Future of Real Estate!

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“Land monopoly is not only monopoly, but it is by far the greatest of monopolies; it is a perpetual monopoly, and it is the mother of all other forms of monopoly.”…Winston Churchill.

“Look at market fluctuations as your friend rather than your enemy; profit from folly rather than participate in it.”... Warren Buffet.

Well, two quotes by two great names all the time though for different reasons & different profession but one quality was same & that are, leading the path! If Churchill lead the path to glory for England in war time it Buffet who lead the path of investments & got glory for USA on trade (read business) front! Yet when its real estate look what Churchill has said long back, it seems our current ruler (read govt) has started from where Churchill has left the job undone i.e. breaking up monopoly in land means real estate! And it’s at such times when real estate’s big bosses are also nervous I think we must recall the words of Buffet & that’s why to start my sharing on real estate’s future I used both of these quotes!

Of-late many (read most) people asks me what’s going to happen with real estate & the tone is like when we inquire about some patient who is bed ridden for long & we can see he is sick but can’t find the reason as neither family persons nor the doctors are sharing the truth (read are able to) about the patient’s health & diagnosis! 

I am no expert or doctor here when the patient is real estate but then I sure can identify a patient when I see one (most of us can do that actually) & here as being in the profession of real estate i.e. “the patient”, now for more than twenty five years, I can think of few things which might help us understanding the nature of the disease as then only we can think of right treatment! First & foremost rule here is, any business in this country is run by the “Mai Baap” Govt’s attitude towards the country (read voters) & real estate is also no exception to this rule! You will what’s big deal, is it not applicable to all the countries, well answer is no! In USA govt do bows in-front of some group of industries (read industrialists) & these industries do think in the best of not just their business but the country, well mostly! Same is case with any developed country rather that’s the reason those countries are developed & we are carrying the tag of under development country for decades now! For decades real estate was a milky cow & everyone has milked it, till it got dry & when I say everyone then it includes right from the builders, land-lords, suppliers, contractors, investors, professionals like charted accountants as well architects & consultants, media (news papers), banks even govt too has earned a lot from real estate; barring two segments & they are end users which we call flat buyers & the labors which were actually working on the site with their hands! If builders have earned by sale of homes then land-lords have earned by just holding the lands on which these homes were build, suppliers, manufactures have earned by huge sales of their goods, contractors have earned (though bit less than others), professionals have earned charging hefty fees to their builder clients, banks has bleed the builders(their fault actually) by charging high interest rates whereas investors made merry by selling the homes at double rate they have bought, media earned by full page advertisements of project launches & then govt wasn’t also behind, charging for every rupee in every possible way from stamp duty to income tax & has earned out of real estate a lot. In all this milking of real estate as I mentioned two segments left behind rather they too got milked & one is actual end site labor who some thirty years back used to live in tin hutments at site & continues to live so even today & second is actual flat buyer who bought all these homes with every-bodies profit loaded on it & end up paying EMI’s for the same for rest of his or her life!

Many of my friends related in anyways with real estate won’t like my above analysis but tell me in which other industry other than real estate, rate of the product increases two or three times over just one or two years time span & without adding any tangible technological or such quality value addition to that product! It was only real estate enjoying such luck because the land was & is limited, population was increasing, jobs are limited & available in some locations only & same is the story with basic infrastructure like water, roads, electricity, transportation as well schools & medical facilities. Obviously land at such locations became in demand more than the supply & then entire above chain of professions benefitted just because they were in right position at right time (actually wrong position) & milked the cow(read earned)! Indeed the millions of home buyers did get their homes in the process but look within ourselves (all those who didn’t like my logic) & ask was those homes fairly priced? And the answer you will get (if you have courage to look within) will tell the reason for patient’s i.e. real estate’s disease’s diagnosis!

The problem with real estate is the people related to real estate are not used to survive on lesser margins i.e. lesser money & neither these real estate men were used to wait for the clients! Let’s look at above chain again from today’s scenario, landlords were used to behave like owner of some rare antic piece in auction for their piece of land which with queue of bidder raising the price every day & now there are no takers for their land! Same is story for all other chain links i.e. professions as today suppliers & contractors run behind the builders for orders which has dried up & then there is threat looming that if payment doesn’t come in time then what as on one side there is no order without payment facility & on other side no post order payment assurance from the builders, so they are stuck! Professionals has been charging big fees but now there are no new project launches, even to recover earlier fees is a problem so they are in fix. Banks have stopped financing real estate but they have to pay interest on their deposits, what if there are no loan takers, so banks are in fix. NBFC’s & investors are worst hit as they are already worried about their unsecured loans to the builders as well stock of incomplete homes with no takers with the rate they have got in mind! Media has got hit worst as open any new paper & you will hardly find any builder’s advertise, so the revenues from real estate are all time low as well they have to compete digital media which is far cheap & wide reaching! Builders which like a tiger in forest are at apex of the real estate chain & just tigers are running around the forests in search of water & food are running around in search of clients & finance is a naked truth! In this entire situation just one segment is less hit, I meant comparatively & obviously that is our govt! As its increasing taxes & it gets cut from every deal related to real estate though the local body’s reduced income via development charges & premiums is a warning that govt also won’t be spared if real estate gets sick!

