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8 lDecember 2013OBSERVER DAWN

Opinion Need For Customized Lending Models...

More public private partnerships (PPPs) in affordable and low-costhousing will be of...

Briefing

Cover Story

10

26

46

ReportResidential UnitsShow Stream inLaunches

Residential Units ShowHigh end propertylaunches in the first 3quarters of 2013...

14EventGuests & RelativesDuring the RingCeremony of Mr.

Vibhor Tyagi ( VVIP Group) with Prapti.

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Medical TourismSea, Sun, Sand and Surgery MedicalTourism in IndiaEven though, MT brings in the element of strengthening diplomatic ties...

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48

9OBSERVER DAWNlDecember 2013

Letter From the Editor

Holding the Fort

The finer points of a

REIT are that its

investor base is broad

and the units are listed,

thus providing liquidity

to the investor. Globally,

REITs have been used by

the housing, industrial

and hotel sectors.

Hariom Tyagi

Editor, Observer Dawn

@harityagi2003

@harityagi2003

@harityagi2003

@harityagi2003

Connect with Hariom Tyagi

In recent times, real estate market has been hit on account of sluggishgrowth in the economy, continuous depreciation in the rupee value, highretail inflation and rise in key policy rates by the RBI. However, in compar-ison to other emerging markets such as Brazil, which has also suffered adecline in its economic outlook, sentiment on expectations for rent and

capital values has so far been quite modest. With US, the UAE and Japandemonstrating signs of improvement, positive sentiments may impact Indianindustry especially real estate sector.Close on the heels of a smooth passage of Land Acquisition Bill and Centre’snode of appointing Regulatory Authority to rein in defaulting real estate play-ers, came another policy initiative — to allow real estate investment trust(REIT) in India to provide investment avenues for investors. After five years ofdelivering its first draft, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), themarket regulator, has released its consultative guidelines for the operation ofREITs. For the beginner, REIT as a real estate entity offers common units or shares tothe public as an investment option. The finer points of a REIT are that its in-vestor base is broad and the units are listed, thus providing liquidity to the in-vestor. Globally, REITs have been used by the housing, industrial and hotelsectorsAnalysts say it is beneficial to both investors and the real estate sector. It pro-vides an exit route for the sector and offers investment opportunities in prop-erty for retail and high net worth investors. REIT will allow developers to gainliquidity by passing on ownership to unit-holders. The SEBI also clarified thatREIT may raise funds from any investor, resident or foreign. However, in thebeginning, REITs’ units may be offered only to HNIs /institutions. The REIT re-quires a minimum REIT asset size of not less than Rs. 1,000 crore. At least 25%of the value of the REIT is required to be offered through IPOs and the offersize shall not be less than Rs. 250 crore. It is proposed that the minimum sub-scription size would be Rs. 2 lakh and unit size shall be Rs 1 lakh. Real estateexperts are hopeful that REIT as an investment product will boost the liquiditysituation of cash-starved industry looking for funds for their construction ac-tivities.Thus, some positive steps are coming to accelerate the tempo of growth inIndia’s real estate. Much depends on getting a momentum on growth-orientedpolicy initiative and reaping the windfall it carries with it. This, despite the factthat continuous weak run of industry may not end soon.

Happy Reading!


12 lDecember 2013

opinion

OBSERVER DAWN

By Sumit Bharana, Director, Era Landmarks

The low-cost housing segment has got some boostin the last few years largely after the retrenchmentof the housing market in 2008-09 but there is still along way to go and there is a need for comprehen-sive steps from the government. One of the most

important prerequisite for solving the housing challenge isto identify the beneficiaries. Given the country’s vast popu-lation, it is certainly of utmost importance that platform suchas the Unique Identification Authority of India (Aadhar) or the

National Population Register is effectively utilized to recog-nize the target segment as per their social and economic cat-egorization.

Lending institutions need to develop customized lendingmodels that take into consideration the buyer’s ability to pay,so that it will enable people from these groups to buy low-cost houses, typically in the range of Rs. 5-20 lakh. The gov-ernment can also explore the rental model and create fundsto channel finance into Lower Income Group (LIG) and Eco-nomically Weaker Section (EWS) households. Innovationsshould be explored while laws should be simplified in the re-

Need For Customized Lending Models For AffordableHousing In Partnership

ore public private partnerships (PPPs) in affordable and low-cost housing will be ofsupreme help. Given the target segment and the large social imbalances, it is critical for

the government to create a self-sustainable ecosystem of affordable housing where allstakeholders are benefited.


alty market. More clarity and transparency are required inland titles, so that the government can identify illegal own-ership and free up additional inventory.

In 2008, when the demand for houses in the higher-endsegment was falling down, the focus turned to the affordablehousing for low-income groups and weaker section of the so-ciety. The paramount contributor towards the success of af-fordable housing was the engagement between thedeveloper and the community. Now, again the developmentorganizations and other financial organizations are workingto fill the void between these groups.

This segment now seems to be a pawn of market slow-down. It receives an incentive from the real-estate develop-ers so long as there is a recession. Affordable housing startedwell when there was a slowdown. However, the last two yearshas again seen the market move towards mid and high-in-come housing but now has finally witnessed a new start. Thissegment of housing would channelize more bank funds intothe realty market—considering infrastructure and construc-tion being the priority sector in the country for employmentto urban poor, especially construction workers.

Some of the key aspects of affordable housing in India arelocation of the project, property specifications, services pro-vided, price identified and finally the ticket size of the project.

Now some new schemes will be introduced in the realtysector while some traditional major schemes will be modifiedto make this market more people-friendly. This move by thegovernment will cascade into more demand for constructionmaterial like steel, cement etc. Moreover, it will also seek toencourage State Governments to make provision for land to

meet the acute shortage of affordable housing and to workin the partnership model with the private players.

For this to happen, the government has already startedbanking on public private partnerships (PPP). This impliesthat government will set up the enabling framework and pri-vate sector players like developers and microfinance institu-tions (MFIs) will partner to deliver the affordable housingunits. Traditionally private sector has been observed a littleslow to tap this market as it seemed easier and profitable fordevelopers to make money with mid and high segmenthousing.

This segment of housing has to be supported by the government as the cost of land is a critical issue in the construction industry. There needs to be a regulator andsome policies to regulate this market. One of the main factors for the general neglect of this sector was the lack ofgovernments’ initiative. There are vast tracts of land in almostevery city lying vacant. This land should have been used forhousing as the adverse impact of current economic down-turn is generally experienced by Lower Income Group. Poli-cies do not incentivise development of a vacant plot.However, there is an immediate call for a policy already work-ing in states like Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh for afford-able housing.

Then financing was another issue. Even if developers werewilling to build appropriate housing structures for the poor,they found it difficult to come up with suitable structures tofinance them. Now, given the fresh optimism in the market,it seems like affordable housing is an idea whose time hascome. n

Time To Make YourHouse Warm and Cozy

riter of this article talked to couple of people, both interior decorators and realty players, in order to know as to how we can make our place warm and cozy in these conditions.

Are you making any effort in order to make your place cozyand warm as the bone-chilling winter is sweeping capitaland NCR? It is need of the hour. Living in such cold con-ditions is becoming extremely hard. Interior experts andthose closely associated with realty world say that with

some efforts, we can make our abodes warm and cozy.Delhi based interior decorator Asha Thakur says that candles

serve nice purpose to warm your place. Place various shapes, sizesand colors of candles on tables, mantels, or coffee tables. Candleswhen placed in front of mirrors bounces light, filling the room witha nice warming effect. To add drama to the lighting effect, infusedown lighting and up-lighting in the rooms. While in the former caseyou can go for lamp shades that diffuse the light down wards, thelatter is mostly concerned with attracting the attention to the familyphotos and portraits on the walls, by installing a light above them.

And always ensure that some windows of your abode properlyshut. You can use a lit incense stick to check for drafts and if you findthey are leaking, you should cover them in a clear plastic. You couldbuy the plastic from your local hardware store or you could go cheapwith a clear, plastic shower curtain. Another tip on the cheap wouldbe to stuff the area with the leak with a towel or an old t-shirt.

Can colours make your home warm? Yes, says some. There isclear-cut consensuses among many that if put right colours on thewalls of our homes, it would really help facing the fury of winter. “Thefirst thing that comes to mind, when I think of warming my place isto give different color scheme of the rooms. The most ideal optionwould be to choose a warm yellow, muted red, or terra-cotta paintcolour. Another option would be to keep the existing paint intactand just accentuate one of the walls of the room, says Sanjay

Khanna, Director, Kailashnath Khanna Projects Pvt Ltd.There is also an opinion that soft and fluffy pillows, cushions and

throw blankets make the room look cozier. “It is important to closeoff any unused room of your home of office. The closed door makesthat room another barrier between you and the wicked winterweather. It also stops air from circulating as much, which reducesheat loss. I know that hardware stores sell magnetic register coversto 'shut off' registers in unused rooms. This way only the registers inthe rooms you use will pump out heat. Your heater will work moreefficiently and the warmth will be concentrated in the rooms youchoose. This saves money and keeps you warmer,” says RajeevChopra, director of ILD group.

“To create a comfortable and cozy home, all you need to do isgive wings to your creativity and imagination, with a dash of com-mon sense. Warm colors, inviting furniture, subtle decoration andtextured draperies goes a long way deciphering the cozy formula ofthe home,” says Mahesh Pawar, Managing Director of Mahavir Hanu-man Group.

Thakur adds that when it comes to choosing the color for creat-ing a cozy room dark warm-toned colors suit the best. Both wallsand furnishings, in warm tones, make the room pleasant and invit-ing.

Last but not the least, room heaters are the best option to fightwinters and to keep one’s abode cosy and warm in the chilling cold.The variety of heaters is immense and the features vary from com-pany to company. Air heaters can warm air by convection, radiantheat or resistive heating elements. Not compromising with the qual-ity while purchasing a heater can definitely add to the safety of yourabode in the severe cold.n

By Vivek Shukla

14 lDecember 2013

trend

OBSERVER DAWN

Residential Units Show

Stream in Launches

esidential Units Show High end property launches in the first 3 quarters of

2013, which was recorded at 23,500 units, saw the highest growth of 142 %

over same time last year.R

Global Real Estate Consultants, Cushman & Wake-field (C&W), in their latest report stated that topeight cities witnessed total estimated residentialunit launches of 132,000 units between January toSeptember 2013 which represented an increase of

5% as compared the to the same period for 2012. High endproperty launches in the first 3 quarters of 2013, which wasrecorded at 23,500 units, saw the highest growth of 142 % oversame time last year, while launches in the luxury housing cat-egory recorded a decline of 10.5 % between Jan – Sept 2013over same period last year. The residential market has been wit-nessing stagnant trends in the capital values as well throughmost micro markets as through across major cities on accountof restrained activities.

Shveta Jain, Executive Director, Residential Services, Cush-man & Wakefield said “Contrary to tradition, there has been adecline in new launch activities in Q3 2013 as economic con-ditions have not been encouraging for developers. Sloweddown in demand with consumer confidence at lower ebb onaccount of increased and consistently high pricing in key cities.Having said that, the demand from first time buyers and endusers has been consistent as genuine buyers with adequate

capital look at this phase as ideal to enter the property marketon account of stable capital values.”

Shveta continues further, “Most developers are focused onkeeping the levels of unsold inventories low, thus to promotesales, developers are resolving to innovating marketing to en-sure buyers can get more value from their product. Their prob-lems are compounded on account of higher input cost,thereby keeping capital values consistent. Developers are look-ing at alternate strategies from promotional offers to resizingof units in order to meet the end consumer demand of eco-nomically viable housing. Developers have reduced their con-centration on low demand category of luxury and onaffordable housing which has high input costs.”

Ahmedabad, Bengaluru and Chennai witnessed a quarteron quarter increase of 41%, 25% and 28% respectively in Q3.Though Hyderabad witnessed the maximum decline of 56% inlaunches compared to Q2 2013, it however witnessed one ofthe highest rises in y-o-y appreciation. Number of launches in2013 more than tripled in Bengaluru to nearly 35,000 units tillSeptember, 2013. Bengaluru, NCR and Mumbai, respectivelycontributed to 27%, 23% and 19% of the launches across topeight cities in 2013.

16 lDecember 2013

report

OBSERVER DAWN

Rental remained stable across most of the cities exceptAhmedabad which registered 4-10% decline in rentals acrosssegments. Gurgaon in NCR also registered a 4-12% dip in rentalvalues for high-end spaces. Bengaluru witnessed maximumappreciation of 4-12% q-o-q across a few submarkets in mid-end segment capital values due to persistent demand fromworking population. Kolkata witnessed a 5-7% appreciation incapital values of prime areas, due to growing demand for high-end projects in these locations. Capital values across segmentsin Chennai, Hyderabad and Pune remained stable during thequarter due to sluggish sales, subdued demand and rising con-struction costs. High-end segment capital values in locationslike Lower Parel, Worli in South Central Mumbai declined by2%, while in Gurgaon, NCR fell by 3-5% to boost demand andpush transaction activity in an oversupply scenario. Ahmed-abad witnessed maximum price correction of 4-8% across ma-jority of the markets for both mid-end and high-end segmentsin Q3.

AhmedabadAfter a slow start in the first half of the year, the launch activityseems to have picked up in Ahmedabad, with 2,100 units

launched in Q3 2013. This was an increase of 41% q-o-q andexceeded the total number of launches during the first half ofthe year. Despite the sluggish market, significant pick up in thelaunch activity over the last two quarters could majorly be at-tributed to the fact that some planned projects can no longerbe delayed further. To generate demand, developers are resiz-ing their projects to match the ticket size. As a result, the citywitnessed launch of 1BHK units with an average size of around650 sf and 2 BHK apartments sized between 820 to 1,150 sf thisquarter. 51% of the launches in this quarter were in the afford-able segment and majority of the launches were concentratedin the peripheral areas of S.G. Highway and Bopal.Though prices for ready residential properties continued to re-main stable, new launches were priced mostly towards thelower end of the capital value range in various submarkets.Corrections were noted in many under construction propertiescontributing to a 4-8% decline in mid-end and high-end capi-tal values across most submarkets the city. However, someprominent locations in Central and Southern Ahmedabadmaintained stability in capital values due to limited availabilityof newly constructed units in this area with stable demand.After the implementation of new GDCR mostly from Q4 2013

Residential Units Launch

Q2 2013 Q3 2013 %Change YTD 2012 YTD 2013City No. of No. of No. of No. of %Change

Uinits Units Units UnitsAhmedabad 1,506 2,122 41% 5,307 3,828 -28%Bengaluru 10,597 13,209 25% 11,627 35,428 205%Chennai 3,206 4,094 28% 17,142 9,585 -44%Hyderabad 4,403 1,945 -56% 2,697 6,937 157%Kolkata 2,295 1,820 -21% 4,981 5,667 14%Mumbai 10,867 7,189 -34% 21,181 25,282 19%NCR 9,763 9,682 -1% 42,539 30,442 -28%Pune 4,411 3,846 -13% 20,116 14,915 -26%Total 47,048 43,907 -7% 125,590 132,084 5%


(Writer is a Director at Era Landmark)

and the declaration of ‘Affordable Housing Zone’ of one km ra-dius along S.P. Ring Road with Floor Space Index (FSI) of 4, thecity is expected to see a rise in construction of affordable hous-ing units with many private developers venturing into the seg-ment.

