Roads, Real Estate, Delays & the City!!

 

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“Imaginary mills grind no flour” …  Tamsen Webster

 

Tamsen Webster has spent the last twenty years helping experts drive action from their ideas. Part message strategist, part storyteller, part English-to-English translator, her work focuses on how to find and build the stories of partners, investors, clients, and customers! And maybe that’s why Tamsen could put so much of wisdom about attitude towards life in so few words! Though my subject of sharing may not be life but about development yet the attitude is what matters here too & so that’s why the above quote fits perfectly to the subject. And when the subject is development then it’s very closely associated with city, real estate & people as I consider real estate not just as an industry or investment or money making but it’s about homes & it’s the homes which are in a way bridge to growth & prosperity of the people making a city flourish (or vanish). If we build good homes & make them available to every needy family then the families will be at mental peace as nothing better than a comfort (and confidence) to have a home of their own which directly reflects in the output on every front you are facing. This is possible when the homes are backed up with not just internal amenities & luxuries but proper infrastructure of roads, power, connectivity, social places, nature conservation & all these do impact on the costing of a home which is an important aspect for buying that home for any family!

This last part i.e., impact of infrastructure on the costing of home is why I am always concerned about the news (or say developments about the infrastructure) regarding city’s roads, water lines, traffic, garbage, gardens, rivers, hills, drainage, public health & every that thing which is responsible to make a good home affordable. And when I came across the news about Hon. High Court’s judgment regarding the ring road around Pune, (read as one of the ring roads) development then I felt it’s important to make people aware about this aspect of development of the city & that’s why Tamsen’s quote to start the same! Now let me explain to the raised eye-brows of the readers about one of the ring road comments of mine in the bracket, it’s not sarcastic (well, I am getting dried up on that front) but there are two ring roads planned or announced or declared (what differences it makes) & the news was about one of them So one ring road is planned by State Govt i.e.  Public Works Dept & another ring road also is planned by the govt only but with a mask named Planning Authority which in this case is PMRDA i.e., Pune Metropolitan Regional Development Authority & its PMRDA’s ring road which was centre of the news against which High Court has issued an order that too in favour of a real estate company, so there is really justice in this country & Goddess of Justice is really blind as she didn’t rule out a builder without hearing him, in this matter!

Let me clear at the start, this is not to justify somebody right or some govt dept wrong, this is about our attitude towards the development of the city or the region, as the news & the said case is for analogy scale for the cause! Well, as most of you may be knowing (even if you don’t know hardly matters though) that two ring roads have been announced by govt & purpose is to divert the traffic as well heavy vehicles movement coming from out stations & crossing Pune thus reducing load on Pune/PCMC city’s internal roads (blah blah blah). Also, it will save time for people visiting suburbs of these two cities for e.g. I am travelling from Mumbai & I live in Hadapsar or Loni or Kharadi, then instead of going through the present city route I can take the ring road, use the respective exit & go to my home in the respective suburb, which at present is a nightmare actually!  As usual no two minds about the utility or concept or need of this idea problem is in execution, so the first mistake, announcing two roads & second mistakes too much delay in announcement, planning, making it part of development plan & last part i.e., making these roads reality (read as actually building them) is like a dream. And in the meantime, the time lapse is too much & no coordination of the various depts' which is a basic characteristic of the gov, right? But why the common citizen (read as builder too) suffers for this no-coordination aspect of govt is the question which has to be answered by the govt (lol, who am I fooling but myself). As if on one side it’s the daily commuting of the citizens who has to suffer losses on three front, time, fuel & health (mental stresses of traffic) due to delay causing in not making the ring road then on other side its planning on paper (read as without considering viability on the ground) is making land owners suffer losses for sanctioning process gets halted!

