Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority (MTPA) today said that it is aiming to double its annual tourist arrivals from India to one lakh by 2015.With India being the strategic market, the tourism board would expand the product offering of the destination through a gamut of integrated destination marketing initiatives, it said.In a bid to consolidate its presence in India market, Vijaye Haulder, Deputy Director, Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority is leading a travel business delegation of about 24 prominent organisations comprising of hoteliers, ground handling agents and service providers from Mauritius, a statement issued here said."Mauritius has received a prominent increase in the average per person spent by Indian Travellers, contributing significantly to the Tourism Receipts of the destination. The spending power of an Indian Traveller to the destination has doubled to USD 360 per person per day indicating a positive consumption trend. We are committed to a greater destination visibility by enhancing the awareness quotient of the destination and positioning Mauritius as a lifestyle statement, must to visit destination," the statement said.
Following the imposition of minimum alternate tax and global economic uncertainties, Ansal SEZ Projects has approached the government seeking to surrender its special economic zone (SEZ) in Gurgaon. The request for denotification of the SEZ will be placed before the Board of Approval (BoA), which is ...
Following the imposition of minimum alternate tax and global economic uncertainties, Ansal SEZ Projects has approached the government seeking to surrender its special economic zone (SEZ) in Gurgaon. The request for denotification of the SEZ will be placed before the Board of Approval (BoA), which is scheduled to meet on May 22.
"The developer (Ansal) has requested for denotification of the (IT/ITeS) SEZ due to economic meltdown, lack of demand andimposition of minimum alternate tax (MAT) and dividend distribution tax (DDT)," the BoA agenda said.
The BoA, headed by Commerce Secretary Rahul Khullar, will also consider the requests of developers like Uttam Galva Steels,Mumbai SEZ Ltd and Mahindra and Mahindra which have sought more time to execute their projects. In addition, another 10 developers have asked for more time for their projects.
The Board has approved 46 cases of de-notification since December 2008 to March 15 this year.
An approximate of 400 road over bridges (ROBs), road under bridges (RUBs) and Limited Height Subways (LHSs) will be constructed by the North Central Railway (NCR) zone. This will involve removal of crossing points connecting road and rail traffic on the level-crossings. This act has been taken up to ...
An approximate of 400 road over bridges (ROBs), road under bridges (RUBs) and Limited Height Subways (LHSs) will be constructed by the North Central Railway (NCR) zone. This will involve removal of crossing points connecting road and rail traffic on the level-crossings. This act has been taken up to lessen accidents and improve the train movement said railway officials. The Chief Public Relations Officer of NCR, Sandeep Mathur added that this should be completed within three to four years.
The NCR zone, which consists of Allahabad, Jhansi and Agra divisions, is counted to be amongst the most engaging zone; for the most part it is the Howrah-Delhi route. This route extends from Mughal Sarai (in Chandauli district near Varanasi) to Delhi, at the same time Jhansi and Agra divisions extend from Bina (in Madhya Pradesh) to Palwal (in Haryana). Accordingly Mathur stated that “For this year, only nominal amounts have been sanctioned to prepare the surveys, drawings and feasibility reports.” In alllikelihood more funds will be added because last year, the zone got seven ROBs, four RUBs and three LHSs. This will help the train to move without any disruptions and add to the reliability and regularity of trains.
There are over 650 manned level crossings across the zone, along with more than 450 unmanned level crossings. “But so far, most of the major crossings will be covered under these 391 structures. A large number of crossings are also on the branch lines. But there, neither the road traffic nor the rail traffic is too heavy,” said an NCR official.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development has proposed tougher norms for acquiring land for industrial use, as it finalised the new Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill. In a report due to be tabled in the House on 17 May proposes a more stringent definition of 'pub ...
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development has proposed tougher norms for acquiring land for industrial use, as it finalised the new Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill. In a report due to be tabled in the House on 17 May proposes a more stringent definition of 'public purpose' to ensure that the government does not acquire land for private businesses.