And now let’s see why this has happened to real estate & sole reason is everybody related to real estate must now learn to rework on their age old success formula as well reduce their greed not just a bit but a bit lot! Margins won’t be ever same again as this govt is following Mr. Churchil on land monopoly policy & will be making more & more land available to build homes which eventually will (rather has) bring loads of supply of raw material for the homes in market which will be way above than demand! Remember, what happened to every other market when competition got open, right from cell phone to cars to two wheelers to white goods, every segment was flooded by the manufacturers & rates come down of every such product. This has two way impacts, buyers got more choice & no monopoly is there in any market other than real estate. At the same time these businesses didn’t die but flourished as the makers as well all other chain members of respective business get used to work on lesser margins & earn by excelling in manufacturing! The newer markets’ has been tapped & the makers tried to reach out by themselves to the clients than waiting for the clients! Everything related with the product is done keeping the end user (read client) as center of attraction & then only the businesses have got back on normal. And the companies (even giants) which couldn’t follow the change has vanished from the market, Nokia or Aircell are best of the examples from growing field like mobile industry or service provider. And at the same time as Buffet said using these situations as boon, companies like Geo has emerged as new giants in the very same business where Nokia & Aircell got wiped out! In auto industries also we saw companies like Maharashtra Scooter which used to make famous “Priya” scooter got shut down but today Piaggio’s Vespa & Honda’s Activa scooters are selling like hot cake! The story of Royal Enfield i.e. Bullet motorcycle is even better, once ruler of the market in heavy bike segment, then got tagged as old fashioned & just when the company was on closer, it rise like phoenix & today once again has become a most sought after brand in bikes, which has a steep competition from many players!

Real estate makers should (read must) learn from stories like Reliance Geo or Royal Enfield  as they used their respective difficult market conditions in their favor & this needs market study, a keen eye on what’s trending in the mind of govt & forthcoming policies as well giving the clients  what they want in their budget & yet make some money! And for that real estate bosses needs to focus on data & lots of it regarding client’s needs across the country. As unlike any other product real estate is very local thing & depends on numbers of local issues like infrastructure, education, jobs & even culture of the place & that’s why I will restrict my sharing to Pune though it is applicable to any city with minor modifications! A city like Pune has all the above growth related factors right in place, one just needs to come up with right home, that’s the challenge real estate is facing! And when we say right home it must not be from our side only as for a builder a right home is the one which sales fast & doubles the money invested! A right home is from the sight of the buyer who is real user of the home today & not some investor whose target is sale it off for money! And when you start looking towards the home from the angle of buyer then you see what’s the difference in past & today as here you have to judge buying capacity of the end user, his needs, his other expenses like kid’s school fees, car’s EMI & week end spending as well some savings. Keeping all these intact he has to buy a home & pay EMI for the same, is what we need to understand.

At the same time the builders need to make their pressure groups for the govt who is still unaffected from the downfall of real estate & busy in increasing every possible tax as well premiums on it. And in return on the front of infrastructure we are zero even in Smart City like ours is a fact. Just one Metro is not going to change life of millions, indeed its one of the aspect but still water, drainage, good roads, education, medical facility, power & many such things are not evenly distributed in the city making the end buyer spend much more other than EMI of home loan, making him restrain from buying homes in such locations! And do mind to create pressure group for govt first the real estate must earn respect in the eyes of its own clients i.e. masses as its this respect of masses is real strength for any industry while dealing with wrong doings of govt!

As for the buyer (and govt) all I will say, just making homes cheaper should not be the target but to make the homes affordable to both sides is what must be the target while making real estate policies! Do mind, greed isn’t monopoly of builders as even the clients becomes greedy when they see a dying builder (read desperate for money) & they try to make him bleed as much they can by negotiating, is also a fact & many of us has witnessed it! Not always a cheaper home is the best, as ask thousands of people leaving in illegal homes & consequences of their decision to opt for cheaper home! Actually its failure of the govt in first place that they have made a system which can’t produce a legal home which is affordable to the buyer as well to the manufacturer & outcome is illegal homes increasing numbers everyday! Still time has not run out totally, form a body which will have enough wise people from the industry on it & make a policy as millions of people still needs a home of their own & thousands of people are ready to build these homes, all we need is a system (read policy) which will make this happen! Till then real estate guys, focus on making a home which the client is looking for & parallel, keep the fight on with govt to provide infrastructure necessary to sale these homes! At the same time don’t run behind every land deal like its last piece of earth as that only will make land-lords realize no more monopoly. At the same time give the customer value for his money which includes transparent & fair service also & yes innovate as that’s the key & then sure the future is not that bad but silver if not golden! A home is first of the basic needs of any specie & not just humans, so the home makers won’t ever starve is a fact; just know the art of building in bit better way, is the gist!

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Sanjay Deshpande 

Sanjeevani Dev.