Here is where, some builder dared to go to the Court & the Court has allowed the already sanctioned project by the authorities to be built, which now the authority is saying has been sanctioned but in the alignment of the said ring road! This verdict is very important, I am not saying right or wrong as if the Hon Court has ordered it then it's right (most of the times) but this raises the question on planning part of the infrastructure itself which is very vital for the city & region, that’s my concern! And such errors are not new, even in Pune city we have a HCMTR, High-Capacity Mass Transit Route which has been shown & being shown on the DP (development plan) of the city for last 30 years & not a single meter length of the said road or route (hardly matters) has been build & it has now built build on its route, so what’s point in announcing or planning such projects, is something I want to ask! By the way about this ring road thing now it’s been made of 65 meters width from original 100 meter width with a note that as already one ring road is planned, this one can be made of 65 meters width, wonderful, but then why not then cancel it in the first place, as who wants two ring roads, making unnecessary delays for the planning procedures! Instead why can’t there be a regular 30 meter wide DP road, as if you study the alignment of the ring road, it’s practically impossible to build it because of topography as well the way its route has been planned, is even a first year urban planning student can tell! At the same time if the second ring road (by PWD) is so effective then why is it not being started yet, at least mark it on the ground so people will know while dealing in the lands getting affected because of these roads, right?

The whole point is as an engineer as well as a developer by myself & as a citizen of Pune region I understand & appreciate the need of the infrastructure but what about the way it’s being executed is the matter of concern. Interestingly, PMC has acquired some 23 villages on the fringe areas of its existing boundary & of which PMRDA has already done DP & now problem is who will sanction the plans as well when & how or the PMC will make a new DP of these villages but then till that time what future of the projects in these areas which are main hope for affordable housing considering the souring land prices in main city! Such many delays & policies in every aspect of development of the city (cities) needs action & answers but who will do it is the problem! Interestingly, there was one wonderful article about the govt's working & delays recently in a news-paper where the common man (most of the times) has to face the grind of delays by the govt systems over simple things such as property tax correction of electric meter change of name & many such. Imagine, if this is about the common-man for one NOC then what must be happening to the businesses like real estate where hundreds of NOC’s & Sanctions are required & if every time a builder has to go to the Hon Court, how the homes will be affordable & where is “Ease of Doing Business'', is my main concern & not to blame any particular entity, till that time “Ram Bharose” is the key-word on which entire country is living, we are just a city, so, Bolo, Siya Raamchandraki Jay! 

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Sanjay Deshpande 

Sanjeevani Dev.

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

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4xX7eopH5o&t=5s

 

Please do visit my blog links below to read about real estate & home buying! 

https://visonoflife.blogspot.com/2021/09/choosing-right-home.html

http://jivnachadrushtikon.blogspot.com/2021/09/blog-post_21.html

Creating Togetherness; team Sanjeevani Way (Click link below) 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/65629150@N06/albums/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

Tigers, Foresters & the Forest!

 

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 “Minutes passed, each pulling my hopes down a little lower from the heights to which they had soared, and then, when tension on my nerves and the weight of the heavy rifle were becoming unbearable, I heard a stick snap at the upper end of the thicket. Here was an example of how a tiger can move through the jungle. From the sound she had made I knew her exact position, had kept my eyes fixed on the spot, and yet she had come, seen me, stayed some time watching me, and then gone away without me having seen a leaf or a blade of grass move.” … Jim Corbett

“Tigers, except when wounded or when man-eaters, are on the whole very good-tempered...Occasionally. a tiger will object to too close an approach to its cubs or to a kill that it is guarding. The objection invariably takes the form of growling, and if this does not prove effective is followed by short rushes accompanied by terrifying roars. If these warnings are disregarded, the blame for any injury inflicted rests entirely with the intruder"- Jim Corbett

Two quotes from the same man describing behaviour of the same animal i.e., a tiger & had it not been this man who has lived within the tigers, I know today not many will believe in the meaning above words carries about the tiger! Yes, my sharing is about the saddest incident that can happen in the jungle, death of a forest guard, that to a lady at the hand of another lady of the jungle i.e., tigress known as Maya in the famous Tadoba Tiger Park! First of all, my sincere condolences for the deceased lady guard Mrs Swati Dhumane & I can’t imagine the way death would have approached her in the form of an angry tigress as well the shock her colleagues which were accompanying her & how this news would have been taken by her family but this is what made me to pen down my feeling about the entire incidence as well the system, we call forest dept of which a tiger is inherent part of!