BengaluruBengaluru witnessed launch of 13,200 units, accounting for thehighest share of 30% launches across top eight cities duringthe third quarter of the year. It was the only city to registermore than 10,000 unit launches for the third consecutive quar-ter in the year. The mid-end segment contributed to 55% ofthe total launches in the city and 29% of the total mid-end seg-ment launches across top eight cities during Q3 2013. Despitethe higher number of launches, the mid-end segment saw anappreciation of 5-12% in the capital values across select submarkets. This was been primarily due to the growing demandof residential units in proximity to IT hubs and the paucity ofnew launches in certain central areas of the city. Majority of thelaunches in mid-end segment were concentrated in areas like

Sarjapur Road and Bannerghatta Road in the South, Whitefieldin East and Yelahanka and Jakkur in the North of Bengaluru..Though the affordable segment contributed to nearly 31% ofthe total launches for Bengaluru, it amounted to 44% of thelaunches in top eight cities during the quarter. Affordablelaunches were concentrated in peripheral areas of North andWest owing to the availability of land parcels and expectedease of connectivity due to ongoing and proposed infrastruc-ture initiatives in these submarkets. Areas like Mysore Road inWest and Jalahalli in North witnessed majority of launches inthis segment. . The substantial number of launches in the af-fordable and mid-end segment across the city indicated thediversity and availability of residential properties to suit theneeds and budgets of different consumers. The city also sawnearly 1,800 units being launched in the high-end segment, a19% increase q-o-q. High-end projects during the quarter weremostly concentrated in Eastern areas of Whitefield having asizeable chunk of expat population while the two luxury proj-ects launched in Q3 were located in prime Central submarket.

The city also witnessed an appreciation of 40-80% in thenew guidance values released by the State Government in Au-gust. The inherent demand for residential spaces across thecity coupled with the rising aspirations of the local populationand the growing migration of working population due to theIT sector dominance in the city have contributed to this rise.Going forward, Eastern and Southern submarkets are expectedto witness good launch activity. The high-end capital valuesare expected to remain stable while mid-end capital values inEastern, South-eastern and South-western submarkets mightwitness a slight upward bias due to continued demand formid-end residential properties.

ChennaiChennai continued to witness an upsurge in the number ofnew launches for residential units in Q3 as more than 4,100units were launched during this quarter.. 94% of theselaunches were contributed by the mid-end segment, followedby 4% in affordable and the remainder in the high-end seg-ment. Compared to the last quarter, the high-end segmentregistered a decline of 41% in the number of new launches inQ3 2013. Most mid-end segment launches were either 2 BHKconfigurations of 850 - 1,100 sf or 3 BHK units of 1,150 - 1,700sf. Rajiv Gandhi Salai contributed to nearly 50% of the launchactivity during the quarter followed by approximately 10% inGrand Southern Trunk Road. Other locations like Mylapore, T.Nagar and R.A. Puram also witnessed new launches in high –end segments. Majority of these new launches were concen-trated in the peripheral areas due to easy availability of land

Unit LAUNCHED YTD 2012 YTD 2013 Y-O-Y CHANGEAffORDABLE 38,668 31,434 -18.71%MiD-END 75,764 75,529 -0.31%HiGH-END 9,940 24,032 141.77%LUxURY 1,218 1,089 -10.59%TOTAL 125,590 132,084 5%

18 lDecember 2013

report

OBSERVER DAWN

and sufficient potential for future development.Though overall capital and rental values remained stable

over the quarter across micromarkets, few developers in loca-tions like Mogappair, East Coast Road, Egmore, T. Nagar andRajiv Gandhi Salai increased prices for their under constructionprojects due to higher demand. More than two-third of thenearly 1,180 units delivered this quarter were from the mid-end segment and were located in areas like Grand SouthernTrunk Road, Rajiv Gandhi Salai, Velachery and T. Nagar. ChennaiIt is expected that the next quarter will witness the completionof 6,000 under construction units which will infuse new resi-dential supply in the market. This infusion of space is not ex-pected to affect the capital and rental values which areanticipated to witness little or no movement in the comingmonths.

HyderabadHyderabad witnessed launch of nearly 1,945 units this quarter,a decline of nearly 56% compared to Q2 2013. Activity in theresidential market contributed to be sluggish with Hyderabadcontributing to only 4% of the total launches across top eightcities. Mid-end segment contributed to more than half of thetotal launch activity in the quarter with Kukatpally witnessingmaximum activity in the segment. Most of the launches in themid-end category were 2 to 3 BHK units of 850 to 2,450 sf. Af-fordable segment contributed to 33% of the total demand fol-lowed by high-end segment at 11%. Shamirpet andBanglaguda contributed to the total launches in the affordablesegment during the quarter and a villa project of size greaterthan 4,000 sf in Gachibowli led to the total share of unitlaunches in the high-end segment. Amidst the sluggish marketand existing political scenario in the city, capital and rental val-ues remained stable across segments during the quarter. Thecapital values are expected to remain stable in the comingquarter amidst the cautious buyer sentiment prevailing in themarket. Going by the trend, launch activity in the coming quar-ters is expected to be mainly concentrated in the mid segmentcategory mostly in the north western quadrant of the city dueto its proximity to major commercial locations.

KolkataKolkata continued to be a cool market for residential real estateactivity accounting for only 4% of the launches amongst topeight cities, at par with Hyderabad. City witnessed nearly 1,800launches in Q3, which was at par with the normal activity inthe market. These launches were a decline of 21% as comparedto Q2 and a rise of 14% in year-to-date (YTD/till Q3) compar-isons over the previous year. Mid-end segment continued todominate the launch activity with 56% market share. Majorityof the launches in the segment were concentrated in the pe-ripheral areas of Sonarpur, Narendrapur in the Southern sub-market and Barasat, Sodepur and Madhyamgram in theNorthern submarket due to availability of land parcels at rea-sonable rates in these areas. Mid-end segment units weremostly 2 and 3 BHK configurations of 800 to 1,650 sf.The city over the past has seen a decent contribution of the

high-end and luxury segment in the total share of launches.

These two segments together contributed to 44% of thelaunch activity in Q3, indicating the substantial demand forsuch products in the city. Majority of these launches were lo-cated in the North-east and South-east submarkets. Amidstslow transaction activity, capital and rental values remainedmostly stable across the city both for high-end and mid-endsegment except for a few submarkets. In the high-end seg-ment, South-Central, South-West and Central submarkets wit-nessed an appreciation of 5%, 7% and 7% respectively due tonew projects been launched at higher price points with in-crease in land acquisition costs. Capital values for the mid-endsegment in Southern submarket appreciated by 5% due topersistent demand. In the coming quarter, capital and rentalvalues are expected to remain stable and sales unlikely to wit-ness any major improvement. North-east submarket and pe-ripheral areas in South are likely to contribute significantly tolaunch activity in Q4 due to scheduled launches of a few largegroup housing projects in the mid-end segment.

MumbaiMumbai witnessed approximately 7,200 unit launches in Q32013. Though this was a decline of nearly 34% q-o-q it was anincrease of 19% for the first three quarters of the year, and wasat par with the average number of quarterly launches in thecity over the past two years. The decline in launches over Q2could mainly be attributed to slow sales in the market and thedelay in regulatory approvals, as a result of which Q4 mightwitness a slight increase in launch activity. Panvel in Navi Mum-bai contributed to 64% of these unit launches in Q3 with major


contribution from a single large project. Central Suburbanareas like Mulund, Powai and Wadala contributed to 13% ofthe launches followed by Thane at 10% contribution. Mid-endsegment contributed to nearly 64% of the launches during thequarter followed by high-end segment at 36%. High-end seg-ment launches were mostly concentrated in areas like Wadala,Powai and Thane.Rental and capital values remained mostlystable q-o-q except for high-end segment in South Centralareas like Lower Parel and Worli which witnessed a decline of2% over Q2. Rental yields have witnessed a decline over thelast year due to an increase in capital values by 20-25% againststable rentals over the year. To cater to the demand generatingsegment, many developers downsized their projects to twoBHK configurations of average 1,150 sf contributing to reduc-tion in overall ticket size in South and South Central Mumbai.

The low transaction activity coupled with the spurt in demandis expected to exert a downward pressure on capital valuesnext quarter. Rental values are expected to remain stable dueto stable demand and limited availability.

NCR NCR residential market witnessed launch of nearly 9,600 unitsin Q3 at par with the number of units launched in Q2 and con-tributed to 22% of the total launches across top eight cities. Af-fordable, mid-end and high-end segment contributed almostequally to the total launch activity during the quarter. NCRrecorded the highest contribution of 33% to the high-endlaunch activity among eight major cities of India during Q3.Majority of the high-end launches were located in Gurgaonwhile the affordable units were concentrated in Noida. Noidaand Greater Noida together contributed nearly 55% of the totalnumber of units launched whilst Gurgaon accounted for 44%during the quarter.The capital and rental values for mid-end segment remainedstable q-o-q. Due to pile of inventory and cautious buyer sen-timents prevailing in the market amidst sluggish sales, therental and capital values for high-end properties in Gurgaondeclined by 3-12% over the last quarter. The city has seen re-duction in investor activity with most enquiries generated byend users due to high gestation period of return and price

points. In the coming quarters, the rental and capital valuesare expected to remain stagnant in Delhi and Gurgaon sub-markets due to cautiousness among buyers, most of which areanticipating notable price correction. . However, areas in Noida,Greater Noida and those located along the Yamuna Express-way might witness an upward revision in capital values due torecent hike of 10-25% in the circle rates.

PuneNearly 3,850 units were launched in Pune this quarter out ofwhich two-third were contributed by the mid-end segmentand rest by high-end segment. Amidst sluggish sales, piling upinventories and soaring construction costs, the launch activitywitnessed a decline of nearly 13% q-o-q as developersadopted a wait-and-watch approach. The NH4 Bypass (North)stretch comprising of areas like Balewadi, Hinjewadi, Wakad,etc. in continuation of the trend witnessed last quarter domi-nated the launch activity this quarter too for the mid-end seg-ment due to continuous demand from working population inthe nearby IT sector dominated commercial areas . High-endlaunches were concentrated in NH4 Bypass (North) and North-East submarkets. Kharadi and Wagholi in North-eastern sub-market also contributed to nearly 29% of the launch activity inthe city during the quarter. 2 BHK configurations of 850 to1,650 were mostly favoured by developers.Capital values remained stable across segments during the

quarter despite a slowdown in sales. Rental values continuedto remain stable across most of the submarkets but saw aminor appreciation of 2% each in mid-end segment for East(Hadapsar, Manjri, Mundhwa) and NH4 Bypass (North) submar-ket due to higher demand from IT population. In the comingmonths, the market activity and capital and rental values areexpected to remain at par with the current trends despite theupcoming festive season and any discounts by developers. Ma-jority of the construction/launch activity will be concentratedin peripheral areas like Ravet, Balewadi, Punawale along theNH4 Bypass or in proximity to industrial hubs around Pimpri-Chinchwad, to cater to buyers looking for reasonable projectswith good connectivity. n

Source: Cushman & Wakefield Research

20 lDecember 2013

report

OBSERVER DAWN

22 lDecember 2013

investment

OBSERVER DAWN

Indian Realty Awards-2013

A Spectacular Event withOverwhelming Response

The 25th Octoberevening was not anormal evening foreveryone, fromdevelopers to realestate entrepre-neurs, from firsttimers to establishedplayers, as it success-

fully hosted the second season ofindian Realty Awards the seeds

of which were sown exactly ayear back. Presence of

Bollywood actor and veteran politicalfigure, Aftab Shivdasani and Shri K. C. Tyagi,

who gave away trophy and citation to deserv-ing ones, further ignited the moment. The RealEstate fraternity cherished the moment whenmovers and shakers of industry gather at thevenue and much to their delight, saw them-selves being felicitated and awarded. n


24 lDecember 2013

outlook

OBSERVER DAWN


3AWORLD Dujender Bhardwaj and Amit Choudhry, Directors, ABCZ. Ashok Gupta, MD & Pramod Gupta, JMD, Ajnara india Ltd.

Dr.Anil K. Sharma, CMD, Amrapali Group. Rakesh Yadav, MD, Antrix Group. Appu Ghar (Gurgaon), international Amusement Limited

Vinay Jain, MD, AVJ Group. Naveen Rana & Sidharth Sharma, Directors, Capital infra. Ms. Ananta Raghuvanshi, Exec. Director, DLf Universal Ltd.

Dushyant Sinha, iCCPL Sunil Tomer, Suneet Pratap Singh, Raj Kumar Sisodia, and Yougender Kukreja , finlace Consulting (P) Ltd.

Shaleen Tyagi and Gaurav Gupta, Directors, GoldmineDeveloper.

Gaurav Sankhyadhar, Mediacentric Activation Manoj Gaur, MD, Gaursons india Limited B.M. Jha, Vice President , Graphis Ads Private Limited



Rajesh Nagpal, Director, Gulshan Homez Pvt. Ltd. Rahaul Sharma, GAPSEWHO, Housing Society. Rakesh Sharma, Director, ideal infrapromoters Pvt. Ltd.

Jayanta Barua, Head - Corp. Comm. SVP Builders india Ltd. Ramesh Bhatia, GM Sales & Marketing, Jaypee Greesns Brijesh Varshney, Oneders Events Solutions Pvt. Ltd

Ms. Nikita Agarwal, VP Sales and Marketing, JM Housing. Ms. Karishma Handa, Director, 3AWorld infracon Pvt. Ltd. Arvind Singh, MD, K-RASA Group,

Ashu Gupta, Regional Head, Magicbricks.com Rajeev Tyagi and Amartya Raj Tyagi, Markx infra Home Umang Arora and Anil Goyal, Music County, Lucknow.

Vipul Gupta, Ravi Goyal and Shashank Gupta, Neobrix. Sanjay Rastogi and other Directors, Saviour Builders

26 lDecember 2013

outlook

OBSERVER DAWN


Vikas Sahni, Property Guru Pvt. Ltd. Rachit Verma, The Publicist. Vibhor Kumar, Danish Suhail and Pramendra Kumar,Rudra.