Please view my sharing about real estate in Pune at U-Tube link below..

https://youtu.be/g3lx1Nq7pBs

Please do visit my blogs to know about our philosophy at Sanjeevani ! (Click the links below)

http://visonoflife.blogspot.com/2018/08/pune-city-no-1.html

http://jivnachadrushtikon.blogspot.in/

Social Side of Sanjeevani ! (Click link below)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/65629150@N06/sets/72157627904681345/

For any of your complaints about city, log in at link below

www.punecorporation.org

Take your issues to Hon PM at link below..

https://secure.mygov.in/#

Think Green, Think Life

www.sanjeevanideve.com

World Tiger Day & Man - Animal Conflict!

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“Whenever we encounter wild animals in nature, we must only ever show kindness and compassion.” … Paul Oxton

Founder/Director of Wild Heart Wildlife Foundation and Wildlife Photographer! Located in South Africa, Wild Heart Wildlife Foundation is a small organization, doing all we can to make a big impact. We live for helping the wildlife most at risk. We love working hands-on with the animals, and we do our utmost to help every animal we possibly can. 

I have used these words about Paul once but then some words you can keep reciting all the time such is the power they possess & Paul’s above words are one such! And especially on the occasion of the “Global Tiger Day”, often called as “International Tiger Day”, is an annual celebration to raise awareness for tiger conservation, held annually on 29 July. It was created in 2010 at the Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit & this day is celebrated with the slogan “Their survival is in our hands”, good, isn’t it but what’s scene around on this front? I looked at the scene over past few years in our Maharashtra State & one thing is sure there is sea change in awareness regarding wild life in the people & the credit must be given to govt (read also) along with many individuals as well NGOs’ & yes social media like Facebook where loads of people (read photographers) share their wild life moments making many more to think about wild life & yes tiger snaps are always the one which gets maximum attention, is a fact!  And do mind ours is one of the most progressive, urbanized States & that makes forest dept’s job most difficult as the biggest threat to the wild life is not by nature or any big animal but we the humans. Because a tiger has teeth & power, a leopard has speed, an elephant has power, a sloth bear has got strong claws to rip flesh from human body, a wild boar has got tusks to dig, a snake has venom, even a honey bee can sting & birds can fly high but none of this matches with what we the humans has got & that is our brain! And with the help of this brain we build machines like JCB, Tractors, Cranes, Chain Saw, Compactors & what not. And all powers of every above animal can’t match with the power of machines which are created by our brain. End is, in the war of man vs. animal it’s always the animals which has to take a step back means what? Means either the animal has to leave its place of living which we fondly call as habitat or it gets extinct! And off late it’s mostly the later outcome which we are seeing!  And you know one more thing about humans which animals can’t ever do, which is humans can unite & form a govt of their own by voting & make rules for the comfortable living of themselves, this no animal can do! And when human makes rules for their comfortable living it’s obvious that the center of their comfort is humans only where animals has no place! As humans for govt & make departments like Urban Development, Roads, Irrigation, Transportation & many such which makes their lives easy but all these departments makes other animal’s lives miserable is the bitter fact & yes for that the humans made one more dept & that is Forest Dept!

Here is where role of Forest Minister & his team comes in picture as till very recent, this dept nobody used to take this dept seriously because this is the only dept which is not for the humans so it’s obvious that most of the elected humans (read ministers) were not much interested in dealing with forests or say animals & trees! But in last four years a lot change has happened though there are tiger deaths & leopards deaths too yet numbers of tigers has increased in our State is a fact & Nagpur is called as World Tiger Capitol, indeed a thing of honor as when this royal animal is getting vanished from most other parts of world, here in Maharashtra not only its surviving but increasing in numbers too! One new tiger sanctuary has started in western part of State i.e. Sahyadri Tiger Reserve in Kolhapur District & many initiatives has been taken to make wild animals life also a bit comfortable. Most important aspect is looking after the human which works in forest dept as it’s these men who are responsible for wild animals as well their habitats protection. And if proper care of these men is not taken care how we will expect them to take care of wild life, isn’t it? So the major difference what I saw in last few years is, if not hundred percent but at least proper steps has been taken to make provision of funds for forest dept which itself is a big thing! At the same time more focus has been given on plantation as well crating awareness in the minds of urban population for protection of wild life & its importance as unless you don’t know what to save, how you will be saving it? First time in my many visits to Mantralay (a place from where policies of State are made) I saw entire ground floor plaza displaying images of wild life including a huge tigress statue welcoming you. This is what required as when a common man sees that the policy makers of the State are thinking of wild life on priority then this must be important, the message is clear! And for this I will give full marks to present wild life team & may be present forest minister is himself represents Chandrapur Constituency which has maximum forests as well man animal conflicts too, so he understands forest’s importance as well problems also better than any ruler from other parts of the State! And the present forest dept’s minister is boon for the wild life as he is our finance minister also, so making provision of funds for wild life he can do by himself!