According to the report, the government should not acquire any land for infrastructure and projects executed under public-private partnerships.
The committee has suggested that land acquisition for any purpose should be brought under the purview of the proposed legislation, which currently exempts land acquired under 16 Acts listed in the Fourth Schedule from its ambit.
The 16 Acts include the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958; the Atomic Energy Act, 1962; the Cantonments Act, 2006; the Metro Railways (Construction of Works) Act, 1978; the National Highways Act, 1956; the SEZ Act, 2005; the Railways Act, 1989 and the Works of Defence Act, 1903.
The committee has said that any conflicting legislation should be altered to align with its proposed legislation. It has unanimously proposed that the exemption should not be permitted as most of the land acquisition takes place in the mining, power and other infrastructure sectors, and would find exemption under one or the other legislationslisted in the Fourth Schedule.
The committee is of the opinion that the government shouldn't acquire any land that will be used 'for profit'. Since the government can acquire land citing 'public purpose' under prevailing norms, a tighter definition of this clause is required, the committee has proposed, arguing that all economic development can be explained away as public purpose.
If the bill is accepted, it will spell major setback to the projects proposed on PPP models and for industrial development in the country. The industry has been lobbying for an expansion of the clause of 'public purpose'. CII has said that 'public purpose' should "be adequately expanded to empower the state to acquire land not only for infrastructure or defence purposes but also for developing land for potential use by private sector-led industrial, commercial or institutional purposes, creating wealth and employment".
The Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation (Mhupa) is framing an affordable housing policy, which is likely to be finalised in two months. The new policy would attract the developers and meet the shortage of around 25 million houses in India.
Earlier, the Union Budget had announ ...
The Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation (Mhupa) is framing an affordable housing policy, which is likely to be finalised in two months. The new policy would attract the developers and meet the shortage of around 25 million houses in India.
Earlier, the Union Budget had announced access to external commercial borrowing (ECB) for affordable housing, however, the industry wasn't excited due to low margins in this category. The policy will include increasing the floor space index (external commercial borrowing) and easing of density norms. Compulsory parking lot norms will also be relaxed.
"We realise that ECB will work only if affordable housing is attractive. Therefore, we are coming up with this policy as a package, along with ECB, in the segment on the linesof what the Rajasthan government has done. The policy will have provision for interest subsidy and capital subsidy to builders," said an official at Mhupa.
Besides, the new housing policy will also say that government land will be auctioned and given to those developers who promise to build the highest number of units for the economically weaker section (EWS) and for the low income group (LIG). The ministry defines affordable housing at 300 sq ft for EWS, 500 sq ft for LIG and 600-1,200 sq ft for the middle income group (MIG).
Also, a mechanism to get clearances will be simplified, in place of the present 20-25 separate clearances.
Odisha state government is looking forward to build houses in urban areas of the state for the economically weaker sections (EWS). These flats are set to be available at Rs 3 lakh. The low income groups (LIG) will get flats for 5 lakh with an EMI in the range of 2,400 to 2,600 per month. At present, ...
Odisha state government is looking forward to build houses in urban areas of the state for the economically weaker sections (EWS). These flats are set to be available at Rs 3 lakh. The low income groups (LIG) will get flats for 5 lakh with an EMI in the range of 2,400 to 2,600 per month. At present, one BHK flats in cities such as Bhubaneswar are hardly available below 5 lakh, reports agency.
In this regard, the state government has floated a proposal for affordable housing under which the EWS beneficiaries and BPL card holders will not have to pay more than 1,000 as equated monthly installment (EMI) while buying a house, the report said.
The government also intends to earmark 40% of the total land of affordable housing projects for the EWS. While 30% of the total land of such projects would be for LIG, developers can use the rest 30% for catering to middle income group (MIG), high income group (HIG) and commercial customers. The developers have to provide common bathroom and toilets in each block of EWS houses.