Not long back I have shared my views about the life of forester i.e., forest staff which has to spent maximum of time in the forest only difference is that was regarding suicide of another lady forest officer in Central Indian Forests only & this time it’s a lady forest guard. Well, by now most of those who has visited or are aware about forests or like to be in forest (wild lifers) must have got a detailed version about what has happened & discussion are in full throttle on all wildlife WhatsApp groups & opinions are being posted on FB & Twitter & Insta & so it will be for a week maximum & the fizz will be over! Forest dept (read as Govt) is silent ( read as mum) as usual except the Tiger Census process has been halted in Maharashtra State's forests (is what I assume), eventually a detailed report will be submitted which no one will care to read but a report is a must as a lady forest guard's death has been happened & some compensation will be given to her family (by the time I was writing this Hon CM has announced Rs 15 lakhs aid for the deceased forest guard’s family & assured job in Forest dept to her husband), that’s all & life in the jungle will be back to normal soon! I just want to ask a question to the entire system (read as society) of which I know the answer already: are we ever going to learn any lesson from such incidents or not?

Indeed, forests are like silent war zone where struggle for survival is always on though most of the time it's not animals vs. humans but humans vs. humans only i.e., humans protecting animals vs. humans trying to kill (or say wipe out) the animals but rarely an animal kills the humans that too from the lot which is for their own protection! Yet we can’t blame the animal which in this case is a tigress, Maya. My sharing is not to blame anybody (certainly not the tigress) though by now there are already demands or cries to relocate or shift Maya to the zoo as it's her fourth kill though none of them was a deliberate attempt to kill a human for sure! Many people are attributing the cause of this attack to disturbance to the wildlife which again is a false claim as for decades now in & around Tadoba tigers & humans are living peacefully! Indeed, there has been maximum human lives lost in tiger’s attacks in Chandrapur District where Tadoba is located but then there only has been maximum deaths of tigers too & only because of the humans, so the coin is balanced evenly! And no wonder with nearly 150 tigers roaming around in a region with a population of two lakhs plus, surrounding Tadoba forest, man-animal conflicts are bound to happen. But what happened with the lady forest guard in Tadoba could have been avoided is what I feel that's why this sharing & not to blame anybody!

First and foremost, most people, even the wild lifers may not be knowing about Transit Line (pardon me for spelling) Survey in Census of wildlife in forests i.e., counting numbers of animals along with details about habitat. There are many ways of doing census of wild life & most people know the one in which teams are supposed to be stationed at Machans near water holes & count the animals coming for drinking water. Then there are camera traps which are on round the year & data is collected about movement of wild animals captured in them. The oldest & very basic one is, Transit Line Method. In this system a team of three or four people is engaged at one location & the entire forest is divided in segments. From one point the team is supposed to start in a particular direction & traverse the forest in a single strait line for four kilometres & at every interval of say 200 meters collect data about wildlife around that point & record it. This includes collecting droppings of wild animals, noting down flora & fauna as well note down signs of existence of wildlife such as markings on trees of a tiger or sloth bear or roars of tiger also & of course, actual sighting of wild animals! And though I never give my own example in any of my sharing yet here I want to tell the readers I have done this Transit Line Census by staying in the core area of Kanha forest as a volunteer to forest dept & I remember to fill a form for being fully responsible by myself for any attack by any wild animal of mishap during the census. And this is why I know the incidence which happened at Tadoba could have happened & can happen anywhere in the forests with animals like tigers & elephants, such is the way this census is done!