Indeed with all these efforts Tadoba Tiger Project & Melghat along with Pench, Umred Karandla or Tipeshvar all these places have seen rise in tiger population which in a way is indication of healthy wild life as tiger is at apex of entire forest life but this has given rise to more man animal conflicts also. Many must have read this term i.e. man animal conflict but what exactly it means, hardly few understand it! It’s simple, forest is home of wild animals & it includes right from heir to deer to porcupine to thousands of such animals & not just tiger or leopard. At the same time adjoining to these forests which is home to all above animals, there are human settlements also & humans grow faster than animals as all the comforts of life are with us only! So humans need more land for this grown up numbers of theirs & they encroach homes of animals i.e. forests. Obviously the animals try to fight back like tiger attacking humans or leopard killing domestic animals like cow or sheep which belongs to the humans residing near to the forests or heard of deer wiping out crops of farmers, the conflicts are many! And humans don’t like these attacks on their comfort zone by the wild animals & with the help of weapons they kill the animals which are damaging their comforts, this is called man-animal conflicts! And this is going all along the forests & their neighborhood & it’s this conflict which is biggest challenge for forest dept. I am sure the forest dept also knows it & it will take proper steps to win this battle for wild animals as they have realized that not just existing forests but new forests also must be created to accommodate growing population of the wild animals as that’s the only way to reduce man animal conflicts. Just we the humans needs space for our population the animals also needs the space but they don’t have brains or machines or their govt to look after them, so its job of forest minister & his team to use their brains as well machinery for the wild animals!

Issue when some tiger gets killed, (well in this 2019 only we have lost nearly 12 tigers) or some leopard get beaten up by villagers or kills some child or an elephant creates havoc among farmers, all these happening nearby some known forest, then all such incidences becomes front page news & gets highlighted in every media  & people call it man animal-conflict but what about thousands of species like butterflies, birds, mongoose, frogs, jackals, heir, hyenas, fish or even the monkeys (list is unending) all of these are getting defeated (read vanished) around our cities but who is caring for this urban-wild conflict which is far larger than just man-animal conflict! As cities are growing to accommodate humans & their needs we are driving every other specie not just out of our cities or towns but out of this planet. And do mind you cut some trees which was home for some birds or squirrels or monkeys or butterflies, just think what they will be doing as they don’t have Movers & Packers to shift their luggage to some other place over night & they can’t build their new home by appointing some architect or contractor. We all in the city knows how difficult it is to remove even some encroachment (read illegal homes) by the humans, as our govt says where these poor humans will go & regularize even the illegal homes on the grounds of humanity! Well, for once we don’t think about all the species of birds or insects or animals or fish which are legal resident of some habitats & in one day we declare that land as residential or industrial & throw them out of their homes, wow what a great act of humanity by humans!

I repeat, I am not saying don’t build homes, roads, industries or any such structures, I am saying while we build our comfort giving structures let’s keep some place for wild life everywhere which right now we are not doing is a fact! And for that high time that we restructure forest dept as wild life dept & like IAS officers are made bosses of every govt dept, the same way IFS i.e. forest cadre people should be made part of every dept’s planning team! Like we have Urban Planning Dept we must have Wild Life Planning Dept too as then only our entire planning will be wild life-centric also & then only has some hope for the animals of which the Tiger is at apex! This is just weird (wild) thought which came to my mind but look at the reason behind such weird thought as every day we open news paper & get to read some bad news about wild life & then hundreds of such bad news never see the day light but they are happening & we need to act fast! Enough of awareness (that will keep on) on the front of Save Tiger, its action time now & not just by some forest minister or forest dept but by every one of us for saving the tiger & its home i.e. forests!

If & only if we are able to do such drastic change (that’s all we need) in our approach towards wild life then we only we have earned to celebrate World Tiger Day or else there will be no land for tigers or any specie (read home or habitat) & then all what will remain is Tiger Day but no Tiger, to see that Day!

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Sanjay Deshpande 

Sanjeevani Dev.

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Sanjay Deshpande 

Sanjeevani Dev.

Please view my sharing about real estate in Pune at U-Tube link below..

https://youtu.be/g3lx1Nq7pBs

Please do visit my blogs to know about our philosophy at Sanjeevani ! (Click the links below)

http://visonoflife.blogspot.com/2018/08/pune-city-no-1.html

http://jivnachadrushtikon.blogspot.in/

Social Side of Sanjeevani ! (Click link below)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/65629150@N06/sets/72157627904681345/

For any of your complaints about city, log in at link below

www.punecorporation.org

Take your issues to Hon PM at link below..

https://secure.mygov.in/#

Think Green, Think Life

www.sanjeevanideve.com

Firse Leader No 1 !

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“I know of no single formula for success. But over the years I have observed that some attributes of leadership are universal and are often about finding ways of encouraging people to combine their efforts, their talents, their insights, their enthusiasm and their inspiration to work together”. …Queen Elizabeth II.