In the first phase of the project, the government plans these affordable housing projects in Cuttack, Bhubaneswar, Berhampur, Sambalpur, Jharsuguda, Rourkela, Angul, Puri, Balasore and Paradip. Other urban local bodies will be free to undertake such housing projects if viable, the report added.
The Welspun Group-led consortium has agreed to bring down the grant amount it had earlier sought from the Kerala government to operate the Vizhinjam Container Transshipment Terminal.
The consortium, which had earlier asked for a grant of 479 crore, has agreed to lower the amount by 20 crore after t ...
The Welspun Group-led consortium has agreed to bring down the grant amount it had earlier sought from the Kerala government to operate the Vizhinjam Container Transshipment Terminal.
The consortium, which had earlier asked for a grant of 479 crore, has agreed to lower the amount by 20 crore after the Kerala government asked it to reconsider the bid, report Economic Times.
"They (Welspun) have told us that they can bring down the grant amount by 20 crore and once the EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) contract is finalised, they can bring it down by another 20 crore, if they manage to win that project as well," AS Suresh Babu, MD, Vizhinjam Port said.
A consortium led by Welspun group was the only one to submit bids for the Vizhinjam terminal project after the home ministry denied security clearance to Adani group-controlled Mundra Port.
Welspun's offer to lower the proposed grant amount has come after two meetings with a bid negotiation committee formed by the state government over the past weeks.
The Vizhinjam terminal, planned as a container transshipment hub with a capacity to handle 4.1 million TEUs (Twenty foot Equivalent Unit) a year, will be built on the so-called landlord model, where the state government will set up the infrastructure and invite an operator to run the port. In addition, the port is also planning to invite tenders for the break water construction, for which international agency AECOM has been appointed as advisor.
The port is now awaiting completion of environment impact analysis (EIA), which is being conducted by a consortium of L&T-Ramboll and Asian Consulting Engineers. TheEIA will assess the impact of a terminal on marine life and ecology, among others.
Since the bid was opened in February, the state government had formed an empowered committee led by the state chief secretary to evaluate the report submitted by project consultants, IFC, on the bid. After the report was submitted, the state government held discussions with the company to reconsider its demand. The Vizhinjam project has been delayed since 2004, when the government gave shape to the project and since then made two unsuccessful attempts to develop the port.
In 2006, a consortium of infrastructure firms led by Mumbai-based Zoom developers and three Chinese companies were picked by the state to develop the entire project, but was subsequently cancelled.
The delays have already pushed up the cost of the project by more than 60% because of escalating land and infrastructure costs.
The port is also looking to raise finance for the project. This includes the state government looking to raise 800 crore through a bond issue, while the developer Vizhinjam International has engaged SBI Caps to mop up 800 crore from leading financial institutions such as HUDCO and LIC.
Besides, a consortium led by State Bank of Travancore will bring in 300 while the state government has allowed a budgetary allocation of 250 crore.
"The team from Hudco will visit the project site and a final decision on financial infusion will be taken only after the EPC dredging contracts are cleared," said Suresh Babu.
Mill workers in the financial hub of the country, Mumbai are likely to get 3,592 tenements measuring 16,113sqm on the Bombay Dyeing mills land at Lower Parel and Wadala, if the high court verdict given on Friday comes through, reports DNA news paper.
Similarly, 10 other private and National Text ...
Mill workers in the financial hub of the country, Mumbai are likely to get 3,592 tenements measuring 16,113sqm on the Bombay Dyeing mills land at Lower Parel and Wadala, if the high court verdict given on Friday comes through, reports DNA news paper.
Similarly, 10 other private and National Textiles Corporation (NTC) mills owe nearly 16,194sqm of land, on which 4,397 more tenements could be built. Bombay Dyeing has the largest share of the land that is to be submitted to the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (Mhada), followed by Century Mills (9535sqm), Madhusudan Mills (3032sqm), Shrinivas Mills (2341sqm) and Prakash Cotton (2534sqm).