Ms. Divya Pall, GM - Marketing & PR, SARE Homes. Ms. Divya Pall, GM - Marketing & PR, SARE Homes. Mr. Piyush Shah, GM-Sales, SARE Homes

Realty Mogul Award to SARE Homes Saviour Builder Awarded Shree Group Awarded

Mr. Diwakar Sharma & Piyush Pushpak, Subhkamna Advert Ashish Panwar & ikram Khan, Skite 360 Degree Naveen Tyagi, Director, VViP receiving award

Journalist attending the press meetGuests enjoying eventGuests enjoying event



Mr. Anil K. Sharma, CMD, Amrapali with Metro ReviewMr. Achyut Nath Jha & Rakesh Purohit addressing the press Guests being entertained

Mercedes on displayed during event Mr. Sanjeev Tyagi, Ajit tyagi and Rajeev Tyagi with Aftab

Mr. Hariom Tyagi delivering speech during the eventMr. Hariom Tyagi & Mr. K.C. Tyagi (M.P. Rajya Sabha)Guests during the event

Mr. Aftab addressing media Mr. Arvind Singh Lighting the lamp Mr.Vineet Sharma, VP-Marketing, Ajnara

Gulshan Homz Team enjoying the event Mr. Sonu Gupta & His colleague form AVJ Group

28 lDecember 2013

cover story

OBSERVER DAWN

Goldmine Developers Pvt. Ltd. is a highly acclaimed namein Indian real estate services. The Company specializes inservices related to the purchase of properties, documen-tation, renting and leasing, investment advisory services,property valuation and assisting clients with home loans.

Its expertise and commitment towards complete customer satisfac-tion are unchallenged. Headquartered in Noida, the Company wasfounded in 2004 by three visionary entrepreneurs, Mr. Shaleen Singh,Mr. Gaurav Gupta and Mr. Sunil Kumar who possess expertise in thefield of Marketing & Finance.

The Top-Ranked Real Estate Consultant

With strong presence in Delhi-NCR, within a short period of time, Goldmine Developers Pvt. Ltd. has become the most preferred property consultingfirm in the NCR.

it aims to provide a platform for mutual growthand create a win-win situation for clients and theiremployees. Goldmine service includes Pre-salesand Post Sales execution.l it provides expert advice on propertyl it gives value for customers’ moneyl it provides a hassle-free processl it provides maximum discounts in the

marketl Direct Channel Partnershipl Best rates in the industryl Properties available from all the big con-

struction housesl Leading to a wide variety of choices and

varied qualityl Massive range of products & servicesl All Budget rangel Long term and trustworthy corporate

partners.

Advantage Goldmine


30 lDecember 2013

cover story

OBSERVER DAWN

Goldmine Developers is a professionally managed company led by a team with outstanding managerial acumen andcumulative experience of more than 400 men. With a customer base of over 200,000 the Goldmine Developers Grouphas an eye for the intricate financial needs o3f its clients and caters to both their short-term and long-term financialneeds through a comprehensive bouquet of investment services. It has been founded with the aim of providing worldclass investing experience to the investing community. With strong presence in Delhi-NCR, within a short period oftime has become the most preferred property consulting firm in the NCR. The Company operates in Delhi- NCR: Noida,Greater Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurgaon and Faridabad. Goldmine’s business profile and its reach out can be gauged fromthe fact that it has corporate tie-ups with blue chip MNCs and PSUs like LG ,CSC , Samsung, Moser Baer , TCS, Nation-alised Bank , NTPC, GAIL , BHEL , Sahara, Tech Mahindra, IBM and others.


Noida-based Goldmine Developers Pvt. Ltd. is aleading real estate consultant, specializing inservices related to the purchase of properties,documentation, renting and leasing, invest-ment advisory services, property valuation and

assisting clients with home loans. Company's expertise andcommitment towards complete customer satisfaction areunchallenged. As perseverance is bound to bear its fruit,Goldmine could finally emerge as a stand-alone consultantin Indian realty especially in Delhi-NCR. Since its inceptionby three dynamic entrepreneurs — Mr. Shaleen Singh, Mr.Gaurav Gupta & Mr. Sunil Kumar — Goldmine Developershas set a new benchmark in India’s real estate, helping and

assisting buyers and investors to their satisfaction. In a free-wheeling conversation with Observer Dawn, Company’s tophonchos share in detail about their mission and efforts totransform the company into a vibrant and reckoning forceas far as real estate industry in India is concerned.Excerpts:

Tell us in brief about company’s journey so far, itsstrength and branches in Delhi-NCR.Established in 2004 as Goldmine Real Estate and incorpo-rated in 2006 as Goldmine Developers Pvt. Ltd., we startedfrom our projects, Royal Tower, in Indirapuram in Ghaziabad.Now, we are associated with some of major developers like

Our Next Target Is To Make Society InThe Name Of Goldmine

32 lDecember 2013

cover story

OBSERVER DAWN

Mr. Shaleen SinghA BE (Civil Engineering) from MiT. Manipal, Mr. ShaleenSingh also worked with an architect firm—A. Sharma& Associate-- for six years. Mr. Shaleen played a majorrole in developing some premier landmarks like Triv-oli, Radission in Varanasi and others. Along with twoother directors, he is credited to making Goldmine, aone-stop-solution provider in real estate services.


Ajnara India Ltd, Gaursons, Gulshan Homz, ShikkaGroup, VVIP, Mahagun, to name just few, and tillnow, our record has been exceptional. Three of us— Mr. Shaleen Singh, Mr. Gaurav Gupta & Mr.Sunil Kumar — are supported by a team of 150staffs. In addition to the above-mentioned re-alty majors, we are networking with morethan 350 associates who give us regularbookings and are always loyal to us and ourdealing has been transparent and satisfactoryto customers. Though we have decided tohave our branches in every strategic positions,presently we are functioning through branchesat Wave City Gate on NH-24, Ghaziabad, UGF-38,Omax Arcade, Greater Noida and off 5&6 AjnaraArcade, Rajnagar Extension, Ghaziabad.

What you think is the main strength of yourcompany which has successfully brought incustomers from every income-group?Our in-house team, online portal and IT team alwaysfocus on how best they can serve the people whocome here for a good deal. We always aim to “satisfy-ing loyal customer” who is our real strength.

Even as sector is in grip of financial difficultiesand some major realtors’ debt is a matter of con-cern, how do you plan to mobilize resources sothat no projects are left incomplete?Mobilising the requisite resources has never been an issuewith us. We have never defaulted on payment during 8years of our business dealing and transactions. Goldmineis fundamentally a debt-free company.

What’s your main motive/mission which you havestarted to accomplish in Goldmine?“From Booking till Possession we are with You” is our taglineand we ensure that same assurance is fulfilled at any cost.Once a buyer or investor aligns and deals wit us, the companytakes upon it to give him/her the best in the market.

A few years down the line, where is the company poisedto?Very soon, we are poised to be among the top real estate consult-ants. We will be no.1 on the basis of loyalty, customer satisfactionand networking. We have also expansion plan and target to have50 branches within the span of 5 years.

Everybody is talking about efficacy of the much-talked-about regulatory authority. What’s your take?Regulatory body is good for a transparent and accountable style offunctioning and once it is formed with legal framework, it will monitorthe sector which will change its image as a full-fledged industry whichis still largely unorganized.

There are mixed reactions from real estate fraternity about thepassage of Land Acquisition Bill. As it happened again, Govern-ment appeared to have faltered to give positive signal to solving

l Ajnara Group (Ajnara Daffodil, Ajnara Grand Heritage,Ajnara Homes, Ajnara integrity, Ajnara Grace)

l Gaursons Group (Gaurcity (Noida Extention), GaurGrandeur (Sec-119 Noida))

l Mahagun Group (Mywoods (Noida Extention), Moderne (Sec-78 Noida))

l Sikka Group (Sikka Karnam (Sec-143 B Noida))l Prateek Group (Prateek Wisteria (Sec-77 Noida),

Prateek Laurel (Sec-120 Noida))l Patel Group (Neo Town (Noida Extention)

Lead

ing

Pro

ject

s

34 lDecember 2013

cover story

OBSERVER DAWN

Mr. Sunil Kumar 38-year-old Mr. Sunil Kumar is a graduate from DelhiUniversity and has seven year experience in gold busi-ness and manufacturing of chains. Mr. Kumar alsoworked as a contractor with Reliance Group’s petro,thermal and power projects. Along with Shaleen andGaurav, Mr. Kumar forms the triumvirate which runsGoldmine Developers Pvt. Ltd. as an efficient and pro-fessionally managed company.


36 lDecember 2013

cover story

OBSERVER DAWN

Goldmine is the name one mustrely upon. Kudos to Goldmine forachieving immense success in realestate, that too, in a brief span. iwish that the Company will takebig stride further and expand itsrange of services far and wide incoming years.

—Ms. Sapna GargManager Sales, Supertech Ltd.

land-related disputes which often led to delay in projects’ ex-ecution. Your comment.Any legislation which boosts real estate is welcome. We were hopinga holistic approach from law makers. The bill will create a lot of prob-lem in the coming days as acquiring land will become more compli-cated and expensive. Land is scarce, no doubt, but industry needs itto propel growth in housing and infrastructure. A simplified and in-dustry-friendly policy always helps in sustaining growth and devel-opment and result in timely delivery of projects.

From which income-group, the demand from buyers is in-creasing and sustainable?The overall situation across the income groups is not rosy as we ex-pect. There are clients in Rs. 40-60 lakh income segment. There is lackof enthusiasm and interest in big-size deal.

Do you see any effect on real estate activity in Delhi-NCR afterthe Green Tribunal decided to ban sand mining in riverbeds?We foresee no cataclysmic effect but construction cost is increasingafter the ban.

What messages would you convey to buyers/investors andthose who are working for real estate development in bothresidential and commercial segments?Think progress and always do for the prosperity of society. We arecollaborating with our clients from the stage of booking to the pos-session with all the best attitude and positive outlook. Our next tar-get is to make society in the name of Goldmine. n

i extend my heartfelt wishes toGoldmine for their hardwork &progress. Their dedication in real es-tate segment is a source of inspira-tion for others to follow. i have seenGoldmine growing many folds in ashort span of six years.”

—Mr. Vineet Sharma, VP, Sales & Marketing, Ajnara India Ltd.

With real marketing strategy and effective implementation, Goldminehas achieved tremendous growth.The company's focus on bringing innew clients and give them satisfac-tion for every transaction has re-ceived great admiration from everyquarter.”—Mr. Jitender SinghPresident, Sales, Gaursons India Ltd.

in today's scenario reaching out toprospective buyers is a major taskwhere an organised property con-sultant plays a very important role.We have been associated with Gold-mine for a long time and the waythey execute their work is flawless.They have a huge network which hasbeen of great help in reaching toplaces which otherwise we couldn’t.”

—Mr. Sanjay BishtGM Marketing, Gulshan Homz Pvt. Ltd.

WHAT REAL ESTATE MAJORS SAY ABOUT GOLdMINE

Mr. Gaurav GuptaAn alumnus from iiT Roorkee and an MBA from Luc-know, Mr. Gaurav Gupta is an integral part of com-pany’s think tank and is always known for his deepknowledge and expertise in planning and strategy. forseven years, Mr. Gupta was associated with PACL indiaLtd., and from here he started working for establish-ing Goldmine.


Things to do in an Amusement Park

38 lDecember 2013

entertainment

OBSERVER DAWN

Amusement parks are the ultimate in adrena-line high pumping fun, the place you head toif you want to let yourself have undiluted funand enjoyment. Rides that get you to experi-ence gut-wrenching inversions and fast move-

ment that hurtle you around with a pull up to 4 Gs. Thenames of the rides are so formidable, that you sometimesneed to be coaxed to try them. Where your legs turn to jellywatching people scream not with fear but delight. To ex-perience all this you don’t need to head to Singapore, Dis-neyland or Paris its right here for you in Delhi. As the indianamusement parks today can indeed lure the adventureand enjoyment seeking customers with their innovativeideas. for visitors both young and the youthful at heartNCR has the best places to head to if you want to have undi-luted fun and share an entertaining evening with yourfamily, friends and colleagues.

Ranked among the largest in india, Delhi’s world-classAmusement Park-Adventure island lists out the fun andadventurous activities to partake in and not miss out thefun, when visiting an amusement park.


|Magic Shows- Awayfrom the mechanical, predictable and mo-

notonic routine, wonders of magic shows take you to a com-pletely different, unpredictable, yet exciting world. Beware….. Even your chair, can turn into a vamp here.

Acrobats- If you like some rush of adrenaline, crafty acrobatscan surely provide you with a few shots with their breath-tak-ing body moves and precision. Many a times, you will haveyour heart in your mouth.

Dance shows- Packaging art in a maverickwrapper to entertain and enthral the audienceis key to an amusement park's appeal. Hence,you find shows like MAD i.e. Magic Acrobatsand Dancing for families visiting here.

Theatre’s- Right from a conventional flatscreen show to hi-tech 5 D shows where youjust don't watch the show but become a partof on-screen snowfall, earthquake or whirlwind, amusement parks provide an unpar-alleled theatre experience to the visitors.

Rides- Swing, swerve and have a thrillingexperience on larger-than-life size rides.

Food and beverage- Won't you feel the need for adelicious and rejuvenating meal after going through all thefrolics. You can take care of your calories refill with the sinfullyawesome delicacies.

Stunt Shows- Most of us have witnessed, clapped, whistledat stunt shows during village fares. Amusement parks are car-rying the same legacy forward by organizing several themebased stunt shows. Boating- Many amusement parks allow you to experiencethe feeling of floating in their man-made lakes. You may bewith your family, friends or someone special, the onboard

40 lDecember 2013

entertainment

OBSERVER DAWN

moments will surely create everlastingmemories.

Sidewinder, Twister, Flip Out and manyentertaining and crazy activities like Zorbing,Zipline and Burma Bridge to Velcro wall, Mul-tivine, Bosun chairs and dirt cycling are a fewmust-tries.

Spread across 62 acres of prime land inDelhi, Adventure Island is an extensively land-scaped theme park complete with a lake, a la-goon, fountains, water rides, engaging activities,entertaining productions, rain dance, boating,camping, shopping, fine dining, internationalcuisines, hygienic Indian street food and more. Italso has a large 1000 seat amphitheatre called TheToon Area and a parking space than can accommodate 1700cars and 60 buses. Adventure Island is a virtual world you canescape into. Every time you visit this park you can find newways to create lasting memories, year after year.

