Understanding Real Estate as an Industry!

 

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“More business is lost every year through neglect than through any other cause” … Rose Kennedy

Rose Elizabeth Fitzgerald Kennedy was an American philanthropist, socialite, and matriarch of the Kennedy family. She was deeply embedded in the "lace curtain" Irish American community in Boston. Not much is known about Rose except such wonderful quotes which are an eyeopener but when it’s the case of our rulers (I am not saying politicians) then you can open only the doors which are closed & eyes (read as senses) is one such! If you think this is one more start of a sharing which put forward problems of some industry then you are right but not some industries but real estate which is one of the biggest money spinners for all those who are related to it & yet this industry deals with most basic need of human being i.e., a home! Recently I came across some news (many actually) which said our ex Dy Chief minister started meeting society’s people in Pune & PCMC region to understand their problems related to their building (read as problems by their builder). As well, the Hon Dy CM also appealed to govt (read as present govt) about increasing the quota of water for Pune & PCMC considering the increased population. Taking cues from this, many political leaders started meeting residents of various societies & inquiring about any problems they have from the govt) present govt) about infrastructure as well as from their builders. Means, is there any problem in water supply or road or public transport (as usual) & has the builder fulfilled his commitments etc etc! Media also promptly covered all this circus (sorry, that's the only term I can use) of political figures & I can’t blame them, they have to sell their newspapers after all & then the circus show was for the people & not for some businessmen, right? Oh yes then there was a big row about some very big business / industry going out of Maharashtra State & choosing Gujarat for setting their plant. And the last news was that the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh was in Pune to meet businessmen here & asking them to come to MP for setting up businesses as well industries & MP govt will support them on all fronts!

Great going, now, about our Ex-Dy. CM meeting citizens (flat holders of the societies), elections are close by of Municipal Corporation of Pune & PCMC & such meetings will keep happening. And about CM of MP, that’s his job to get investment in his State so he will promote his State to businessmen here & about taking some industrial plant to Gujarat, its business decision of the respective group where to set their new plant, so what’s so special in all above things & more important about connection with real estate of all such things!  Special is the difference in the attitude of the rulers of our State especially towards real estate & its businessmen (read as builders) & that is directly related to the future of real estate! First & foremost, look at the attitude of rulers of other State, I don’t say they are far better than ours as the grass always looks greener on the other side but what about the grass here which is dying already? All those Ex Ministers which were ruling at local level & at State level for years, why they couldn’t solve the problems (read as hurdles) in front of real estate of Pune region & the list is long as well increasing by day! Water is a major issue & every local body conveniently puts that responsibility on the builders which is sheer unjust! Why today you are saying to increase the quota of the water for Pune & PCMC & PMRDA when so many years you didn’t do anything about it & this is applicable to the present govt in ruling too! As today they are sitting in the chair & on so many decisions related to the real estate & tomorrow when they will be Ex Govt, they too will start crying about this should be done & that should be done song! People really are frustrated with this game & so are builders but unfortunate that we can’t have govt which will actually look at issues & give decisions along with actions which are practical!

And now for last six months there is no local elected body yet the issues like property tax charging to commercial spaces are going haywire along with issues like TDR/ Metro premium charges as well fire premiums, so many things are unclear or irrationally charged & nobody is there to give a rational hearing to the builders is a fact! The RERA word is now bigger than National Security as when their website gets hanged or RERA application form needs so many improvements considering practical difficulties, that no one is interested in but everybody wants real estate people to behave good & perfect! I am not justifying wrongdoings or bad characters in real estate but that doesn’t mean the entire industry is bad & should be ignored or don’t have any operational policy problems, is my point. Here in Pune any govt institute wakes up from sleep & issues stop work to on-going projects while the sanctioning authority of such projects just shrugs their shoulders & turns a blind eye & deaf ear towards the legal plea of the suffered builder & so does the judicially! Right from defence establishments to airport authorities & now the Jail (Yeravda prison) authorities also have joined the league of work stop monsters (sorry but that's the only word that comes to my mind as a businessman). As one fine morning you get a letter from some authority that your building is a threat or obstruction to them by their laws so your work is stopped, that’s all! Imagine what a common small-time builder (even the big one also) will do at such times & here no politician ruler will try to help real estate taking the lead to sort out the matter in the right way! Here the electric supply company with all due respect to their efficient officer team is helpless on the front of improving their infrastructure due to unavailability of funds from State & burden of the infrastructure costing has to be borne by the real-estate (read as builders & clients) but the blame goes the builders & no ruler (read as politician) is interested in solving this issue but blames builders for charging exorbitant money for MSBB meters from the flat buyers, great!

And then there is issue of TDR on 6m wide roads as well hundreds of files are pending for getting a node on 9 m road rules but again nobody is taking a clear stand on it. The scene of public transport in the city is pathetic, everyday thousands of new private vehicles are pouring down on the roads & yet local planning authorities are busy in increasing parking norms making planning of building unviable. More parking space will lead to more cars is a simple logic yet nobody takes a stand on this & on top of it planning authority asks for creating more parking spaces for Electric Vehicles, when in every existing parking lot only charging arrangement can be done. Right from garbage collection to treatment to tree cutting on every front there is chaos as well delay & yet builders are at blame, that’s how the system works!  The environment dept. which has to be in sync with urban planning also comes up with weirdest ideas & planning authority blindly dumps all those in the form of policies on real estate which is getting murdered everyday newly & Urban Dev dept is with non-other than Hon CM who seems to be un accessible for the real estate & like most other rulers he also must be thinking what problems there can to the builders!

Frds, real estate is one of the most important industries for the society as it’s the homes built by real estate which actually are responsible for getting the prosperity & peace in the society. As well, if you want jobs along with the industries to prosper in the Pune region then we need to have a proper social as well as physical infrastructure for the people working in all these industries of which real estate is an inherent part. And to achieve this, all that the rulers (as well ex rulers) have to do is, provide an open mind for making the right policies of real estate. Fortunately (or unfortunately) real estate is not an industry which can be moved out of the State due to poor policies or treatment to the industry but we to move out of the State isn’t the only way by which the State (or the system) loses an industry & its advantage, dear rulers please do mind & act before it's too late for real estate!

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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 / https://junglebelles.in/