, whereas, the other products attract a continually incremental maintenance.

Reason # 05      If we analyze the supply Vs demand for real estate products in our country, land as a commodity would remain in demand for the next couple of decades. There is an acute demand for finished products, which would have to be constructed on LAND. Hence, investments in LAND are bound to grow, provided the buying strategy is right. For e.g: Delhi as a city state is forecasted to grow from 136 lakhs to 240 lakhs of population in the next decade. That necessitates almost another few thousands of hectares to be brought under development. Hence, invest in land today, rather than wait for appreciation at a much later date; at much lower returns.

Reason # 06       With the economy projected to grow at a fast rate, and with disposable incomes being higher, aspiration of green living, bigger houses, better amenities, affordable luxuries etc. would take over. Those can be achieved on bigger land chunks being brought under development. Hence, invest in land today.

Reason # 07        Land affords the “right balance in your real estate portfolio”. While investing in real estate, one needs to have a right product mix to hedge the risk, with one or two products which are low on risk and high on returns. That is what land promises to be. Having said the above, we also advise our clients to exercise the right amount of caution and source expertise while buying land. Seek out experts rather than take the ‘gut-feel-approach’. Analyze-understand-replicate success stories in land as a portfolio rather than try to re-write a success story. Remember, all leading developers in our country grew at this scorching pace on valuations, using land as the growth engine.

HAPPY LAND-ing!!!!!!!!!!

The author is the founding Partner of CERTES REALTY LIMITED, a Delhi NCR based Real estate advisory and land consolidation organization and can be contacted on menon@certesrealty.com

Finally, someone has decided to “crack the whip, on oneself, for a cause”. However delayed it might be though.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has announced the formation of a 11 member committee which would monitor and accelerate the smooth implementation of all the recommendations under the Delhi master plan MPD 2021.

Thankfully, the committee is well represented administratively and politically, which raises a glimmer of hope for the “timely” implementation. The committee would be headed by Mr. Ved Prakash Arya, the deputy leader of the MCD house. The other members of the committee would include Subhash Arya ( leader of house ), R.K.Singhal)standing committee chairperson), Vijender Gupta ( former standing committee chairman), J.K. Sharma (leader of opposition) and some other councillors.

You would recall that the vision of the Delhi master plan, which was notified vide S.O 141 in 2007 is to create Delhi into a “global metropolis and world class city”. Readers would also agree that millions of dollars are being invested towards the same. The human capital required for such a gargantuan task is now being deployed. Or should I say, the ‘political will & capital’ is finally backing up the millions waiting to be invested.

Ajay Dabas, an expert on the Delhi master plan 2021 avers -”Delhi would be the fastest growing real estate opportunity for the 4 levels of investment already under deployment. Delhi would roll out infrastructure first, and then create real estate, a FIRST for city development in our country”.

Ved Prakash Gupta categorically mentions that committee has been set up to facilitate the effective implementation of the master plan’s recommendations.

You could contact the writer of this news, Nancy Singh on help@delhi-masterplan.com

“The committee can be contacted for any kind of problem in implementation. We will work to redress the problem by taking up the issue with officials concerned and will also bring it to the notice of Master Plan-2021 Committee,” he said.