This Transit method of census of wild life has probably invented by the British in the era of no digital technology & I really wonder what’s the need of doing such on feet survey when you have Drone at your service which can give you details of every sq. inch of any forest! And if at all you want to make humans at your service (read as forest dept staff) do it physically then at least give them basic safety measures such as flare Gun or Actual gun which can be used in case of emergency to protect human life as well animals too! As today it was a tiger, imagine what it could have been if a Tusker (Elephant with tusk) has encountered such census team, the entire team would have got killed, right? And you can’t blame the animals as even if it's Tara & Maya like tigresses which have grown up seeing humans around, yet they are wild animals first, this we shouldn’t forget! As this wasn’t first case of on duty forest staffer got killed by wild animal, to my knowledge few years back on the Wild Life Day itself, Field Director of Mrudumalai (pardon me if wrong park) Forest got killed by attack of wild mother elephant when the forest team has gone to inspect the death of a baby elephant & there are few more such cases in past.

First aspect of the incident is, over-friendliness of forest people with wild animals & with due respect I have witnessed this not just in Tadoba but at few other Tiger Parks also, where the ground level staff (especially guards) gets overconfident about behaviour of tiger & take them for granted! Getting too close to them on foot or being casual with presence of wild animals around & here is where the system (read as forest dept) is weak on training their staff properly about etiquettes & manners in the forests. Many will consider this statement rude or blunt but you can’t afford to be casual at any time in the forest however time you have spent in there & this has been repeatedly mentioned by none other than Jim Corbett who has spent his entire life in forests, full of tigers! Another thing is changing with the times as when you know you have tigers roaming in the forest is foot patrolling or census safe way, high time to think. Especially when Maya (the tigress) has already been known to kill census staff in the recent past during the census! As well the forest staff need to study & know about animals they are dealing with as a tigress can be extremely dangerous when in search of a partner or during mating or with small cubs along & can attack on slightest provocation! These are very basic things even a tourist should know & we are referring to forest staff which has to do their duty along with the tigers, they can’t afford such ignorance, right? And most importantly, the census team, three or four of them must stick around at such times because a tiger rarely dares to attack a group of humans, however angry it may be! Though I respect & understand the panic (or fear), when a tiger charges towards you, roaring & growling, it's easy to say stick or stand together in theory while in reality even I would have been the first to break & run from the group at such times, but then here is where proper & continuous training comes in the picture, right?

Lastly, keeping every respect for the lost life of the forest guard, sad fact is, today one tiger killed one human & we are all gung-ho over the incidence and here in the city, every day humans murder humans & nobody cares a bit about it! So, I just want to appeal something to every wildlife lover, NGOs, Environmentalists, Forest depot & Mai Bap Govt as well Super Gods i.e., Judicial System, please join hands & make a policy by virtue of which more & more people & not just forest dept staff will have exposure of the forests & wild animals & then formulate a proper system, where tigers (symbolic) & humans will stay at peace together, this is the only way to save lives of both, humans & the tigers & we owe that to the wild life!

 

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Sanjay Deshpande 

Sanjeevani Dev.

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

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4xX7eopH5o&t=5s

 

Please do visit my blog links below to read about real estate & home buying! 

https://visonoflife.blogspot.com/2021/09/choosing-right-home.html

http://jivnachadrushtikon.blogspot.com/2021/09/blog-post_21.html

Creating Togetherness; team Sanjeevani Way (Click link below) 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/65629150@N06/albums/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

Fire, Government & People!