Christmas and New year celebrations @ Adventure IslandIt’s the magical time of the year again; Christmas and Newyear are round the corner. Come celebrate these two at Ad-venture Island with fun, joy and laughter, just the right moodto welcome the spirit of the New Year. All this is to be had inthe out of this world Adventure Island the theme park in Ro-hini. The magnificent Christmas decoration at Adventure Is-

land and the fantastic New Year’s Eve fireworks and activitieswill double your celebration this year. Around a mesmerizingmanmade lake in North West Delhi, lies a remarkable Oasisfull of unique experiences, adventure, entertainment and re-laxation. Adventure Island is an extensively landscapedtheme park complete with a lake, a lagoon, fountains, path-breaking adventure rides, water rides, engaging activities, en-tertaining productions, rain dance, boating, camping,shopping, fine dining, international cuisines, hygienic Indianstreet food and more. From path-breaking and adrenalinepumping rides to water rides and from kiddie spaces to ad-venture zones, Adventure Island features something foreveryone.

If you are in the mood to party hard and stay with all themadness of the city, then Adventure Island in Delhi is the per-fect place for you . n


ven though, MT brings in the element of strengthening diplomatic tieswith the other countries, especially with the neighboring countries, eth-ical issues have become significant, both in terms of equity and in the

more competitive involvement of the market in medical care.

42 lDecember 2013

medical tourism

OBSERVER DAWN


44 lDecember 2013

medical tourism

OBSERVER DAWN

"Bright sun, blue sea, cosmetic surgery", “where the cost saved on one MRI could pay for a return ticket,medical tourism is bound to boom”,“Medical Treatment in USA = A tour to India + Medical Treatment+ Savings”, “Medical Tourism: Sea, Sun, Sand and…Surgery” “Your Health is our Wealth”…. reads the advertisements’ promot-ing Medical Tourism.

By Sunita Reddy

The Confederation of Indian Industry(CII) and McKin-sey & Company estimate that med-ical tourism(MT) market is growingat the rate of 15 percent for the pastfive years. With approximately

500,000+ foreign patients travelling to Indiafor medical care annually (experts quoted inthe University of Delaware’s US Daily news).India was ranked as one of the Top 10 Emerg-ing Tourism Destinations by the World Traveland Tourism Council last year. ‘Medical Tourism’ and ‘Health Tourism’ often used interchange-ably. Medical Tourism refers to the medical surgeries and otherAllopathic treatment, whereas Health Tourism refers to ‘other’healing systems; Ayurvedic, Naturopathy, Yoga etc. They do not cater to emergency services. Services provided arelargely, knee joint replacement, hip replacement, (largely or-

thopedic), bone marrow transplant, bypass surgery, breastlump removal, Haemorrhoidectomy, Cataract Surgery, In-vitrofertilization (IVF) cycle, Surrogacy, cosmetic surgery etc. Forkin members accompanying, go for preventive health checkups.India has its competitors with its neighboring countries, Thai-land, Singapore, South Korea, and Malaysia including India at-tracting a combined 1.3 million medical tourists per yearannually.The estimated worth in Asia alone is at least $4 billionby 2012. Singapore estimated 300,000 and more than a millionin Thailand. Thailand made its name as a medical destination

in the 1970’s by one single hospitalBumrungrad. Thailand is also knownfor sex –change operations or moreformally as gender reassignment sur-gery. India offers World Class Medical Facili-ties, comparable with any of the west-ern countries, with state of the artHospitals, best qualified doctors, bestinfrastructure and facilities, accompa-

nied with the most competitive prices. Min. of tourism and cul-ture, GOI 2002 lists 160 hospitals across the country, AIIMS andother public hospitals of repute are listed.Health as a profitable ‘trade’, ‘industry’ not just for the healthprofessionals, a motley of other investors, business men, jew-elers, hoteliers sharing the pie. The most important factor to

“First world Treatment at Third world Rates”.

The comparative costs between india and other developed countries like uS, the uK,

and Singapore. approximate figures in uS dollars.

US UK SiNGAPORE iNDiABone Marrow Transplant upto 200,000 upto 200,000 20,000Bypass Surgery 15,000-40,000 2,000-6,000Breast Lump Removal 2,500-3,500 1,000 700Haemorrhoidectomy 3,500-4,000 1,500 1000Knee Joint Replacement 15,000 6,000 5,000


promote medical tourism is to showcase the cost differentials,which is around one-tenth in the developing nations to exor-bitant prices in developed nations, offering a business and avalue proposition. Caption saying “First World Treatment atThird World Rates”.Medical Tourism is not a new phenomenon, however, the na-ture has changed. India has been drawing patients from neigh-boring countries, which lacked these medical facilities. Thepatients from Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka have beencoming to the tertiary teaching hospitals, like AIIMs and othergood public hospitals in other major cities. This still continuesbut the nature of hospitals has changed. The corporatization ofthe Medicare sector has brought with it five-star facilities andworld-class treatments.Hi-tech medical facilities have becomea necessity following consumer demand among the world'sfastest growing middle class.The patients travelling from othercountries opt for these hospitals, which are not just in four met-ros also in other cities like Hyderabad, Bangalore, Goa, Pune,Ahmedabad too are following the trend.All the patients in India who are elite, those who have healthinsurance, private, or CGHS refer to the private tertiary hospitalsin India. Rich patients from the neighboring countries who donot have standard medical systems lack of good doctors/ facil-ities in their own countries are the pull factors. Push factors,Middle East post-9/11 in US have restricted Visas, thereby di-verted to India and other South East Asian Countries. In USA,the medical care is quite expensive and millions of people unin-sured including Non-Resident Indians. In the UK, there is a longwaiting queue under NHS and patients are looking for otheravenues. MT is promoted aggressively by the Tourism Department and

the hospitals themselves. Various efforts are done, like kiosksat airports, airport transportation and bank transactions areeased out. M 1 -Medical visas are provided for one year andcheaper airline tickets has further facilitated MT. Hospitals aredoing their bit by hiring interpreters for various languages,stocking up prayer rugs and have opened kitchen serving reli-giously acceptable halal food for Arabic patients. There areplans to make helipads on the hospitals by some hospitals tocut the traffic from the airport to the hospitals. Websites andmedical tourism packages are all over with visual testimonials.Holistic centers- yoga, naturopathy, herbal medicine andacupuncture have been started in the premises of corporatehospitals, and also worship corners, wedding science with reli-gion and a place for alternative medicines. Even though, MT brings in the element of strengthening diplo-matic ties with the other countries, especially with the neigh-boring countries, ethical issues have become significant, bothin terms of equity and in the more competitive involvement ofthe market in medical care. Over the past decade the Indianhealth system has become ever more dichotomous. It has in-creased disparities between urban and rural areas and betweenrich and poor, resulting in polarization of health care provi-sion.There are examples from other countries which are doingwell in medical tourism but health care delivery is increasinglyinequitable, in Malaysia and in Thailand there is a huge drainon the public health sector. n

About Author: Sunita Reddy is an Asst. Prof. in the Center of Social Medicine and Community Health, School of Social Sciences, JNU.

NW

In order to go to the roof or upper floor of a building, stairsare required. In the ancient books instructions to build staircase in the south west corner have been given. In this bookin the chapter, the scheme of vaastu construction, it isknown from the chart of vaastu construction, in the ancient

times. Here one thing is to be considered that when these shas-tras were written, the stairs were built solid, which were notempty from below. Thus the solid stairs were very heavy. Accord-ing to the vaastu shastra, the south west corner should be keptheavy. So it was proper to build stairs here because in those daysthere was no construction in the house heavier then the stairscase. In the chart you will see that in the middle of the buildingthere was vacant court yard. People passed through the courtyard and went to the south west corner and then went up bythe stair case. Generally, in such situation, they ascended thestairs situated in the south west corner from the north of thenorth east corner and went up clock wise. This was completelyvaastu suitable.

For last many decades, stairs are built by laying girders orslab or by putting stone slabs between walls on both sides. Itmeans that now the stairs are not built solid. Its underbelly isempty and it is used for other purposes. It means that an impor-tant change has occurred between the construction of stairs oftoday and the stairs of those days when the shastra was written.Now the construction of stairs is not as heavy as it was in ancienttimes. So now you can build a stairs case in any part of the build-ing as per your convenience even in the north east corner. Butnowadays, while building a staircase people generally make amistake which generates an important vaastu defect. Some peo-ple build the first and the second stair solid by fixing bricksunder them. For example, you build stairs case in the north eastcorner and you make the first one or two stairs solid then thenorth east corner becomes higher then the rest of the floor ofthe house. The north east corner being higher is an importantvaastu defect. It is to be noted that here the stair case being inthe north east corner is not a vaastu defect. But the first and sec-ond stair being solid is a vaastu defect. So you can build staircase, anywhere in the building but you will have to keep the un-derbelly of stairs empty from the first stair. While building stair-case one more thing has tobe kept in mind that the stair case isthe entry gate for the upper story. So, for the vaastu suitableconstruction of the upper story you will have to follow thevaastu principles for the gate. Such as if your build the stair casein the east then you should begin it from the east of the northeast corner. If the stairs are tobe built in the south then it shouldbegin from the south of the south east corner, if they are tobebuilt in the west they should begin from the north west corner

and if they are tobe built from the north then they should beginfrom the north of the north east corner. I have got begun build-ing of stairs in the houses facing the east with less width fromthe east of the north east corner and in the houses facing thenorth from

the north of the north east corner. All the families living inthose houses on the ground floor and in the upper floor areleading happy and prosperous life. According to the vaastu shas-tra a stair case should always be built clock wise. A scientific rea-son behind it is that all the creepers ascending the trees go upclock wise. They never ascend antilock wise. If possible, every ef-fort should be made to build the stairs clock wise. Many a timeit is not possible to make clock wise stairs. Under such circum-stances there is no need to worry. I have seen antilock wise stairsin many hoses. In my experience the people living in the houseswith antilock wise stairs for many years have not faced any diffi-culties. In my own house for last 20 years the stairs have beenantilock wise. I have had no correct information about the effectof antilock wise stairs. In an article, I read that in case of antilockwise stairs stomach troubles arise. But in my research this couldnot be proved to be true. There are two opinions about the num-ber of stairs in the ancient books of vaastu shastra. According toone opinion the stairs should be made in uneven numbers 3, 5,7, 9, 11 etc. In the other opinion the number of stairs should besuch as to when divided by 3 the remainder should be 2 as 5, 8,17 etc. There are different arguments behind it. But the most ef-fective argument is that while stepping into the house a person’sright foot first fall on the earth. In my experience it makes no dif-ference about the number of stairs. The difference is made as towhere any pit on the main gate of the building are. So youshould not worry about the number of stairs.n

Can A Staircase Be Made in TheNorth East Corner?

NORTH NE

EASTW

EST

Pet, animals

and pen for

cattle and

grain

storage

Bed Room Treasury

and store

Place to store

medicinesPlace of

worship

Place to

express

sympathy

Labour

room

Dinning

Room

court yard Bath

Room

Study Room Place to

churn curd

The place to

store heavy

material and

instruments

and stairs

Toilet Bed RoomPlace to store

Ghee and Oil

and Granding

machine

Kitchen

SW SOUTH SE

By Kuldeep Saluja

vaastu


bollywood


Amitabh Bachchan Crowned The Greatest Bollywood Star in The UK Poll.

e is the Big B of indian cinema and an eternal evergreen superstar par excellence,who is known for his punctuality. What is less known is that Amitabh Bachchan has

a ‘secret collection’ of some of the most treasured and revered international brandsbut he doesn’t ever speak about it. Amitabh Bachchan has refused to be bound to any

one single brand except on rare occasions where he was present as the celebrity chief guestto launch the same in india and abroad.

8 He has a double Master of Arts degree.

8 He wanted to become an engineer and was keen to join the indian Air force.

8 His actual height is 74 inches or 1.88 m, the tallest-ever top star in Hindi cinema.

8 He made his film debut in 1969 as a voice narrator in Mrinal Sen's Bhuvan Shome.

8 The superstar has given 12 consecutive flops before his first big hit Zanjeer.

8 His first salary was Rs 500.

8 He was paid Rs. 1,000 for his debut film where he struck a lifelong friendship with Tinnu Anand.

8 Mr Bachchan loves to visit London and Switzerland.

8 His favourite is the Lexus. The car is bulletproof.

8 He hates the word Bollywood, the word that most use to describe the Hindi film industry.

8 He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2001.

8 The fabric is especially imported from italy, the thread from france and buttons from England.

8 The Big B owns 11 cars, including one Lexus, two BMWs and three Mercedes. n

Bachchan’s Life


Ajnara India Coming Togetherto Celebrate the

Festive Moment.

event


Cosmic Relishing the

Occasionwith Media.


Indicon International

Commemorating First Year of itsMaking.

event


Legendary Milkha Singh

Lends Hand for the Cause of Diabetes.


event


Guests & RelativesDuring the RingCeremony of Mr.Vibhor Tyagi ( VViP Group) with Prapti.


56 lDecember 2013

event

OBSERVER DAWN

MERI DILLI UTSAV isthe most prestigious annual event-that was presented by SHRI Group in association with3Aworld from October 4th-6th 2013 at Dilli Haat, Pita-mpura, New Delhi. Delhi Haat is a project of DelhiTransport and Tourism Development Corporation that

were the venue partners of the event. Meri Dilli Utsav is an annual event that is organized to provide

the people of Delhi, 3 days of family fun, joy, masti, music, lifestyleshopping and lots of cheer with various stalls of exquisite top of theline products& services and exotic delicacies, all under one roof. Theevent was associated with an unmatched culture and a mosaic of di-versity. It was graced with varied cultural performances, folk danceperformances, rock band per-formances, fashion show, bellydance performance, solo songperformances, magical showsand much more by famousartists. These performances notonly graced the event, but alsoentertained the huge audiencethat was a part of the event. Peo-ple along with their family andchildren participated and en-joyed the event. Along with this,there was horse riding, camelriding and air slider for the enjoy-ment of the children.

The event witnessed appre-ciation and huge participation ofthe visitors, which made this asuccessful one. It is a best plat-form to showcase and reach thepeople of Delhi in a unique way.

On the first day; Chief Guest, Mr. Arvind Kejriwal, Social Activist& Founder-Aam Aadmi Party along with Mr. Ram Agrawal, Director,SHRI Group and Mr. Amit Handa, Executive Director, SHRI Groupwere present to inaugurate the event. In the event, ‘Meri Dilli Awards’were presented to the eminent personalities of Delhi to felicitatethem for their exemplary achievements in various categories. In suchcategory was the name of Mr. Ravi Kalra, Chairman, Earth SaviourFoundation, who was awarded with a cheque of Rs. 1 Lakh for his

excellence in selfless humanitarian service. On the auspicious occasion of the Utsav, Mr. Arvind Kejriwal fe-

licitated Mr. Ram Agrawal, Mr. Amit Handa and Ms. Karishma Handa,Director-3Aworld, by presenting the Momentos for their contribu-tion in organizing the event.

The show witnessed the presence of dignified personalities thatincluded Lala Kedarnath Aggrawal, Owner of Bikanervala, Mr. ArvindKejriwal, Social Activist & Founder-Aam Aadmi Party, Mr. Raj KumarChauhan, PWD Minister, Mr. Ravi Kalra, Chairman, Earth SaviourFoundation and many more.