Hon. Dear Narendra Modi Sir & Team,

Well, she is second oldest currently-serving state leader by age i.e. she is Queen of England for now nearly 67 years & her age is 93 years & she has never been to any school or college but got tuitions at home only! She become Queen just four years after our great country got independence & become largest democracy on earth so in a way her regime & our country’s democracy are of same age nearly! And that’s why to describe your team’s victory in Loksabha election in our country, I thought her above quote is too perfect. And the quote shows that some times (well many will say many a times) education doesn’t define a person’s capacity or intelligence or wisdom, whatever you name it! As many people (read most) were hoping that this general election “firse” you won’t be in power & not surely the margin you won but then not many people in this country (read those who were contesting against you) are known for their vision or wisdom & indeed I too don’t count myself in that league but your victory was something like “writing on the wall”, which as usual most failed to read!

I am not writing this to praise you nor to get something from you as by now with second term in power you are a veteran to the power & praising words coming along with it (mostly hollow they are or even jealous too). And you already knew the flair of power for decades but to be a CM of some State & to be a  PM of the largest democracy in the world, are two very different things, again something which not many in  your league has understood. There was one lady who does understand it years back when we were school goers but after her the country needed someone who really knows what true leadership is! And even that lady perished unfortunately just because she became too confident of her leadership, is what I feel, though I am in no position to analyze her working greatness neither I was of that age. But today with fifty years put behind my name I am a bit able to analyze your success (will you consider this as success or not even this also I don’t know) in the eyes of others or say your opponents (not many are left by now)! As in 2014 it could have been considered as change wave which carried you & your team to the power but 2019 was real challenge. Just the way we lifted the ICC World Cup in 1983 for first time but it took nearly 28 years to repeat that thing, same way sometimes it’s easy to top first time but maintaining the top slot, is what differentiates champions from others!

Well again too much of praise but then such was the victory you & your team has got in general elections & to represent one twenty crore numbers, that too with so much diversity for second time & with no Gandhi before or after or anywhere in your name, indeed that is something special & it’s this something special I felt like analyzing! Because most people thought BJP will come in ruling but with lesser margins than 2014 term as well you will have to make lots of adjustment for claim to power. And in this “but” many hopeful contenders were there even from your party too as we all know how nasty can bargain for the power can become!  But all “ifs & buts” were sent to retirement & what the country witnessed was real history & I doubt even you would have thought of winning by such huge margin & if you had then my admiration for you has grown way more that what it is right now!

Coming to the subject i.e. analysis & what lies ahead; here, many will think what’s need for analysis as in our country success needs no reasons or theory, it’s the failure which needs all such crutches! Exactly, this is what I know, you will be laughing at this attitude as in your mind 2019 win is history already & you must be preparing for 2024 for sure! And this is why I think analysis is most important as what has been gone wrong in last five years you won’t like to repeat it! First & foremost is many people thinks that Demonetization (“Note Bandi” sounds better & dearer) is your biggest failed step & later GST but by me “Note Bandi” was your “Bramhstra” (ultimate Weapon) actually as every class-four (read poor) or below that person was happy to see his rich Masters running around, baffled by  the thought, what to do with their money which gone useless over night! I feel somewhere we the Indians (sorry guys, its human tendency I am referring to) are more happy when we see someone in more trouble than what we are facing & that’s why Salim-Javed ruled theaters with their scripts where “Aam Janata” was tired of seeing handful of rich & powerful men ruling millions of poor & helpless Janata & when one Angry Young Man alone giving all these rich men run for their money & power, taking it away from them; the same “Aam Janata” made him Super Star!! Don’t we find very much similarity here in the scripts & then “Note Bandi” was just one weapon, there are many which silently keeps making “Aam Janata” happy, may it be appealing middle class to surrender gas subsidy for the poor thus making them part of Garibi Hatao mission to depositing subsidy money directly in the bank accounts of beneficiaries of such subsidy, one by one the weapons kept on hitting on opposition parties which they never understood. It’s said that the best weapon is the one which enemy doesn’t see till it strikes but you went a step ahead, your best weapons neither the enemy (read opposition) could see nor could they feel even when they got hit! You & your team got alleged for using our Army as part of your campaign, some even went to extent of hinting that you only planted few of the terror attacks! Well, best part was you faced all such allegations bravely but the main focus got shifted from the development, unemployment, draught, irrigation, inflation type things, the weapon has worked though you even didn’t intend to use it! Even the movie on the subject of surgical strike collected over 300 crores, there only any sane man could have seen the outcome of the forthcoming general elections but sane men are the rarest specie in this country & more in politics! Best part is you were successful in making people believe in whatever you do, is for the common man & he or she is the voter ie your masters! This is something no person in recent wasn’t able to do & you did it single handedly. You have been alleged by using media, showmanship even your foreign trips were targeted but at the end what matters is what the voter thinks about what you are & not the opposition!

Final blow was GST for the non-voters means the 10% elite class of the country which controls 90% people’s wealth & everybody though you have dug yours (as well your party’s) grave but then people forget that 10% rich persons may hold 90% people’s wealth but elections are won on the votes of the 90% class & those 10% who were unhappy over your decisions hardly bothers to vote as any govt they think is their govt! But not your govt, as you are working for 90% wala class is what the so called rich class never understood (or believed) & this 90% firmly stood behind you! But let’s not forget, we need business & we need margins on investment (read appreciation) as that’s what keeps any business running. One more unfortunate thing in this country is everybody likes to be rich but being rich is socially considered as crime here! Because such is the system around that everybody believes that behind every rich man or woman there is some crime & this is what you need to break. Like in USA all top five richest person has started from middle class but take our country & what you find? Mostly all the top rich people in our country has legacy of richness is the fact which differentiates us from USA! You will have to focus on creating a system that any common man can make his or her way to rich but in lawful way!