 

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“All the tools, techniques and technology in the world are nothing without the head, heart and hands to use them wisely, kindly and mindfully” … Rasheed Ogunlaru

 

Rasheed Ogunlaru is an acclaimed life, business and corporate coach, whose simple “become who you are” approach has helped countless business owners connect with themselves, their businesses and their customers. His background spans over 20 years in coaching, training, media, PR and performance enhancing. And no wonder he meant the above word which are so opt for my sharing though the quote is about the system & the sharing is about a recent mishap (I mean one of many) & the “Tamasha” (as usual) displayed post that mishap, yet Rasheed exactly pinpoints the crux of repeated failures to avoid mishaps by the system we call The Govt! Ok, if you are wondering which mishap, I am referring to, then it's none other than fire (once again) this time in the ICU of Govt Hospital at Nagar, a major district place in Central Maharashtra & causing deaths of eleven patients admitted in ICU. As usual there are findings, allegations & counter allegations, suspensions (of the few unlucky officials) & precessions against the suspensions, inquiry commission & fire audits undertaken & so on but one thing now people (common man) understands that this all-post action is nothing but to cover up the mess & finding a scapegoat for the mishap, that’s all! Actually, now the public is so used to the same that nobody takes this post fire mishap show seriously except the print media who constantly need something to fill their pages.

 

Now if you have got the gist of the sharing ahead then I won’t blame you, if you leave reading, but that’s the problem, whenever such mishap or accident or disaster (though, I won’t call any of these terms are right here) of fire happens, we either doesn’t read or read just as entertainment or we have nothing to read & forget about it! Again, I don’t blame those category people as when our rulers themselves behave in such fashion why blame the voters for the ignorant attitude except those whose close ones have lost lives in the fire mishap! Well, first & foremost, the recent fire at the hospital's ICU claiming eleven lives is neither an accident, nor a disaster, mishap it indeed is as it does cost many people a great loss! Rather pardon me if I am too blunt or harsh (I am) but with due respect, such fire incidences are like a Mass Murder & not just few men or women (whose jobs have been lost by now) but each of us is responsible for this Mass Murder thing & if you don’t agree or think I am too radical then do read ahead as that’s why this sharing is about. At the same time today it's some govt (public) hospital in a district place, yesterday it was a private hospital & tomorrow it can be your office or apartment also which will become a victim of mass murdering fire, that you can avoid if you read further, your choice guys!

 

Oh, yes, in the very same week when the newspaper front page & centre page was full with statements (read as jokes) from the ministers & senior officers about the fire, there was one news story about Delhi’s Cinema Hall fire, way back in 1997. That fire took 59 lives & left over hundred people seriously injured & after a legal battle of 24 years, the owners of said cinema hall (unfortunately builders too) Sushil & Gopal Ansals have been declared as guilty for negligence in building the cinema hall as well for the lacunas in maintaining fire safety norms & sentenced for 15 years by Delhi High Court! Some silver lining as usually it's very difficult to prove such charges & frame the culprits, especially in fire mishaps & then do mind here the building was a private establishment so the entire system (read as govt) got united & took the Ansals’ to verdict. Though I wonder if the builder/owners of the cinema were declared as guilty for safety lapses then what about the fire dept or other such depts’ which were & are supposed to check these safety norms periodically, well that’s different aspect so sometime next about it! In the recent case it’s a govt establishment i.e., the hospital was owned by the Mai Baap govt itself, now the cliché is whom the system should hang as guilty, very difficult & complicated aspect, right? As the system which is supposed to maintain safety is part of the system, the system which is supposed to cross check or supervise the system is taking proper precaution is also part of the system, the system which will be framing charges & pointing guilty faces is also part of the system & the system which will listen to the arguments & give verdict is also a system by itself! Confused? Well, all the concerned parties in this hospital fire mishap are part of the govt itself which is supposed to keep the citizens safe, so now the big question is which dept to be blamed & which to make as scapegoat, is the problem for the bosses in the govt!

