Sapna Dogra Singh &Amp; Neeraj Thakur In New Delhi

Stories by Sapna Dogra Singh &Amp; Neeraj Thakur In New Delhi

MRTPC hobbled by staff shortage

MRTPC hobbled by staff shortage

Rediff.com   17 Nov 2008

The govt is not keen to fill the vacancies as it will be replaced by the CCI. Officials say the government is not keen to fill the vacancies as the body will be replaced by the CCI. However, even after CCI is notified, the MRTPC will function for two more years to clear the cases it is hanling at present. The MRTPC is still taking fresh cases.

Retailers mull revenue-sharing model

Retailers mull revenue-sharing model

Rediff.com   17 Nov 2008

The model, under which retailers share a percentage of their sales with real estate companies, is seen as a fair way of sharing risks between the two stakeholders. Five companies contacted by Business Standard cite higher rentals charged by real estate developers, coupled with lower-than-expected footfalls, as the reason for their preference towards a revenue- sharing model.

Ministry to study impact of textile park scheme

Ministry to study impact of textile park scheme

Rediff.com   7 Nov 2008

Under the scheme for integrated textile parks, the government provides up to 40 per cent of the cost of setting up a textile park with a ceiling of Rs 40 crore (Rs 400 million). Till now the ministry has contributed Rs 450 crore (Rs 4.5 billion). The industry has pitched in with nearly double this amount.

Retail players leverage falling rentals

Retail players leverage falling rentals

Rediff.com   7 Nov 2008

With store rentals dropping as much as 35 per cent in the last one year, retailers say opening stores in certain locations has become profitable. As a result, some retailers plan to roll out their bigger format stores and others are booking retail spaces that will come up in two years at a much lower cost.

Mixed fortune for retailers this season

Mixed fortune for retailers this season

Rediff.com   20 Oct 2008

This year, there is hardly any cheer in the market place, though three festivals - Eid, Dussehra and Diwali - have fallen in the month of October. Several consumer electronics, automobile, personal care products and food item retailers say sales are sharply down. Even new home sales are learnt to be lackluster.

Realtors blink, cut home prices up to 25%

Realtors blink, cut home prices up to 25%

Rediff.com   6 Oct 2008

Most realtors are already advertising cash discounts of 5-10 per cent on upfront payment and buyers can get up to 25 per cent discount if they book properties and are willing to wait for two to three years until possession. According to consultants, developers may even give 15-20 per cent discount on the price as they are eager to clear inventories.

Realty firms immune to takeovers

Realty firms immune to takeovers

Rediff.com   3 Oct 2008

The downturn has drastically lowered valuations of Indian real estate firms but the promoters face virtually no threat of takeovers as they are sitting on stakes in excess of 70-80 per cent of equity.

Rupee fall unlikely to lift exporters' margins

Rupee fall unlikely to lift exporters' margins

Rediff.com   11 Sep 2008

The recent depreciation of the rupee against the US dollar is unlikely to ensure better margins for exporters as buyers in Europe and the US, facing lower demand in their countries, are asking for hefty discounts.

Rush of apartments? More trouble for realty firms

Rush of apartments? More trouble for realty firms

Rediff.com   28 Aug 2008

If the sale of over 600,000 application forms for the 5,020 apartments on offer by the Delhi Development Authority is any indication, private developers in the national capital region are in for tougher times ahead, as investors are betting on their chances for higher returns from the cheaper DDA flats. On an average, a DDA flat is on offer at half the price of apartments being developed by private developers.

Rupee effect: Exporters keep their fingers crossed

Rupee effect: Exporters keep their fingers crossed

Rediff.com   27 Aug 2008

Indian exporters are not opening the bubbly yet despite a rapid depreciation of the rupee, which fell to a 17-month low of Rs 44.17 against the US dollar on Tuesday before rising to close at Rs 43.85.

How Indian realtors are bent on cutting cost

How Indian realtors are bent on cutting cost

Rediff.com   6 Aug 2008

The drive to cut costs is becoming critical as key input costs - steel, cement and labour - that account for 40 per cent of project costs have escalated 50 per cent over the past year.

Builders help ease home buyers' EMI pains

Builders help ease home buyers' EMI pains

Rediff.com   28 Jul 2008

For such bonanzas, prospective home buyers have a downturn to thank. Property sales have fallen 15 to 20 per cent countrywide over the last six months, owing to rising home loan rates. This has pinched the cash flows of developers, already reeling under higher borrowing costs and a range of anti-inflationary measures that restrict their flexibility to raise funds.

No sign of slowdown in malls

No sign of slowdown in malls

Rediff.com   16 Jul 2008

Money is the new God and spending it is the closest that one gets to nirvana. These five malls together accommodate close to 1,800 showrooms and smaller kiosks that sell almost everything a consumer could want. The number of visitors at Select City Walk averages around 2,000 on weekdays, going up to 6,000 on weekends.

Get ready to pay more for your house

Get ready to pay more for your house

Rediff.com   26 Jun 2008

A day after the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) raised the benchmark repo rate and cash reserve ratio (CRR), leading property developers said they are mulling hiking prices of apartments and focusing on the affordable housing segment to counter the impact of a high interest rate regime.

Realtors eye huge profits from modest houses

Realtors eye huge profits from modest houses

Rediff.com   16 Jun 2008

Affordable housing, the most neglected segment of the real estate sector, is now attracting large-scale investments from developers as well as private equity funds.

Apex power regulator without head for a year

Apex power regulator without head for a year

Rediff.com   8 Feb 2008

The power regulator's office may have been functioning "normally" without a chairperson for almost a year, but industry executives see this as the Central government's lack of seriousness towards the body and the power sector.

How Chinese workers are powering India

How Chinese workers are powering India

Rediff.com   21 Jan 2008

Not only is Chinese equipment being deployed by quite a few power companies in the country, Chinese manpower is also employed in large numbers in the country.

Saving energy: New-age sun worshippers

Saving energy: New-age sun worshippers

Rediff.com   26 Dec 2007

When Internet search major Google Inc decided to power its 'Googleplex' in Mountain View with one of the largest solar panel installations in the world last year, it was a big vote for solar energy, which presently provides less than 1 per cent of the energy generated worldwide.

A humble stove that can trigger a fuel revolution

A humble stove that can trigger a fuel revolution

Rediff.com   26 Dec 2007

Clean development mechanism (CDM) should be used to make the prices affordable for the poor.

In search of clean energy

In search of clean energy

Rediff.com   24 Dec 2007

The main "culprit" for CO2 emissions is coal-based energy which has 24 per cent share in India's emissions and 41 per cent worldwide. While coal accounts for 25 per cent of energy, the role of renewables is 13 per cent. Of these, wind, solar and bio masses contribute just 4.1 per cent.