Now when your team (read you) in power again I think the real challenge is not from the opposition (there isn’t any actually) but to from the team itself as that’s problem for being number one team, every time people expect you to win only & on all fronts! And you are wise enough that “Aam Janata’s” memory is very short & “Janata Janardan” always in search of newer problems to throw on the leader. It’s said that you can make some people happy at some time but not all the people all the time & ours is a big country to make all happy at a time, this is the challenge ahead! Also wealth is important & so are the wealthy people as you can make rich people a bit poor & poor people a bit rich but the country runs on business, trade, innovations & these qualities has to be protected & conserved! The way your weapons silently attacked opposition, now your opposition may not be a political party but your voters itself! As silently somewhere there can be (is also) unrest in future which usually happens with any prolonged ruler in the masses& this is the weapon only! And as wise men has said, power is the most difficult thing to digest, so real challenge is to make your entire team understands (read digest) this success or victory in Lok Sabha so as they are able to keep their head on their shoulders & shoulders on the feet which will remain grounded firmly!

I feel the first big threat to this country which eventually is your biggest challenge too, is our population, which will surpass China in few decades. With nearly 120 crore (which will be 150 crore soon) mouths to feed  & 240 crore hands demanding work & 120 crore minds to keep busy for productivity (read positivity) it’s a mammoth task! And any policy may it be related to housing or public health or agriculture or transportation or education will be a failure if we don’t curb this demon named population! We have limited land & we can create more homes & make them affordable for everybody by giving FSI or TDR but from where we will be getting water for these families, electricity for these homes & where we will be dumping garbage & sewage generated by these homes, is the question which you must be thinking on already! Its this population cancer which is making small farmers impossible to survive as in the race of demands from the ever increasing family with the production from the farming the demands always win & outcome we are seeing all over the country in the form of farmer’s suicides!

And the second threat to the country is we are actually sitting on volcano of unrest by virtue of most sensitive issue which no rulers in our history has dared to touch & that is, our so called secularism or in common language division in the society on the basis of caste as well religion! Such is the taboo in our minds that nobody dare to even speak openly on the subject of caste system ( reservation along) & joke is, in our country first thing when two unknown people gets introduced to each other, the first thing comes in their minds after knowing the names (read surnames) of each other’s is, “ye kaun jaatka hai ya hoga?” ie which caste this guy must be from & then depending up on this factor the further conversation takes place. Many readers wont accept my this observation, especially the young IT guys & they may be right in some cities that too in some circles but even in private sector or so called top class organization also this caste thing exists very much is a fact! That way we Indians are wonderful specie as we all want equality of our group (read caste) keeping ourselves special! And this specialty of all such groups is the problem we can’t never be really united & consider ourselves as one nation! Again many wont like or accept it but look at the way even all political parties give their tickets, may it be Loksabha or Grampanchayat, the first criteria of party ticket (well money power certainly is) is numbers of voters in the constituency of a particular caste or religion is what decides the candidates choice! I think these two will be biggest challenge even more than the corruption because if I start thinking every Indian as my religion or caste or family then I think most of our problems will be solved & I am sure this must be also on your agenda i.e. to make every Indian feel as one caste & community or religion whatever you call!

There are many more things this country (read common man) expects from you but then we  always believed in God & thinks God can fulfill our every wish & that’s why we warship God in Temples, in Masjids, in Churches, that’s what we are, most lovable, emotional, sentimental, judgmental, allowing our heart to rule our brain most of times yes we are your voters, the Indians!

Sorry Modi Sir if I have overstepped while my sharing,  but then every above aspect you must be knowing already so I wrote it not for you but all others who are still thinking about your victory! All best wishes not to make this country a Super Power but to make her as well others realize that India always been a Super Power, it’s time to show it!!

Jai Hind

Sanjay Deshpande 

Sanjeevani Dev.

Please view my sharing about real estate in Pune at U-Tube link below..

https://youtu.be/g3lx1Nq7pBs

Please do visit my blogs to know about our philosophy at Sanjeevani ! (Click the links below)

http://visonoflife.blogspot.com/2018/08/pune-city-no-1.html

http://jivnachadrushtikon.blogspot.in/

Social Side of Sanjeevani ! (Click link below)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/65629150@N06/sets/72157627904681345/

For any of your complaints about city, log in at link below

www.punecorporation.org

Take your issues to Hon PM at link below..

https://secure.mygov.in/#

Think Green, Think Life

www.sanjeevanideve.com

Rains, Real Estate & Accidents!

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“After the rain, the sun will reappear. 
There is life. After the pain, the joy will still be here.” … Walt Disney.