 

As usual because the fire was in public (read as govt) hospital, the fire dept of the said city issued a statement that the fire audit hasn’t been done of the hospital for last three years (read as never been done) & they have pointed out lacunas of safety measures in case of fire which as usual has been neglected by the concerned dept as well claimed the reason of the fire was due to faulty electric wiring as well its maintenance. The concerned dept which in this case is public health dept immediately (via its Minister) gave a statement that funds required for the fire safety measures were demanded by public health dept but the file wasn’t cleared by none other than Hon CM’s dept. The police checked CCTV footage of ICU & found some junior doctors & nurses guilty, saying they tried to save their own lives first instead of the patients! The public works dept which is supposedly responsible for maintenance of electric wiring & such things shrugged their responsibility claiming it's due to a false ceiling in the ICU which was the cause of air getting trapped & heat which caused short circuit & the blame game is still going on. Oh yes, few junior doctors & nurses are suspended, few even got arrested also & the Chief Medical Office got an anticipatory bail too, safeguarding him against arrest & show is on!

The outcome, whatever it may be, is not going to bring back lives of the diseased neither one is saying this has been deliberately done by the said staff but the main question remains, are we not going to ever learn from any of such fire incidences (read as mishaps)? As I said, private or govt, any public place is responsibility of every individual, right from the people (read as citizens) who are part of such place in any way & we all have a role to play in following safety measures as well training of how to behave or act at the time of the fire & we all are negligent & ignorant about our own lives is a fact! If you think again this is a very blunt statement then answer my few questions below, this test is for the common man (you & me) & to the respective govt authorities or dept…

1.Dear Common Man; as a user (citizen) of any public place such as hospital or cinema hall while you are using it have you check for safety infrastructure in-case of mishap such as fire & if you do so & found lapse in the safety measures have you complained to the concerned authorities about it ever/

2.Dear Common Man; while you are visiting such places do you know what to do in-case of fire (or earthquake or flood), have you taken any training about handling such incidents as a victim & if not have you taken any effort to get knowledge about such training sessions by yourself?

3. Dear Common Man; let’s leave the cinema hall or hospital, have you checked fire safety measures in your work premise or at residence (society/apartment, you living in) & is fire audit getting done periodically at these two places which are part of your daily routine?

4. For the fire dept (not just of Nagar city); who has stopped you to do a check of fire safety norms in place, on your own of the sensitive public places like cinema hall & public hospital in your city? And if you have found lacunas, why don't you seal these places on your own after finding serious lacunas in fire safety than waiting for a mishap to happen?

5. To all the fire dept’s personnel; how many surprise checks you conduct in your jurisdiction of the public places about fire safety norms & publish this information about the outcome of such checks? How many times on your own have you arranged a mock drill of fire at such places? Have you any scheme of training private, public establishments or common people about how to act in case of fire & if so, does this information you have tried to post of social media to make people aware about it/

6. To public health dept personnel & Hon Minister, have you followed the matter of funds pending from CM office for setting up of fire safety infra personally with Hon CM or his good office in recent past & if so, why didn’t you went to media about inability of CM office for releasing these essential funds for safety infra?

7. Public Health Dept; how many such hospitals are there without any fire safety infra in place & why are you still allowing patients to be admitted in them till the fire safety norms gets fulfilled? As well, has any training been given to the staff of said hospital where fire happened & if not why you are holding them responsible for not saving other’s lives?

9. Public Works Dept; Who is responsible for the maintenance of fire safety infrastructure of all the establishments under your jurisdiction & who has stopped you for doing the same on their own & how you start or allow the use of such premises if basic safety norms are not in place?

10. And yes, the News Media; why every time you guys have to raise hell after a mishap, does the journalism also is whistle blower’s job too, so why on your own you can’t find out the lacunas in the system & blow the whistle on your own about such negligence & ignorance of the society & not just some govt dept?

Lastly Hon CM Sir; how many more lives we will allow to perish in such blame game which starts only after any mishap & loss of innocent (read as ignorant too) lives & vanishes as the TRP of the news reduces & wait for next mishap, is the question for you as you are supposed to be the heart, brain & soul of the system we call govt, right?