In the closing ceremony, honourable Chief Guest, Mr. Raj KumarChauhan, PWD Minister embraced the event. Mr. Amit Handa and

Ms. Karishma Handa were felic-itated by Mr. Raj KumarChauhan with the Momentosfor organizing a successful fes-tive utsav for the masses.

After being felicitated, Mr.Ram Agrawal, Director, SHRIGroup quoted, “SHRI Group be-lieves in prosperity for all andwith this as our aim, we organ-ized Meri Dilli Utsav, 3 days ofDiwali Shopping and FamilyFun for the people. The eventhelped in bringing smiles onthe faces of the people.” Ms.Karishma Handa, Co-founder &Director, 3Aworld also added“Meri Dilli Utsav is one of thebest events that appreciate-seminent personalities of Delhi

for their exemplary achievements in various categories. In this event,contribution of women empowerment to the society was also rec-ognized.”

The event was organized by NNS; NNS Media Group is a leadingnews agency that provides commodity news and daily trading pricesto print media. Also, it provides its services to almost all the leadingnational daily newspapers and renowned TV news channels. Mediapartner for the event was Meri Dilli Newspaper & outdoor publicitypartner was Graphics Ads. n

3 days Of Family Fun,Joy And Lots Of Cheer !

MERI dILLI UTSAv


58 lDecember 2013

event

OBSERVER DAWN

Historic Sahara BalkanPEACE FESTIvAL

The Government of the Republicof Macedonia and Sahara IndiaPariwar, had organised the firstever ‘Sahara Balkan Peace Festi-val’ in Skopje, Macedonia, the

land of Mother Teresa. The two day festi-val was organised on 2nd October the In-ternational Day of Non Violencecelebrated to mark the birth anniversaryof Mahatma Gandhi. The event aimed atbringing Balkan countries on one plat-form to pledge for World peace and willbe organized every year in one of theBalkan countries on rotation basis.

The first ‘Sahara Balkan Peace Festival’witnessed the gracious presence of For-mer Prime Minister of the U.K., Mr. TonyBlair along with His Excellency the Presi-dent, Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Min-ister, President of Assembly and theentire cabinet of Republic of Macedonia,Lords and Baroness of England, alongwith diplomatic representation of WorldBank, IFC as well as 8 countries including

USA, UK, European Union, France, Qatarand Balkan countries like Croatia, TurkeySerbia.

The first ‘Sahara Balkan Peace Festival’began on 1st October, 2013 with a cele-bration at the Main City Square of Skopje,the scenic capital of the Republic ofMacedonia, Europe. The event graced bythe Prime Minister and Deputy PrimeMinister and the members of the Cabinetof Macedonia had glittering display ofchildren’s performance by governmentpromoted SOS orphan village, and India’sleading Shaimak Dawar and his DanceCompany and fireworks which specialperformances designed for the event andwas marked by lighting all the building ofthe square in blue, the color of Peace.

On 2nd October the festival pro-ceeded with the Peace Conclave organ-ized to initiate a dialogue for globalpeace. The conclave is attended by Mrs.Chandni Roy of Sahara India Pariwar, Mo-hini Lady Noon, Chairperson of LILY

Foundation; Lord Patel of Bradford OBE,Osmo Vatres, President of the BalkanClub of Peace, Baroness Scotland ofAsthal QC PC, Former attorney general ofthe United Kingdom and a highly re-spectable Politician of the Labour Partyin United Kingdom, Lord Noon of St.Johns wood MBE, Mr. Patrick McGheeand Mr. Arun Harnal with hundreds ofdelegates.

The festival was concluded with asummit at the newly build NationalOpera House of Macedonia. The eventwas marked by the lectures of Mr. TonyBlair, Former Prime Minister of the UnitedKingdom; Mr. Nikola Gruevski Prime Min-ister of the Republic of Macedonia, Mr.Subrata Roy Sahara and EDV & Peace -Baroness Scotland of Asthal, PC, QC onthe topic of World Peace. The augustsummit was attended by eminent digni-taries from across the world.

Former British Premier and ChiefGuest of the Peace Summit Mr. Tony Blair,


in his address said, “The true differencetoday is between the open minded onesand the closed mind ones, betweenthose who see the world led by the op-portunities for connecting and globaliza-tion and those who want to closethemselves and isolate from such global-ization and see the things that connectus as a threat. I am not a pessimist for theworld that we live in. I am always an op-timist and I believe that we can alwaysfind the strength in ourselves and over-come the challenges”.

In the summit His Excellency Mr.Nikola Gruevski, Prime Minister of Re-public of Macedonia, said, “We live intimes when peace is interrupted in manyparts of the world. Even today many so-cieties are facing times of crises, crises ofethics, cultural descents and contortedvalues that produce violence that every normal person is horrified. But, that shouldn’t hesitate us. That doesn’tmean that we should give up or hold up.The people that are in the middle ofthese conflicts need help. Whereweapons rule, reasons can’t reach. Let usrecall the words of our greatest humani-tarian Mother Teresa, “We need to findGod, and he cannot be found in noiseand restlessness. God is the friend of si-lence. We need silence to be able totouch souls”.

While speaking in Summit ‘Saharasri’,Subrata Roy Sahara, Managing Worker &Chairman, Sahara India Pariwar, said, “Forour external personality, that is, our body,food and water keeps it energetic, activeand healthy, but for our internal person-

ality that is the spiritual personality, thatis for our mental body, the food is peaceand happiness for giving us best qualitymental health with lots of strong willpower and positive energy always seenas active optimism.

Every human wants always to have ahappy and satisfied life.

But no life can be happy and satisfiedwithout a peaceful state of mind. Happi-ness chases peace, but peace does notchase happiness. Peace has to be in aperson’s life and all around him. Peace inhis immediate family, peace in his neighbourhood, peace in his work place,peace in his city, peace in his country….and so on.

Here in this peace festival if we onlytalk about peace between two countries,that is if we talk and discuss about warbetween the countries, I fear we shallreach nowhere, we won’t be able toachieve peace in the life of individualhuman beings for a long term or mostdesirably life long. This is not about onlystopping war, its about choosing PEACE.WE CHOSE PEACE OVER WAR.

Any country is not a human being initself. Country’s body and face is thecombined and collective faces of peopleof the country, however, few human be-ings sit at the helm of affairs and take alldecisions for the country.

It is human beings everywhere whoare instrumental in bringing about peaceor violence. In any country is Govern-ment or Government machinery, reli-gious groups, sects or different kind oforganisations, the human beings who

are given leadership at various levels areresponsible for Peace or Violence. Allsuch people out of ignorance about fun-damentals of life, indulge, initiate or be-come instrumental foolishly in violenceand in turn invite irritation, tensions, de-jections, disappointments, dissatisfac-tions etc. in future in their own lives, too.May be at any moment of time some in-dividual in a leadership position plans,thinks and initiates within a narrow lim-ited vision; may be he does it out ofgreed, but he cannot visualise or doesnot have clarity about knowledge of lifeor about the future when he shall have toreap poison for his today’s wrong actionor reaction seeds which he has sown. Poi-son of future is not only for him but forthe people of the country.

Well, at the end, I shall tell few thingsthat God has given us, Brain, Mind, Heart& Soul with a very strong thinking power.We can achieve anything and everythingwith the aid of these faculties.

Balkan region countries can become front runners for world peace. Itwill be greatest contribution to theworld.”

Under the auspices of the Festival,the Champions of Peace Award has alsobeen conferred to Mr. Jeremy Gilley Hol-lywood actor and founder of Peace OneDay Foundation for his efforts for GlobalPeace, especially his initiatives throughFoundation and his astounding aware-ness campaign held in Hague on the 21stof September, 2013. The award was givenby ‘Saharasri’ Subrata Roy Sahara to Mr.Jeremy Gilley. n

60

real estate

OBSERVER

In coming future, Ghaziabad is going to be a very primedestination because increasing population, traffic jamsand hunt for a perfect home in Delhi has inclined peopletowards the city that has became a big reason for Ghazi-abad’s realty growth in NCR as most preferred location for

dream home and office places. Ghaziabad has an added ad-vantage of most affordable property rates in NCR and closeproximity of nation’s capital.

In recent years strategic infrastructure development fromgovernment has also pushed realty growth at a new level inGhaziabad. GDA (Ghaziabad Development Authority), UPAwaas Vikas and local municipal authorities, has developed in-frastructure in a planned way and Ghaziabad has scaled aquick rise in front of investment in real estate. After metroconnectivity, now plan of rapid metro from Delhi toMeerut via Ghaziabad, proposed Link road from Gr.Noida, inter connected mono rail in city and mul-tiple underpasses, flyways & flyovers has in-creased connectivity of Ghaziabad fromDelhi, Noida, Meerut and other adjoiningcities.

Firstly to increase connectivity fromDelhi, recently GDA has approved plan ofmetro link from Dilshad Garden to NewBus Stand. Due to high rise apartmentsin Ghaziabad, now GDA has plans to ex-plore possibilities of Mono Rail fromVaishali to Ahinsa Khand initially andmoving forward it could be anothermedium of world class public trans-port in the city. Followed by new ex-pressway, FNG (Faridabad-Noida-Ghaziabad) is another landmark forGhaziabad to increase connectiv-ity with two big and developingcities of NCR region. Plan of newlink road from Gr. Noida to VijayNagar is going to be anotherbenchmark for the city andresidents will get

new points to get connected with Gr. Noida and Noida. Currently Ghaziabad has existing areas are like; Vaishali,

Kaushambi, Vasundhara, Mohan Nagar, Indirapuram, VijayNagar, Govindpuram, Raj Nagar Extension and Crossing Repub-lik having various options in residential and commercial prop-erty and soon upcoming areas are NH 24, NH 58, Meerut Roadetc. At these places SG Estate, KDPMGI, SVP Group, KDP In-frstructure, Ajnara, Waves Group, Asscent Buildtech, SarvottamGroup, Mahagun, Nirala, Amrapali, Gaur Group etc. are devel-oping at various levels.

Recent move of state govt. has proposed link road betweenGr. Noida to Gaziabad, widening for road from Mohan Nagarto NH 58 and underpass at CISF chowk etc. Surrounded by two

national highways, NH 24 & NH 58, Ghaziabad couldn’texplore itself completely due to poor planning of

earlier policymakers. But now it will matter of justmemory as soon as plans were implemented.

According to Mr. Vikas Jain, MD- SarvottamGroup, “Now Ghaziabad need a strong re-structuring plan to manage fast increasingtraffic, population and rising demand ofpower, water, educational institution, hos-pitals and other social infrastructures. Un-derpass at CISF chowk will definitely givea swift drive to commuters from Indira-puram to Noida. Measuring thestrength of the city, metro and monorail connectivity will solve inter-con-nectivity issue for lakhs of daily com-muters. Setting up new power

stations for uninterrupted powersupply for residents is going

to be another big mile-stone for future of

Ghaziabad and up-coming projects ofvarious developers.There are certainthings that are not inhands of builders and

Infrastructure developmentsPushing RealtyGrowth In Ghaziabad


need immediate attention of authority and government.” Thegroup has developed more than 30 projects in Delhi NCR re-gion and coming up with multiple residential and commercialcomplexes in Ghaziabad.

NH 24 is considered as lifeline of Ghaziabad and any devel-opment around this area will affect upcoming projects. Widen-ing of NH 24 and 22 KM link road is going to benefit threemajor residential hubs; Indirapuram, Crossing Republik andadjoining Gr. Noida West. Multiple residential and commercialprojects have be introduced at NH 24 like; Golf Links, AdityaWorld City, Wave City and Ascent Arcade, Aditya High Streetrespectively. “Recent package of UP govt. is really a moraleboosting step for developers and buyers who are looking forGhaziabad as their future destination. Evaluating the futuredemand, now government is concentrating on widening ofroads, new underpass & foot over bridges, service lanes withgreen belt to revive overall infrastructure. This has contributedto a sharp spurt in realty sector of the district that has resultedin various residential, commercial, township, hospitality andbusiness & corporate suites in existing and upcoming loca-tions. I still consider Raj Nagar Extension as location with fullof opportunity and can compete with any other developedresidential and commercial hub if infrastructure developed inproposition of the upcoming population.” said Mr. ManojKumar Goyal, CMD- KDPMGI.

Continuing the development, now areas around NationalHighways, Meerut Road and Trans-Hindon area is going to benext big investment zone for real estate player because of highpriority of infrastructure. GDA’s current plan to increase metroroute till collectorate is going to bring big opportunity forGhaziabad and position it as one of the most prominent loca-tion in Northern India. According to Mr. Suresh Gogia, CMD-Ascent Buildtech, “Current moves of GDA has shown its seriousconcern about development of Ghaziabad in terms to make ita world class city on map. Whatever has done till date, ofcourse it requires a modification and changes to manage new

challenges be it Raj Nagar Extension, Crossing Republik, Indi-rapuram, Govindpuram or any other area. We are hopefulabout infrastructure development around NH 24 since in com-ing future this location going to write a new philosophy of realestate in entire NCR. We have recently launched Ascent Arcade,a commercial project and received good response from buyersand investors.”

Apart from residential hub, Ghaziabad is famous for its in-dustry and educational institutions of higher education. Everyyear lakhs of students and job seekers come to the district withdreams of shinning future and settle themselves. In this sce-nario, Govt. and policymakers need an immediate planning toupgrade the infrastructure like; banks, shopping places, localmarket, ATM, mode of conveyance, bus routes and terminals,hospitals, police stations, etc.

This is another reason for sudden hike in house demandand approximate appreciation of 20- 25% hike in prices ofproperty. Putting an expert view, Mr. Pawan Jasuja, Director ofFinlace, Noida based real estate consultant says, “Being a qual-ity location, Ghaziabad has depth to attract home buyers andcurrent initiatives of UP Govt has pull attention of many dueto affordable ready to move in locations like; RNE, Indirapuram,Govindpurm, Mohan Nagar where builders are in final stageof project completion. No doubt in coming months we can seesharp hike in home price.” Higher rentals and space crunch ofDelhi has forced people to look towards Ghaziabad for afford-able options. Currently Ghaziabad has all basic amenities forsociety, be it hospitals, schools, colleges, shopping places,transportation, banks along with ATM, electricity, sewage sys-tem, rail & road connectivity, green belt and parks etc.