I am die-hard fan of Disney & its philosophy but on 1^st July & then on 2^nd July 19 too, the rainy mornings bought me back to reality of this world where rains may stop & there will be sun shine again  but for many people life won’t be same ever again! Indeed Disney has made lives of millions a bit more livable & make them believe in love, care, duty, courage, togetherness, goodness & many such aspects of life which makes us a human being but sometimes some things happens in such way that you really think lost! This sharing I am writing not as an engineer or a builder or to criticize any system we call govt or to tell how the people involved are right or wrong but this I am writing as a common man in this Smart City Pune & may be as representative of every that person who felt numb, shocked, sad after reading the news in the morning! Yes, it’s about lives lost by collapsing of some compound walls (you may call it retaining wall or boundary walls or anything it doesn’t matter) & though this has been happened all over State, let’s focus on our beloved Pune. As usual when some twenty plus lives has been lost all hail broke loose & first thing that started is how builders, govt as well every that person apart from the people whose lives has been lost is responsible & joke is everyone was trying to pointing a finger at other saying how he or she or his or hers organization isn’t responsible for this loss of lives. For those who may be ignorant about the incidences (read as dead to society) , at two places compound walls collapsed due to heavy rains (well that’s just one reason) & got fallen on the neighboring hutments which were home for labors who are working on the respective sites i.e. buildings by some builders! And as this happened in night time most labors were sleeping & caught unaware & died due to this wall falling on their huts which are made of tin or some plastic or ply wood stuff which was unable to protect them from falling debris of the said walls!

If you have seen the statements as well reactions (and actions too) from all the so called responsible agencies & our “Neta Loag” & if you have a bit better memory left with you then must have felt like reading some old new paper only, such are prototype reactions from everybody. And I wasn’t surprised as this is nearly more than tenth such mishap or accident or disaster whatever you call, I have been reading about in last five years & all tenth time I have seen same copy paste things happening! I must give full mark to entire system (sorry, can’t call it society any more) for such consistent post accident actions or reactions! And not just each other but we (read everybody associated with accident) blame rains, we blame soil, we blame trees, we blame system (that’s easier) & now a days we blame Global Warming or Climate Changes, this last one is best as that’s something nobody understands yet everybody believes it! But problem is nobody blames the actual problem behind these so called accidents & that is nobody is responsible for any such accident; that’s the main problem we are conveniently forgetting. Do mind in any management system when a job is responsibility of all (in totality yes) then nobody is finally responsible for the success or failure of such job! Well, success in any ways all takes claim or credit but failure, we all know it’s an orphan child always! We have conveniently formed a system where no such accident can be put on any particular person or organization, so all are relieved of guilt! If you don’t believe it, read the outcome of this wall mishap in last three days which is head lines of all media(well, they are happy with TRP secretly). Hon Guardian Minister of Pune has formed a Committee of senior officers & Engg college staffer to check the facts of the accident case. Hon Labor Minister has suggested no plans sanction without labor registration. Hon Police Commissioner has suggested forming a committee of senior police officer to check site safety measures (from labor aspect). Hon Labor Commissioner has suggested not to allow tin (GI Sheets) for labor hutments. Hon PMC Senior Officers formed a team to check all labor camps at site & permissions will be revoked if they found in unsafe situation. Hon Labor Union’s Leaders hailed builders & govt & sat for hunger procession for negligence by the builders regarding labor welfare. Oh yes all the families of the diseased labors who died in the mishap will receive Rs 5 lacs each  & the dead bodies will be sent to their native place by flight, what an honor & what a gesture, wow I am touched! In the mean time all the projects of the two developers has been stopped & the two firms have been black listed along with their architects & structural consultants! Wonderful actions by every department or system but have you observed, was there one single act of sorry that we are also party to the death of these lives & we will give every bit to stop such deaths, remember reading one single line of such words?

Now coming to the statements of ever above big shot, has they ever build a single building in their life & dealt with labor camp issues? I am not justifying builders & this question is not to support the builders involved in accident but if we consider something as a problem then has any of above govt organization has even needed to arrange for labor’s residence by themselves, is a plain question I want to ask! By the way does this all NOC’s & Committees’ thing applicable only for private builders sites because I will request all sincere officers to visit Metro Rail work’s labor camps or any govt building construction site labor camp also! At the same time these safety norms  can be applicable to private construction site labors but what about millions of lives which are living in illegal slums & in very similar types so called homes made of tin & plywood & plastic? Who is going to check their safety & demolish their residences & provide them permanent homes, may I ask as a common man, this question? I live along river side DP road & from my flat’s balcony every day I see thousands of hutments along slopes of Parvati Hills, trust me these thousands of families are living on the edge of disaster which will be way bigger than some compound wall mishap; may I ask who has stopped or restricted all above so called authorities to make some action plan for these people also when they are worrying (read caring) so much for the site labor hutments & Parvati Hill hutments is just tip of iceberg is also I am warning!