Friends, I think if you have read my sharing till the last question then, whomsoever you may i.e., a private employee, a govt servant or even a housewife; either forget whatever you have read & wait till you yourself or your close one becomes the victim of some fire mishap or get aware & think what I have wrote for your role & act as then somewhere some life will be saved, your choice only!

-

Sanjay Deshpande 

Sanjeevani Dev.

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

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4xX7eopH5o&t=5s

 

Please do visit my blog links below to read about real estate & home buying! 

https://visonoflife.blogspot.com/2021/09/choosing-right-home.html

http://jivnachadrushtikon.blogspot.com/

Creating Togetherness; team Sanjeevani Way (Click link below) 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/65629150@N06/albums/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

Real Estate, Kamjor Kadis' & Government!

 

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I don't look to jump over 7-foot bars: I look around for 1-foot bars that I can step over... Warren Buffett

 

Well, well, well when the subject is finance that too for real estate, who better than this man's quote I could have used & if you don't know the name Warren Buffett, then it's off if you stop reading this sharing right here. As, what's the point in explaining an address of a temple to a non-believer of the god, right? So, when the subject is related to the real estate & its finance or say economics it’s not just because he is one of the richest people so I used Mr. Buffett's quote but by me he is a visionary & a philosopher (actually) is why I used his words. Another thing when it comes to finance or economics, I myself is the dumbest of the students in the class of business & its words of wisdom (philosophy) about doing the business which has helped to remain afloat & survive. And it’s in doing so I could think a little by myself about the weakest links (kamjor kadis’) of this industry which for a long time has been the Super Star of the money-making industries! Here I used the term Super Star as analogy for many entrepreneurs or aspirant to become one , the way when someone wants to go for the best of academics he (or she) opt for IITs' or IIM"s or if someone wants to make a sure 100 crore film (read as super hit), then he makes it with Salman Khan or Akshay kumar as lead role (well, these names also can tank, that's different aspect), same way ask any youngster in big city (Pune for e.g.) who wants to make money (and fast) & his dream of aim will be becoming a builder i.e. real estater! 

 

Unfortunately making just money can’t be target of any business (read as, right target), this again I have realized by reading wisdom words from Buffett's; & his likes only but then words of wisdom seldom go to deaf ear when your aim is only money making & real estate isn't exception to this law of human psychology! Now, if you are thinking why this sudden gyan.com, then it’s because of three things happened post lockdown in Pune (and in general on horizon of real estate) & they were sudden advertises or say sale boom in real estate which you can see in every form of media, like there was frenzy to sale the homes of all formats i.e., flats, plots, shops offices etc. Then there is news which as usual no one paid much attention about except some wise people (in real estate) & it was about concern over the hike in construction materials such as cement & steel which is substantial in compare to last year’s prices i.e., nearly 40% to 50% hike & its impact on the construction costs as well end product prices i.e., flat's prices. Lastly, there was news about the arrest of an retired Chairman of State Bank of India (India's number one & biggest bank) for a loan proposal of mere Rs 17 crores (for SBI scale, I meant) that to six years back which involved local builder’s project's finance & this happened in Rajasthan! Oh, yes & one more thing, nearly every financial institute has lowered their interest rates on the home finances, this also was news in the media. Now, one will ask, what's the link between all these & if at all any connection is there then what's big deal, this happens with any industry, right?

 