Surrounded by two highways and soon about to get a fullmakeover, the developers with local government authoritieshave also shown their commitment in development of the citywith ultra luxury, luxury, and affordable segment for homebuyers and providing all facilities like; 24x7 power back up,electricity, water supply, club and sports facility, and otherbasic amenities for all age group. In the search of dream home,people are moving towards Ghaziabad and investing in all categories. n

Mr. Manoj Goyal, CMD, KDPMGI

Mr. Pawan Jasuja, Director, Finlace

62 lDecember 2013

new prodect

OBSERVER DAWN

Victorinox, the makers of the original Swiss armyknife launched a limited edition Special Damas-cus Steel Knife on 20th October 2013 at the Foyer,Qutub, New Delhi. It is a commemorative knifedesigned keeping in mind the unique qualitie3s

of Damascus steel and the state of the art design and expert-ise by Victorinox.

The Damascus knife holds a very special significance to usin India as according to traditional history Damascus steeloriginated in India before the beginning of the common era.

The roots of Damascus Steel originate from South India.The words urukku, melting in Tamil and Malayalam or urukke,steel in Kannada, Telegu and many other southern Indian lan-guages may have been mistranscribed to Wook or WootzSteel, an anglicised version of urruku. Wootz steel character-ized by a pattern ofbands was first dis-covered in thedepths of SouthernIndia The myth ofthe Damascus bladewas traced to itsroots in 1790 by SirJoseph Banks, Presi-dent of the RoyalBritish society andthere is great archae-ological evidence ofthe manufacturingprocess in SouthIndia. Wootz steel was widely exported and traded throughout ancient Europe and the Arab world. It became particularly famous in the Middle East where it became known as Damascus Steel. Until the invention of gun powder the Damascus Steel sword was the most powerful weapon mankind had. Armies equipped withthis powerful weapon were always at an advantage over their rivals.

Reviving the use of this extremely powerful metal, Victori-nox now unveils a limited edition Special Damascus SteelKnife – equipped to give you a multifunctional pocket knifeexperience.

When beauty and Legacy come together, the result issomething truly exceptional - a knife with true spirit and char-acter. Damascus steel is the fine steel of the sword smithwhich has its origins in India. It represents craftsmanship that

goes back more than a thousand years. Even in antiquity, afew resourceful sword-smiths knew how to create blades ofunusual toughness and hardness from different kinds of steel.The multiple folding and forge welding led to a homogeniza-tion of the material, and required a great deal of skill and ded-ication. Then as now, the crowning highlight in the

production of a Damascus blade was the finish. With care-ful grinding, polishing and etching the unique and char-acteristic patterns are revealed, thereby providing aglimpse into the steel.

The launchevening was avery significantevening as theDamascus Steelknife was beinglaunched in thecountry of its ori-gin. The launchwas a part of“Royal Fables” sea-son 5. Royal Fa-bles is one of itskind event thatshowcases the

creations of artists, craft patrons and designers who belongto the land’s leading royal families.

The guest of honour for the evening, Kalikesh Singh Deo(parliamentarian and prince of Patna Bolangir), highlightedthe importance of global peace in present times. Vidya Gajap-athi Raju (Princess of Vijayanagram), Chief Guest Shriji ArvindSingh Mewar (HH Maharana of Udaipur) and Kalikesh SinghDeo received the first in series of the knife presented by AnishGoel, Managing Director, Victorinox India.

The evening was marked by a Baithak Night by the Indianclassical music legend Smt. Girija Devi ji (Padma Bhushan). Vic-torinox takes immense pleasure in saluting the great treasuretrove of regal art and design. n

vICTORINOX INdIA LAUNCHESTHE LIMITEd EdITION dAMASCUS STEEL KNIFE


COKE STUdIO@MTvROCKS SHARdA University With Its Popular Fusion Music

Papon and Salim Sulaiman enthralled crowds atSharda University with their renditions from CokeStudio @MTV in a riveting evening of soul stirringmusic in Greater Noida today. Over 12,000 musiclovers swayed to the musical symphonies created by

an incredible performance by the very versatile and multi-tal-ented Salim Sulaiman and Papon. With the impeccable musicalrenditions by the eclectic artists, Coke Studio@MTV beautifullyechoed the spirit of Sharda University.

Speaking about the initiative, Lagan Shastri, Zonal Vice Pres-ident, Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Pvt Ltd said, “Coke Studiois a unique fusion of varied musical genres, languages, artistsand sounds. It is a celebration of music which has successfullyopened “Happiness” across the country and united a phenom-enal set of musi-cians from diversebackgrounds. Wehave garnered greatresponse for CokeStudio season 3 andthe concert atSharda University isour way of thankingour listeners fortheir constant loveand support. We areoverwhelmed bythe wonderful re-sponse of the stu-dents to thesignature fusion music of Coke Studio at the concert”.

Launched in India in 2011 by Coca-Cola India in associa-tion with MTV, Coke Studio@MTV,is a first of its kind musicproject in India which brings together diverse artists of dif-ferent genres to create an extraordinary series of medley, giv-ing music lovers across the country a unique opportunity toenjoy Coke Studio's signature fusion music. Coke Studio@MTVSeason 3 continues to celebrate the glory of incredible musi-cians who represent the best that the country has to offer.

Mr. P.K Gupta, Chancellor of Sharda University said “It hasbeen a great experience to host MTV Coke Studio in our cam-pus. This music – packed evening has certainly alleviated theenthusiasm amongst our students and also gave them a chanceto captivate scintillating performances of some of the finestperformers of our country. We believe that such exposure is im-

portant to imbibe the competitive and cultural practicesamongst the students”.

Coke Studio in India has received enormous support fromfans and the music fraternity. It has so far registered close to 70million viewers on television, 15 million views across YouTube,over 2.3 million fans on Facebook, and over 1,50,000 thousandtweets with #cokestudio. Since its launch in 2011 the fusionmusic project has brought together some of the country's besttalent in contemporary and traditional music and has garneredhuge support from the public as well as the music fraternity.

According to Salim Sulaiman, "Coke Studio has successfullybrought together artists from various genres resulting in an ex-traordinary musical extravaganza. There is so much positive en-ergy flowing around that it automatically brings out the best in

each and every performer. I am glad to be part of such awonderful musical confluence. Connecting with the audi-ences during a LIVE performance is extremely importantand we have to say, the response we got at this Fest was

amazing. Itcouldn’t get betterthan this. We hadan amazing time atthe university, thecrowd was fantas-tic and I look for-ward to comingback to this fantas-tic platform again”

Papon wasquoted saying,“India has such im-mense talent butvery few platformsto showcase it.Coke Studio is one

such platform that has been exploring the length and breadthof the country to dig out such great talent. I am extremely ex-cited to be associated with Coke Studio and get the opportu-nity to work with such talent. This platform allowed us tocollaborate with some of the best names in Indian music, drivenby a common cause to celebrate the diversity of music. Per-forming live as an artiste is one the most exhilarating experi-ences .The vibe, the encouragement and the response from thecrowd truly made this experience special and I can`t wait tocome back for more” n

Ban SwimmingPools That Are Emptied

view


It’s not just summers now that the city faces water crisis.Pleasant months like October also see severe watershortages. This has taken a toll on swimming pool en-thusiasts. The authorities have time and again takenaction against unlicensed swimming pools in the city.

To check wastage of water effectively, the state govern-ment has been contemplating a total ban on swimmingpools in private premises in Delhi. Irrespective of one such much awaited ruling, the existingnon-functional pools are more than enough to create irrev-ocable damages to the water situation. Vivek Mishra, MD, Premium Pools says, “Closing swimmingpools is no solution. The best solution is to have only theproperly constructed pools running. Builders or concernshaving a bad pool history should be banned from promis-ing more pools in their upcoming societies.”“Delhi needs similar steps taken to check water wastage inthe name of swimming pools as is the case with the pollu-tion levels. It’s great to see stricter norms to abide by w.r.tvehicle emissions. Why can’t we have something similar toconserve water and help this industry.” Whenever a builder makes a bad choice while finalizing avendor for a pool, the consideration for lowest quoted costoverrules all concerns for the quality and functionality thatmight come at a price. One can’t blame the builders alone for this choice. Sadly, inthe unregulated market that we are in, we as consumersare always in a dilemma to choose amongst inexperiencedplayers or mere equipment manufacturers who come dis-guised as all-rounders claiming to do your pool. A lot ofplayers participate in the construction for only a couple ofpools and think they have arrived! They commit to projects without knowing the scope oftheir undertaking. Initially, the customer is given a certainfigure; this is to get their foot in the door by quotingunimaginable low rates. But one can be sure, by the timethe pool is up and working, costs would have grown 50 percent! Customer is deliberately kept in the dark. Mishra adds “If you as a pool owner know the right ques-tions to ask, would you quietly accept whatever is given toyou? We think, not. A lot of companies look at customersas a cash cow to be milked constantly for the organization'sgrowth. The more you have to rely on them, the more busi-ness they get from you. And that, too, regularly. So, whywould they want to empower you with the knowledge toeducate customers who will then go on to demand themost efficient solutions?”So how can one look at a solution for this. Builders are end-

lessly promising luxurious housing spaces and yet theyhave not ceased to treat pool as a commodity. Mishra adds, “But builders are the only one who can correctthe situation till the time the country sees a better policyin place for swimming pools.” Despite having an extensive system in place and dedicateddepartments to ensure quality, builders end up with poolsthat are depleting area’s ground water levels. This endemic lack of public awareness is working in favourof the vendors. For instance, something like a pipeless filterstill finds its way into the pools being constructed for theultra luxurious societies being branded by some of the topbuilders. This is basically done to cut down costs and to avoid thecumbersome process of pool plumbing that ensures wateris never changed. It would be important to note that similar filters are prohib-ited in most countries where pool industry is regulated bystrict guidelines. Mishra opines, “Despite the grim state of affairs, the indus-try is slated for growth with some players who are seriousabout making every pool a good investment financially aswell as environmentally.”Your pool is only as good as the professional you choose.And how do you make sure that your choice of builder isworth the investment? Here are a few points for you to getan idea of the right questions to ask while making a finalchoice. • What completed projects can the professional youare considering show you? How do they ensure that thesepools are up to the mark?• What latest energy- and cost-efficient methods arethey equipped with and how well do they keep themselvesupdated with the latest that is happening in the pool in-dustry abroad?• Can they get you to speak to their clients? What isthe feedback the clients share with you? How often do theclients have to change the water in their pool?• Do consider the pool builder's credentials in thepool industry - how are they rated among the peers andvendorsAll this effort is worth as this is the pool that you are goingto live with. These questions will help you navigate themuddy waters of choosing efficient pools. Finally, do re-member, a pool is an investment. Make yours pay you div-idends of happiness and, not make you shed money and WATER. n


1.CELEBRiTYReaders' Choice Rating: 86.6

itineraries: 87.8Excursions: 73.3Service: 92Cabins: 90.1food: 86.9Activities/ facilities: 85Design: 89"The crew keeps the ships spotless—rails glis-ten, the glass is clear of smudges, and the poolssparkle." Celebrity's fleet sails seasonally up theEast and West coasts, around the Caribbean, Eu-rope, and South America, with year-round itiner-aries in the Galápagos islands aboard theCelebrity xpedition. Cabins are "well laid out andexceptionally comfortable." The varied onboardactivities ensure "there is something for every-one." "The shows are great—and i'm a Broad-way-loving New Yorker." Multiple restaurantsinclude Asian, french, and italian, but some pas-sengers object to "charging a corkage fee forbringing your own wine to dinner." "Good excur-sions" include driving a ferrari around Rome ortaking a roof tour of Stockholm, "but they're notgreat value." Crew are "very friendly and seemeager to please." TheCelebrity Silhouette joinedthe fleet in July 2011. n

tourism


2. DiNEYReaders' Choice Rating: 90.3

itineraries: 87.8Excursions: 83Service: 96Cabins: 92.9food: 86.6Activities/ facilities: 93.4Design: 91.7"We sail with Disney year after year, eventhough we have no children." On these threeships, family-friendly features in rooms withnautical themes include "bathrooms with toiletrooms separate from the showers—it's bril-liant." Dining venues include Triton's, Parrot Cay(Caribbean), and Lumiere's (french); "to avoidsmall children, choose a late seating." Grown-ups can seek refuge at Signals, an adults-onlybar onDisney Magic and Disney Wonder. Snorkel-ing on Castaway Cay, the line's private island inthe Bahamas, yields "lots of sunken things todiscover." Onshore diversions include a privatetour of the Doge's Palace in Venice and a visit toa sea turtle farm on Grand Cayman. The 4,000-passenger Disney Dreamdebuted in January2011; its most unique feature is AquaDuck, a765-foot outdoor covered waterslide with twistsand turns, the first of its kind on a cruise ship.


3.PRiNCESSReaders' Choice Rating: 81.1

itineraries: 87.2Excursions: 79.4Service: 86Cabins: 80.4food: 77.4Activities/ facilities: 77.5Design: 79.8Encounter an "outstanding crew" at this16-ship line (soon to be 17) that sails tothe Caribbean, South Pacific, Europe,and South America, among other desti-nations. "Cabins are small, but adequateand comfortable. The staff are very at-tentive and pleasant." Staterooms havesoft tones, wood detailing, and big TVs.Passengers choose from dinners at anytime at multifold restaurants, or a fixedseating in the main dining room. "Aftereating at the italian restaurant Saba-tini's once, we ate there every night. itwas the best food i've had on a cruiseship, worth the $25 per person premiumcharge!" Shore excursions are "great andwell designed, but a bit pricey." Onboard, the ships have "lots of charmingspots in which to read, nap, or just hangout and stare at the sea." n

tourism


4.ROYAL CARiBBEANReaders' Choice Rating: 81.6

itineraries: 81.7Excursions: 76.3Service: 87.2Cabins: 79.8food: 79.5Activities/ facilities: 82.3Design: 84"Although our ship was huge, we enjoyed itimmensely. The crew has mastered crowdcontrol; we never waited in long lines." Thefleet's 22 vessels include the world's twolargest cruise ships afloat—the 5,400-pas-senger Oasis of the Seas and Allure of theSeas—and the line's stops include ports inAsia, Australia, the Caribbean, Europe, andSouth America, among others. Connectingstaterooms and a variety of accommoda-tion options make traveling with largefamilies easy. Excursions range from histor-ical city tours to kayaking, ice climbing, andrappelling. On board, there are a ton of ac-tivities, from rock climbing to ice skating,"but pool area seating is at a premium,"though the "friendly, upbeat crew activelysolve every problem." RestaurantPortofino, on 8 of the line's vessels, serves"outstanding italian."n


By National Housing Bank

Renting a commercial or a residential property, in-stead of buying it, is a good investment option. Thisfacilitates low risk and less worry on maintenance.The IT, ITES and the BPO sector have been the keydrivers in the commercial rental space for Call cen-

ters/BPO offices. Companies are also renting/leasing serviceapartments when they have to move their employees for ashort period of time. Rental transactions in Indian real estate sector are governedby various laws enacted by the Central Government of Indiaand respective State Governments; the most significant amongthem being the Rent Control Act. This law governs renting ofcommercial and residential property and is necessary to pre-vent exploitation of individual civil rights of both landlord andtenant. Needless to say, all agreements should also be regis-tered under the Indian Contract Act.