I put forward this aspect because when all the govt power can’t make permanent good legal homes for millions of people who are citizen of this city then how you are going to ensure permanent & safe homes at sites for labors which are migrants & even they themselves doesn’t know how much time they will be living in these home? This doesn’t mean the labors shouldn’t have safe homes in first place, this means has we really understand the problem of building such homes at construction sites! At site first the labors stay is periodical depending on their nature of work. The RCC gang stays at longest period while other faculties like tile mason, plumber, etc are for very short time spans like two or three months. At the same time it’s risky to keep the labors near or within work area (read inside building) & when it’s a single stand building space is always a problem. Also we need to take in account maneuvering space as well material stacking places which keeps on changing as the work progresses. In big lay outs or multiple buildings complexes there are open spaces & amenity spaces in lay out where labor camps can be set but & that’s why if you have observed the recent or any such accidents mostly they have happened on single stand alone building where hutments' are allocated along the boundary walls! Now about safe hutment material for labor camps, we can think of prefab material but then this also isn’t useful when some wall or part of building collapses on such hutments' & we can’t build brick/ concrete temporary homes is a fact. Best way is planning of hutments', focus on that aspect. See that the labor camps is properly places at high ground, away from any excavation or boundary wall or natural water body & spacious enough to occupy the labors without they getting cramped in it! We must have proper fire as well electrical safety audit periodically & this we can monitor or make compulsory to monitor & keep record of such audits! We can make a design of standard labor camp with GI Sheets & plywood only & yet we can make it safe, is what as an engineer I want to share. And wherever possible we surely can go for prefab structures also as I am not saying use only GI Sheets things for hutments because it’s not just about safety but in the summers with temperature going above 40 degrees to live in these things is nightmare & someone can die just because of sheer suffocation, why wait for falling a wall on top actually! As with the way things are moving, soon we will have to think what Dubai or Singapore does where no labors are allowed to reside at project sites except a few. The civic body of these cities builds labor camps on the reservation lands outskirts of the city & makes public transport arrangement for commuting & gives these labor camps on lease to the developers or contractors! Why not a single govt person or leader thinks of such option which is safest solution actually! Simple, because then it will become responsibility of the said govt dept or organization & to take responsibility is way difficult than just to make a compulsion for some NOC or registration! Here every gun is targeted at the builder & I am not denying builder’s role yet just because he is earning out of the project but then every govt dept earns too, from the buildings via taxes as well premiums; so how come only the builder is at blame when any such disaster happens at site, just one doubt of a common man’s mind!

And then barring a few exception have we thought for decades, labor camps at sites, was like ghettos (residence of below poverty & underprivileged people in western world with no livable facility). Now suddenly two digit figure of death in labor camps has taken all attention but what were we all doing for so many years, is the question I will like to ask! At the same time it’s not just about safety aspect but its living standards in totality at such camps needs to be looked at. At our sites (sorry giving example of builder me) we pay most attention to toilet facilities of the labors as that’s something horrible creating maximum hygiene problems for them. Also god quality drinking water supply arrangement for the labors is equally important & which usually is neglected! At the same time the focus should be entire safety aspect of every single person working at site & not just labor hutments! Do remember, safety is attitude towards the work & not just some audit or manual restricted thing. Our problem is we (we, means each of us) awakes only when some disaster happens & we do act but in such way that it’s not to avert the future accident but to avert the possible blame or responsibility coming on us, if that future accident happens! No two minds about safety audits & NOC’s & any such formality involved which truly is essential for saving even one life but then it should not be just a face saving formality adding one more burden on the real estate or on any industry! At the same time a labor should not be discriminated as working on private project & govt or public work project & the law should be same for all is simple expectation of a common man!

Just while I was summing up my sharing about site safety & blame game (read mainly on builders) I came across one more news in media about citizens & politicians celebrating for govt’s decision of regularizing illegal constructions in the State! Well, great, if the govt itself has decided to regularize illegal homes by the very same builders then who can say it’s wrong, but if the govt is so keen about lives & taking every possible action for assuring safety of even the site labors, then what about the lives of millions of people residing in all these to be regularized illegal homes? Does govt is really so innocent to believe that all these illegal homes must be wrong on legal front only & are safe enough to live by the workmanship standards! On one side if we are talking of safety audits of labor camps, then will such safety audit not be required to legalize all the illegal homes; here govt seems to be believing the very same builders blindly! Well, just thought of an ignorant or innocent (whatsoever you call it), mind of a common man, which worries for life of an ant also!

-- 

Sanjay Deshpande 

Sanjeevani Dev.

Please view my sharing about real estate in Pune at U-Tube link below..

https://youtu.be/g3lx1Nq7pBs

Please do visit my blogs to know about our philosophy at Sanjeevani ! (Click the links below)

http://visonoflife.blogspot.com/2018/08/pune-city-no-1.html

http://jivnachadrushtikon.blogspot.in/

Social Side of Sanjeevani ! (Click link below)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/65629150@N06/sets/72157627904681345/

For any of your complaints about city, log in at link below

www.punecorporation.org

Take your issues to Hon PM at link below..

https://secure.mygov.in/#

Think Green, Think Life

www.sanjeevanideve.com