Well, agreed like Shahrukh Khan said in a film, "Bade bade Shaharome, Chote Chote Hadase Hote Rahete Hai" i.e. in big cities , small accidents keeps happening but then first does real estate is considered as industry in first place by the govt & indeed its biggest business or turnover trade if not industry  whatever is happening it’s not small accident but a catastrophe actually i.e. Tsunami or Avalanche, which is or will cause big damage, this is the link of all above incidents & my object of the writings! As, look at the first aspect, the lockdown has hit real estate in many ways especially in Pune or say Maharashtra region, apart from labour crisis due to extended lockdown period the real estate depends majorly on the service class & this is the segment which got hit most. There were & are lay-offs as well revised (read as reduced) salary structures all of which is direct (and negative) impact on buying capacity of the real estate's clients. And more than that the entire negative emotions or mind set which was the biggest enemy but fortunately with efforts of all (and blessings) the situation in & around Pune region on public health front at large started improving faster than other regions & immediately the effect reflected on real estate front also (positive this time). And indeed, the lockdown & pandemic has its own impact on the mindsets of buyers but it’s a boon in a way as it has made most of them realize that it's “the Time" to buy a home of their own in & around Pune because one rates are at their best to buy & more than that Pune region offers one of the most ideal surrounding for a home rather permanent home is proper term!  Right from jobs (salary may be a bit less but a job matters most) to public health infrastructure for the seniors in the home everything is perfect & outcome is more & more people are turning to buying a home for their own & fast & a ready possession or nearing possession home is what they want! This means the builder has to buy a land with his funds, get it sanctioned, spend on construction cost, marketing costs & then only wait for the clients, mind it builders, it’s not a cake walk anymore ahead!

 

Now you will ask, it’s a good thing for real estate & builders that people are buying homes so what is my problem now, right? Well, every coin has two sides & if people are buying homes is the good side then affordability of those homes from construction cost & finance cost is the bad side of the coin is my concern for real estate! As people are buying flats but they are negotiating till the builder bleeds is a fact & I won’t blame people as their budget is a matter of concern for them & not builder's bleeding!  At the same time every other industry seems to take out the losses which the lockdown period has made from other industry & as real estate industry is dependent on hundreds of other products for making a home, it has become like a "Punching Bag" to absorb losses of other industries (and even that of the govt also)! Every material from tiles to generators to plumbing fittings & not just cement & steel has got a price hike (thanks to sky rocketing fuel prices) & home rates are expected to get reduced by the home buyers! And not just materials but the labour rates are also nearly doubled as real estate industry up to a certain level can’t be mechanized; like auto industry as you can't plaster the walls by a CNC machine neither you can fix taps by a robot nor you can do waterproofing with a drone, right? And labour costs also make a significant part of total construction cost for the real estate industry adding to the making cost of a home! 

Last salvo fired on the real estate is finance cost (if you get finance in the first place) here is the third incidence or news about arrest of Ex-Chairman of SBI in the matter of real estate finance case comes in the picture! I am not justifying wrongdoings of a system but already builders are treated like "Step-Sons" by most of the nationalized banks (read as small or general builders & not the big ones) is a known fact! And on top of it, if senior bank officers are going to send behind the bars for loan sanctions to the builders (read as wrong loans) then you need not have to be a fortune teller to tell the impact of this news on the mindsets of banking system when it’s a loan proposal of a builder! Outcome is builders have to surrender to loan sharks for a phenomenal rate of interest making the entire ship sink under the burden of hiked construction costs, high interest rates & low sale rate & govt blames builders for making the homes costly! 

 

Why doesn't the govt which is so keen on regularizing real estate & taking lead in forming RERA authority take some steps in controlling material prices also of real estate & makes enough finance available at the rate of home loans, is my basic question not just as a builder or engineer but as a common man? Because, which industry or business accepts or bears (read as pays from own pocket) any overhead or burden on its manufacturing costs by compromising profits & if some business does so, we all know its end, correct?  High time the govt understands these "kamjor kadis" of the real estate & act proactively to strengthen it or else there will be regulatory authority for the builders but no builders left (read as good builders) for the regulation, mind it (Builders too, mind it)!! 

--

Sanjay Deshpande 

Sanjeevani Dev.

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

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4xX7eopH5o&t=5s

 

Please do visit my blog links below to read about real estate & home buying! 

https://visonoflife.blogspot.com/2021/09/choosing-right-home.html

http://jivnachadrushtikon.blogspot.com/

Creating Togetherness; team Sanjeevani Way (Click link below) 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/65629150@N06/albums/72157627904681345

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