SafeguardsFor making an informed decision in negotiating the best leasedeal it is important to research Zoning laws, Local ordinances,and Local real estate market conditions and practices.It is also important to ascertain whether facilities managementservices are provided by the landlord and at what cost. Provi-sion of such facilities should also be covered in the rental/li-cense/lease agreement or in a separate agreement.

The rights and responsibilities of both the landlords and theuser are to a large extent governed by the terms of the agree-ment entered into between them, subject to the rental lawsapplicable in the State. Rental Agreement is a mutual agree-ment between the landlord and the tenant setting out theterms and conditions of the tenancy/lease/license and rightsand obligations of both the user and landlord. In many States,the rental agreement is required to be stamped. The value ofstamp duty payable varies from State to State. If the propertyis let out for more than 12 months, the owner should get therental agreement registered. Any changes or additions to arental agreement should be, as far as possible, in writing. The rental agreements may be in the form of Lease agreement(usually for long tenors of, say, five years and above), tenancyagreement (which ensures the non-eviction of the tenant bythe owner except on the grounds of eviction mentioned underthe Rent/ Rent Control Act), leave and license agreement(which normally protects the interests of the landlords againstthe rigors of Rent Control Act and is normally for periods rang-ing from 11 months to three years). The label to the agreement could be Leave & License or Ten-ancy Agreement, but it is the intention of the party that counts,while courts of law decide on the applicability of the enact-ment which has to be applied in a particular case. The basic dif-ference between lease and license is that in lease there istransfer of interest in the property whereas it is absent in li-cense. The license is only for use and occupation. The return in

Renting Immovable PropertyRenting Immovable Property

Rental Agreement is a mutual agreement between the landlord and the tenantsetting out the terms and conditions of the tenancy/lease/license and rightsand obligations of both the user and landlord.

policy


lease is rent and in license, it is compensation.It is essential that the agreement lays down clearly the variousterms and conditions like period for which the property is letout, option, if any given to the landlord/tenant to renew/ex-tend the validity period of the lease/agreement, conditions onwhich such renewal/extension will be given, amount of in-crease in rent/rentals periodically, who will bear various out-goes (existing as well as any increase in future) like municipaltaxes, society/maintenance charges, electricity/water chargesetc. It is advisable to seek professional legal advice from a lawyerwhile entering into rent/lease agreements.

Before entering into the lease/rent agree-ment as a lessee/tenant, it is important to: i) Verify the title of the property.ii) Make sure that the property is not under any litigation.iii) Verify that all electricity, water and maintenance bills are

paid up to date.iv) No statutory dues are outstanding.v) The premises are vacant.vi) Have clarity regarding the end use and the facilities as well

as furniture and fixtures and make investments accord-ingly.

Various options for commercial space leases are available de-pending on the requirements of the lessor such as Bare shell,Warm shell, and Plug-n-play leases. However, this generally ap-plies in case of office space renting.

Re-possessionAt the time of handing over the property to the landlord / les-sor, both parties should satisfy themselves regarding the fol-lowing issues:i) The premise is in good condition and there is no damage

to the property.ii) In case of furnished premises, the condition of furniture

should also be verified.iii) No major changes have been made in the premises. iv) In case the tenant has made unacceptable changes, the

owner may ask him to undo such changes.v) There has been no damage to the tiling, plumbing, floor-

ing or electrification and the premises are in reasonablygood condition.

vi) The owner should ensure that all the bills for electricity,water, telephones etc have been paid by the tenantwherever these are payable by the tenant/lessee/licen-sor and there is no outstanding amount.

vii) The security deposit should be refunded to the tenantonly after thorough inspection of the premises and theowner is fully satisfied with the condition of premises.

On satisfactory fulfillment of all these aspects, the lessor shouldrefund the security deposit (if given) to the tenant/lessee/li-censee offering vacant and peaceful possession of the prem-ises. It is also advisable for the tenant/licensee/lessee to obtaina certificate from the landlord for having taken peaceful pos-session of the property in good condition. n


gurgaon

By Vivek Shukla

The wait is over as the Rapid Metro made its first jour-ney to Cyber City. It goes without saying that it willgive huge relief to all those who visit Cyber city forwork purpose as well as local people to commutewithin the city. Relief to commuters apart, Rapid

Metro Rail will go a long way in further boosting the realtyscene of Gurgaon. In the first phase, it will cover a stretch of ap-proximately 5 km. The first phase loop will connect Cyber Citywith Sikanderpur Metro Station. The second phase will connectthe Sikanderpur Metro Station and the densely populated sec-tors 55 and 56 as well as the Golf Course Road, which is one ofthe major hubs of commercial and residential real estate de-velopment in Gurgaon. Since the already functional Metro linebeing operated by Delhi Metro did not connect all areas inGurgaon, the Rapid Metro will be a huge boon for people as itwill enter various sectors. It will have six stations -- Sikanderpur,DLF phase 2, Belvedere Towers, Gateway Tower, Moulsari Av-enue and DLF 3. The consequent benefits will quickly becomeapparent both in residential and commercial real estate in andaround the areas to be connected by the Rapid Metro loop.

While the Delhi-Gurgaon corridor saw a steep increase inproperty prices, the private Metro will impact commercial realestate in the area. Better connectivity after the Delhi Metro linebecame operational in Gurgaon had lead to increase in propertyprices in the nearby areas. The prices in Heritage City projectwere around Rs 4,400 per sq ft when the Metro was launchedaround 2006, these increased to Rs 4,800 per sq ft in 2007 and Rs5,200 per sq ft in 2008 when construction was in full swing, the

same project commanded a price of Rs 8,000 per sq ft when the Metro between Delhi and HUDA City Centre becameoperational.

There are many realty firms that are coming up with projectson the Rapid Metro route. For instance, the 3C Company andOrris Infrastructure is coming up their joint venture project ‘Greenopolis’ in Sector-89 Gurgaon. Spread over an area of 47acres, this artistically conceived integrated group housing proj-ect in Gurgaon is the first self sustainable development of thisregion. Ramprastha Group has series of projects on the route ofRapid Metro. They are building Ramprastha City on on DwarkaExpressway.

"Rapid Metro not only make the life of people of Gurgaonmuch easier, it would also improve the accessibility of all thosewho live in Dwarka Expressway," says Nikhi Jain, CEO of Ram-prastha Group.

Commenting on the price appreciation due to Metro RaviSaund, COO, CHD Developers Ltd. said, “The Rapid Metro backedby infrastructural development will give local real estate themuch-needed push. Transportation and connectivity being thebiggest challenges in Gurgaon, the Rapid Metro is bound to turnthings around, proving beneficial for consumers as well as devel-opers. A project like the Metro Rail provides immense traction toall businesses located within the catchment area. Leasing activ-ities in Cyber City will also receive a big boost by this develop-ment. ”

Sanjay Khanna, director of Kailash Nath projects, opines, “Aproject like the Metro Rail provides immense boost to all busi-nesses located within the catchment area. Naturally, quick ap-preciation in the prices of real estate projects around the

At last the Rapid Metro enters Cyber City. it will go a long way inboosting the realty of this area.

Metro Enters Cyber City To Boost Realty


connecting zones of the Rapid Metro are a foregone conclusionand the impact is already being witnessed. Leasing activities inCyber City will also receive a big boost by such timely infrastruc-ture development. Also, after the second phase connects sectors55 and 56, the residential prices in that area will witness an upsurge.”

If we talk about the past decade, Gurgaon has won plauditsas India’s ‘Millennium City’. Despite such accolades, Gurgaon’sdownside has been inefficient transportation and poor connec-tivity. This meant city residents incurred higher time and com-muting costs, apart from feeling palpably insecure during latehours of travel. But Metro’s entry into Cyber City will rapidlychange the dismal scenario.

According to Nikhil Jain, CEO, Ramprastha Group: “Like any-body else, I am sure that Rapid Metro will curb the Gurgaon’stransport troubles. It is a speedy mode of transport. Its impacton the environment is minimal too, which is important to ensurethe Millennium City’s future growth occurs sustainably. The pos-sibility of the Rapid Metro connecting with the Airport Metro isicing on the development cake. Such developments will trulybenefit developers within Gurgaon who seek to combat myriadhurdles and promote faster deliveries.”

“Gurgaon’s developers are doubly happy that while the Air-port Metro may enter Gurgaon and the Rapid Metro may thenjoin up to boost local connectivity, this will happen in an envi-ronment-friendly,” informs Devinder Gupta of realty advisoryCentury 21. With rising public awareness about the impact of un-sustainable practices, developers believe the spread of both theMetros is a better alternative than merely augmenting the num-ber of public transport services such as four-wheelers and two-wheelers, which would simply compound pollution and trafficproblems within the region.

“I am pretty sure that the rates in Cyber City will now witnessincreased leasing activity as the first phase of Rapid Metro be-

comes operational. It is a well-known fact that any infrastructureupgrade will significantly change the lives of the people andcorporate firms in Gurgaon. Moreover, hopefully the investmentswill pour in, while the bigger impact can be seen after the metrostarts functioning, “feels Alimuddin Rafi Ahmed, CMD of ILDgroup.

However, there are experts who strongly feel that privatemetro will not have much impact on realty prices as it has al-ready touched the roof. Given the state of economy, it looks pos-sibility that Rapid Metro may not fire the realty scene in Gurgaon.In any case, true picture would soon emerge.

According to real estate experts, he Rapid Metro in Gurgaonwill be a boon for the residents of MG Road, DLF Phase II andIII. It will also add sheen to the commercial properties in DLFCyber City.

According to a consultant with Cushman and Wakefield, sincethe start of construction of Rapid Metro in 2010, the residentialproperties on MG Road, DLF Phase II and III witnessed an appre-ciation between 35% and over 100%. In fact, the prices inBelvedere Tower, which is on the route of Rapid Metro, have ap-preciated from around Rs 7,000 per sq ft in 2010 to around Rs13,500 per sq ft at present. Other projects such as Belvedere Parkand Garden Estate also witnessed similar appreciation.

Similarly, the consultant with C&W said the office lease rentsin DLF Cyber City appreciated around 40% in the last three years,given the increasing prominence of the location, due to expectedenhanced connectivity through Rapid Metro and Delhi Metro.According to a broking house the commercial rentals of DLFCyber City increased from around Rs 80 per sq ft per month toRs 140 per sq ft per month at present.

Going forward, the price escalation is expected to continuein these locations although at a moderate rate due to enhancedconnectivity to other parts of the city and demand-supply dynamics. n

"Rapid Metro not onlymakes the life of peopleof Gurgaon much easier, itwould also improve the accessibility of all thosewho live in Dwarka Ex-pressway," says Nikhi Jain,CEO of Ramprastha Group.


By Basudev Mahapatra from Bhubaneswar

The commitment of Odisha government to create asafe environment for women in the state is in ques-tion since death of the woman teacher Itishree Prad-han after being torched in a school hostel bysomeone still unknown to police even after a fort-

night.As an immediate face saving measure, that again after the vic-tim died in a corporate hospital in Vishakhapatnam, the gov-ernment announced an ex-gratia of 10 lakh rupees andordered a crime branch probe into the matter. But these stepscouldn’t help saving the face of the government as the fatherof the victim denied to accept the compensation being upsetwith what happened to his daughter.Worked as a contractual teacher at Tikiri Upper Primary Schoolin Rayagada district, Itishree was set afire on October 27 andshe finally succumbed to the born injuries after struggling forlife for five days in a private hospital in Vishakhapatnam inAndhra Pradesh.The mishap took place in less than a month of CM’s address atthe Odisha Police Duty Meet, on October 5, 2013, where he saidthat his government had initiated several steps to ensure en-hanced security to women in the state. In the same event,Naveen Patnaik also said, “Investigation of crime is one of themost important responsibilities of police. Such investigationhas to be conducted efficiently and effectively. Police has to beimpartial, firm and prompt in handlingcrime and criminals.”Series of fatal crimes againstwomen in last few yearsand the latest one in par-ticular make clean ex-amples of howefficiently andpromptly thewhole systemworks to en-

sure en-

hanced security to women in Odisha.

She died because she daredAs harassment by School Inspector Netrananda Dandasenagradually became unbearable, Itishree dared to register a com-plaint against him. She lodged her complain with local policeon July 18, 2013; informed the district Collector and Superin-tendent of Police (SP) about her complaint. She also wrote tohigher authorities including the Police DG, Women’s Commis-sion and, even, the Chief Minister’s Office about the nonchalantattitude of local police and administration in her case. She in-formed everyone about the threat to her life from NetranandaDandasena against whom she lodged the complaint. But all tono avail. Nobody heeded to her complaint and repeated letterstill the 27 years old teacher was set afire in the school hostelshe lived in.With 90% of the body burnt, Itishree was shifted to a corporatehospital where she took her last breath on November 1, 2013.Actions were started only after the victim teacher was torched.An Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) of Tikiri police station and theaccused school inspector were suspended. The DI of schoolswas also suspended by the Raygada district collector for nottaking action against the accused School Inspector Dandasena.Later, the In-charge officer of Tikiri Police station was sus-pended too. On November 05, 2013, all four government offi-cials were declared dismissed from their services.After death of the victim, Odisha government also ordered aninvestigation by the crime branch into the case of sexual as-sault and murder of the contractual woman teacher.But what still remains unanswered is – why after death? Why itdidn’t happen when victim was very much alive and was des-perately knocking all possible doors seeking action to ensureher safety?

Everybody knew, nobody respondedThe victim, when very muchalive, lodged an FIR at local policestation, approached the district

administration, wrote to thewomen commis-

the question comes here is, why did the authorities remain silent about thecomplaint lodged by the school teacher?

Fragile Safety of women in Odisha

issue


sion, Police DG and the CM’s Office with the hope that some-body at some point would take her case sympathetically andinitiate action.Coming across the allegations made by Itishree, the Collectorof Raygada district, S B Padhi, instituted a two member inquirycommittee to inquire into the case and give a report. The com-mittee headed by District Social Welfare Officer SanghamitraKanungo submitted its report in the end of August where theschool inspector was held guilty. The committee suggested im-mediate disciplinary action against him. Keeping the safety ofthe victim teacher in view, transfer of Itishree to another schooloutside Kashipur block was also suggested in the report.But no action was initiated on basis of the report submitted bythe committee. What and who stopped the district authoritiesfrom taking action immediately is yet to be answered.The complaint was not given any importance even at higherlevels. The question comes here is, why did the authorities re-main silent about the complaint lodged by the school teacher?Why action was not taken immediately against the school in-spector? How the women’s commission too opted to remainsilent on this? Who was protecting the School Inspector? Howthe CMO too missed it? Or, under pressure from someone, didthe CMO intentionally kept the CM in dark on this particularcase? But authorities are mum to give an answer to all theseobvious questions.When the Collector, SP, DGP and officials in charge of thewomen’s commission and the CMO are more in doubt for opt-ing to inaction in the case, suspension of officials of local policestation and mass education department seems to be an eye-wash attempt to keep the senior police and administrative offi-cials safe.

Politics in and over Crimes against WomenStepping up campaign against Chief Minister Naveen Patnaikand his government over the death of lady teacher ItishreePradhan, opposition parties in the state immediately held BJDMP from Koraput Jayram Pangi responsible for police inactionand administrative callousness.Itishree, in her statement given during treatment at Vishakha-patnam and aired by a local TV channel after her death, blamedthe Chief Minister, administration and local political leaders forwhat happened to her. In her statement Itishree termed the ac-cused School Inspector Netrananda Dandasena, now dismissedand arrested, as a favourite of Koraput MP (Member of Parlia-ment) Jayram Pangi.While the fragile safety of women always became a tool of pol-itics in the state, most such crimes against women bore politicallinks in them too. Political involvement in crimes againstwomen became issue in the state when Chhabirani Mohapatra,a woman journalist, was raped and murdered in 1980.Fingers were also raised against senior BJD leaders in cases likea speaker of Odisha State Assembly assaulting a lady martial;in the case of rape and murder of Babina - a girl from Pipili; andthe murder of an Ayush doctor Madhabilata in Puri. While for-mer speaker Maheswar Mohanty had to lose his post for al-leged involvement in the case of assaulting a lady martial,senior leader and then the agriculture minister Pradip Ma-harathi had to be sacrificed in Babina rape and murder case of

Pipili in order to keep the face of BJD and the government ledby it clean. The state government had to face the ire of nationalcommission for women in Madhabilata murder case for notbringing the local MLA, who was alleged of having a link in thecase, into the ambit of investigation.As the Urban Local Body polls are to be held in western Odishathis month and as the party is preparing to face the generalpolls early next year, such a face saving action from top BJDleadership cannot be overruled completely. However, who be-comes the sacrificial goat this time is to be seen.

Bigger challengeSoon after the death of the victim teacher, Chief MinisterNaveen Patnaik declared an ex-gratia of 10 lakh rupees as hedid in a few previous cases.However, politicians and social activists are not very happy withthe trend of declaring compensation and leaving the cases runfor indefinite time.“Compensation is no wrong in this case because victim was theonly earning member of the family. But it’s not all that the gov-ernment should do. We need some strong laws to deal withsuch cases,” said N A Shah Ansari, an activist and founder ofcommunity radio station - Radio Namaskar.“Announcement of compensation has become a trend for thisgovernment leading one to believe that the Chief Minister istrying to safeguard the alleged BJD leaders by bribing the sur-viving members of the victims’ family,” said the Rajyasabha MPand Chief of Janamorcha party Pyari Mohan Mohapatra.In the meantime, putting the government in further embar-rassment during last 10 days, few other cases of sexual harass-ment and crime against women came up in different parts ofthe state including one in the same area the victim teacherItishree was a native of. While in Lakhanpur Block ofJharshuguda district a woman engineer filed a case against sex-ual abuse and harassment against the Block Development Offi-cer, a woman was murdered after allegedly being gang-rapedin a farm house near Konark and a minor girl was raped and at-tempted to be killed by a local man in Delanga of Puri district.Growing numbers of such crimes against women raised seriousdoubt over the actions of Odisha government in regard to en-sure safety of the women in the state.According to NCRB, rate of crime against women in Odisha, in2012, remained 58.79 per one lakh population of women in thestate against a national average of 41.74. The state registered31% increase, in compare to 2011 figures, in the number ofcases of rape, the highest among the larger states of India.So the challenges are enormous. Instead of keeping the safetyof women limited to slogans and programme names, the stategovernment needs to act strongly and promptly to stop crimeand ensure enhanced security to women in the state.

[About the author: Basudev Mahapatra is a Bhubaneswar-based journalist now heading the editorial team of TV News Channel NaxatraNews in Odisha as its Editor-in-Chief.]


Lotus Greens has become thefirst real estate company inIndia to make its office envi-ronment completely ‘Carbon

Neutral’. The company has recently beenawarded a certificate by a leading carbonoffsets agency, which recognises and ap-plauds the company attempts and effortsto make its office carbon neutral. Lotus Greens plans to become a 100 per-cent green company and has alreadystarted moving in this direction. LotusGreens promotes its employees to usepublic conveyance like Delhi Metro forcommuting. To encourage such practice,it reimburses the cost of transportation forevery single employee. Company uses re-cycled products and stationeries at its of-fice.

Lotus Greens has planted 21,000 saplingson the periphery of Sariska Tiger Reserveon Aravalli Hills in Alwar, Rajasthan, whichis an exercise intrinsic to the company’s‘Green and Sustainability’ initiative. Commenting on the prudent exercise, PSahel, Vice Chairman and Co – Promoter,Lotus Group said, “We will not shy awayfrom our responsibility and accountabilitytoward our environment and motherearth. We believe in responsible urbaniza-tion and latest green initiative will helpmaintain the biodiversity of the oldestmountain range on earth. As a realty de-veloper, it is all the more important thatwe own up to our responsibility and setprecedence for others." n

Lotus Greens makes its officecarbon neutral

Sarvottam Group has launched itsnew luxury yet affordable residen-tial project and one of a kindgated community experience, Sar-

vottam Shree in Indirapuram, Ghaziabad.Due to its strategically location, educa-tional hub, shopping hub and entertain-

ment zone are in close vicinitythat supports a perfect locationfor home buyers. Sarvottam Shree is approved by ‘GDA’

for state of the art social infrastructure. Asplendor of architecture and spread ma-jestically over 6 Acres of sprawling green,the project is offering total 750 apart-ments in 2, 3, and 4 BHk options startingfrom 1,150 sq. ft. to 2,195 sq. ft. and costsRs. 55 lacs onwards at rate of Rs. 4790/-per sq. ft. Well connected with Delhi,Noida and Gr. Noida, the group is usingeco-friendly materials in construction andoffering provision of club house, partyhall, play ground, and lush greenery inthe heart of Ghaziabad, Indirapuram. Sar-vottam Shree has ample parking space,multi level security and 3 phase powersupply. n

Sarvottam Group” launches ‘SarvottamShree’ in Indirapuram

desk news


The 3C Company has aligned withFour Seasons Hotels and Resorts,the world’s leading luxury hospital-ity company to present Northern

India’s first Four Seasons Hotel and PrivateResidences. The strategic partnership be-tween the two companies was sealedwith an exclusive agreement for 25 years,thus ensuring that this would be the onlyFour Seasons Hotel and Private Resi-dences in Delhi NCR for the agreed term.

The 3C Company alongwith Four Seasons Hotelsand Resorts and Red FortCapital today unveiled FourSeasons Private ResidencesDelhi NCR. Present at the unveiling, Mr. ChrisHart, President, Hotel operation, Asia-Pacific, Four Seasons Hotels and Resortssaid, “India represents huge growth po-tential for Four Seasons as we expandour portfolio in the region. Delhi one isthe result of a winning combination; aprime location and strong partnershipwith 3C, a company who shares our vi-sion for success. This is a remarkable proj-ect, one that that draws inspiration fromDelhi’s rich heritage and bright future andwill transform the face of luxury hospi-tality in this city, setting a new standardof excellence for luxury travel and privateresidences.” n

Four Seasons collaborates with The3C Company

Clay Craft India hasjoined Jaipur basedthemed tea store Tapri– The tea house. eying

the season of hot tea, winter, thetapri is going to give new experience

of traditional ‘kullad’ transformed in anew look in a variour colours. Clay CraftIndia has specially designed these Mugsfor Tapri tea lovers and this innovationwill be continued by Clay Craft at Tapri.Going forward, it also plans to introduceMughal, european, 22 Carat Gold platedand Royal themed tea sets at Tapri.Mr. Rajesh Agarwal, Managing Director ofClay Craft India, says, “Tie-up with Taprihas added a feather in our clientele base.Through this platform, our designers willbe able to showcase their best ideas and

abilities. This will also be a right mediumfor us to get feedback on our productsby Tapri tea lovers. We are thankful toTapri management to give us this oppor-tunity.” n

Clay Craft joins hands with Tapri

Tea House


SARe Homes has announcedthe launch of its new proj-ect ‘Club Terraces’ in Sector92, Gurgaon. SARe Homes

plans to develop this iconic 19-storeytower that will overlook the SARe club,which will be the largest and finest clubin Gurgaon, set amidst 7 acres of lush,breathtaking greens.Club Terraces offers 3 and 4 BHk apart-ments with VRV air-conditioning and hasbeen exclusively designed with 3 sidesopen, large private terraces and Frenchwindows. other amenities like a spacious8,000 sq ft (743.21 sq mtr) guest lobby,recreational facilities and servant quartershaving separate entrances make for aluxurious experience like never before.Club Terraces is unique because it over-looks a lush 7-acre green and the factthat its residents can enjoy the SARe Club.

At 35,000 sq ft, the SARe Club will be Gur-gaon’s largest and finest club, and haslavish offerings, like the clubhouse lobby,4 swimming pools, modern gymnasium,indoor heated pool, billiards and tabletennis room, restobar, dining lounge, li-brary lounge, banquet hall and partylawn.n

SARe Homes Launches ‘Club

Terraces’

In the framework of the ‘year of SwissArchitecture, Design and engineeringin India 2013-2014’, a symposium onvarious aspects of architecture, design

and engineering, titled ‘Constructing thefuture’, was organized from 13th–15th No-vember at C.D. Deshmukh Auditorium,India International Centre New Delhi.The symposium featured presentationsand discussions with experts fromSwitzerland – like Hubertus Adam, Alfredo

Brillembourg, emanuel Christ,Andrea Deplazes, Matiasechanove, Meret ernst and ArielHuber – as well as panelists fromIndia – including Anupam Bansal, ItuChaudhuri, Puru Das, Ashok B. Lall, kai-wan Mehta, zeenat Niazi, yatin Pandyaand Rahul Srivastava. Several engineersfrom both countries were also be part ofthe event, among which famous Indianengineer Mahendra Raj. The symposium aimed at increasing ex-changes and collaborations betweenSwitzerland and India. It focused on top-ics ranging from urbanization in megac-ities, low cost housing, sustainableconstruction, energy efficient buildings,collective identity through design, to anew deontology for planning and build-ing cities. Participation at the symposiumis open to architects, n

Symposium on architecture, design and engineering


cover story

one of India’s top five tiles com-panies, Asian Granito India Lim-ited (AGL) plans to aggressivelyramp up the network of its ex-

clusive showrooms under ‘AGL Tiles World’

across India. Company has already set upover 44 such exclusive showrooms andplans to have 100 exclusive showroomsby December 2014. Starting from last fi-nancial year 2012-2013 till now, AsianGranito India Ltd. has opened 44 show-rooms under ‘AGL Tiles World’ in New

Delhi, kanpur, Jaipur, Bangalore, Hyder-abad, Patna, Mumbai, Nasik, etc. Lookingat the excellent response, AGL is planningto set up 10 more showrooms in Punjab,Uttar Pradesh, karnataka, kochi andPatna very soon. Commenting on the aggressive retailplans of the company, Mr. kamlesh Patel,CMD of Asian Granito India said, “The do-mestic market is expected to witness astrong growth in the years to come. Theper capita consumption of ceramic tilesin India is expected to maintain ahealthy growth rate with rising disposableincomes, rapidly growing purchasingpower of the middle class and increasedurbanisation. We have been particularlyfocused on tapping this opportunity andincreasing our market share by setting up44 exclusive showrooms in various citiesof the country and plan to add manymore in the coming months.”n

Asian Granito to set up exclusive‘AGL Tiles World’ stores

Apeejay School, Noidahas been constantlymaking an extraordi-nary progress in infor-

mation technology under the visionarysupport and guidance of founder chair-man Dr. Stya Paul and Madam SushmaBerlia, President, Apeejay education So-ciety. School hosted ‘CoDe 2013’ with thetheme “Veni, Vidi, Vici”, a two day com-puter symposium on November 19 & 20,2013 with 55 prestigious schools fromDelhi and NCR participating in this an-nual extravaganza, the total number ofthe participants touched a whopping1500. This has been the biggest partici-pation witnessed ever. This event pro-

vides a promising platform to all thebudding technocrats. Mr. Tej Paul Bhatla,Vice President and Deputy Head of TCSNorth India was the esteemed ChiefGuest. He spoke in detail on "How toreach the top" and shared his experi-ences with the audience.n

CoDe 2013 “Veni, Vidi, Vici”


Imagine discovering a tranquilspot for a luxurious loft-stylehome right in the heart ofLondon. This is what happened

to Louise McDonnell and her husband,who stumbled across a crumbling Victo-rian violin factory in Waterloo. In this par-ticularly built-up part of the capital withits dense jumble of houses and industrialbuildings from every decade of the pastthree centuries they created their dreamhome which also serves as an exclusiveevent location. Highlights on the groundfloor include a spacious hotel-style kitchenwhich opens towards the dining room.The equipment of this sophisticatedkitchen would not be complete withoutmodern GRoHe water fittings and thespecial functions they are renowned for.The Violin Factory is a modern interpreta-tion of a classical factory building but it

took the owners a lot of time, effort andmoney to make this dream come true.When Louise McDonnell stepped into thedilapidated factory for the first time, sheinstantly fell in love with the run-downstructure which at the time bore no re-semblance to a comfortable residencewhatsoever.n

Violin Factory in London

kV Developers Pvt. Ltd (kVD), thereal estate arm of the kV Group,announced the receipt of all thenecessary approvals from Greater

Noida Authority to launch WindPark - afuturistic group housing project in Techzone IV, Greater Noida (West). Spreadover approximately five acres of land, theproject will showcase around 7 towerswith units varying from 2BHk, 3BHk and3BHk + Servant room spanning an areaof approximately 995 to 1,505 sq. ft. Commenting on the development, Mr.Aman Agarwal, Director, k V DevelopersPvt. Ltd, said, “We are extremely happyto receive these approvals which allowus to launch our flagship group housing

project ‘WindPark’. We are al-ready receiving overwhelmingresponse from the market.” Theapartments, with one of the largestopen areas, will include an L-shapedveranda opening towards the wind parkor the road side. Adjoining a 130m-wideroad, the plot is in close proximity to aproposed Metro line.Mr. Agarwal further said, “Real estatemarket in NCR is expanding very rapidlywhich has allowed Greater Noida toshowcase its potential as the next met-ropolitan city. With the kind of responsewe received during this festive season, Iam sure ‘WindPark’ will be a landmark inGreater Noida in days to come.”n

kV Developers Brings in ‘WindPark’


cover story

RNI Reg. No. DELENG/2013/50357

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