Of the 58 mills that have been defunct, 46 have submitted their redevelopment plans — 18 of these have surrendered one-third each of the land’s share to Mhada and the BMC as per provisions in the Development Control Rule (DCR). Of the rest of the mills, 11 are private and an equal number are owned by NTC.
The issue of false claim of the modernisation of the Bombay Dyeing mills was raised in the state assembly a few weeks ago, following which the state government hadissued a ‘stop work’ notice to the mill. The opposition claimed that the mills had kept only eight looms running with the help of 63 workers. It was also alleged that the due permission was not sought from the labour department, the report said.
According to an official from the urban development department said that they are trying to ensure speedy submission of the Mhada share of land of the mills undergoing development. “Mills like Century, Prakash, India United No 4 and Sitaram have submitted their lay outs to the municipal corporation and we expect them to submit the land soon,” he added.
The construction work of five underground stations on the Colaba-Bandra-SEEPZ underground metro is likely to be funded by private business houses and an export promotion wing of the central government, first of its kind endeavour. The cost of all the five stations is expected to be around Rs 1,000 c ...
The construction work of five underground stations on the Colaba-Bandra-SEEPZ underground metro is likely to be funded by private business houses and an export promotion wing of the central government, first of its kind endeavour. The cost of all the five stations is expected to be around Rs 1,000 crore.
The private companies are eying to fund the project as they feel it would help the business of these companies to flourish. Three of the stations, including Domestic Airport Station, the Sahar Road station and the International Airport Station, will be funded by Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL).
“The Metro and its respective stations will help the businesses around the area. Creation of the stations will not only help the city’s residents but will also be helping the business houses,” said additional metropolitan commissioner SVR Srinivas.
Similarly, the MMRDA has also turned to the Centre’s ministry of commerce to fund two stations, namely MIDC and SEEPZ — under the Assistance to States for Infrastructure Development for Exports (ASIDE), as a large number of export units are placed at these two places.
As per the scheme, the Centre provides help in creating infrastructure to facilitate unhindered production, to cut down the cost of production and make exports internationallycompetitive.
MIAL is keen on funding the stations as the Metro will help improve connectivity to the airport. It has however raised objection to MMRDA’s plans to not have Metro service at night when most international flights are scheduled for take-off. With MIAL willing to help build the stations in the airport area, MMRDA officials have shown willingness to solve this problem.
The Colaba-Bandra-SEEPZ underground Metro is Mumbai’s costliest infrastructure project till date. The MMRDA is planning to build the Metro with the help of funds from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
The state-owned Kerala State Housing Board’s (KSHB) project to enter into the real estate business has received poor response, reports agency.
Last year May, the first-of-its-kind project was started at Kowdiar. Of the 36 apartments, only 14 have found takers till now. The Board was planning to s ...
The state-owned Kerala State Housing Board’s (KSHB) project to enter into the real estate business has received poor response, reports agency.
Last year May, the first-of-its-kind project was started at Kowdiar. Of the 36 apartments, only 14 have found takers till now. The Board was planning to start similar kinds of projects at Ambalamukku, Panampilli Nagar in Kochi and Kannur.
These 36 apartments are coming up in two blocks in the heart of the city at Kowdiar. The ninth floor of the first block and eighth floor of the second block have been completed, said KSHB executive engineer Sajeev told IBN Live.
However, these projects would take-off only after analyzing the success of the first mega project here. When other builders allow black money for investment and register the flats at lower prices, KSHB, insists on completing the formalities at the rate fixed by the government, Arakkal BalakrishnaPillai, Board chairman, said.
Currently, these luxury apartments are sold at Rs 50-60 lakh, but the prices are increasing due to the escalating cost of building materials. There are plans to entrust the marketing with some outside agencies by providing them a small percentage of the total cost of the apartment. This would help the Board in selling all the apartments and go for future projects, the reports said.
Housing Development and Infrastructure Ltd (HDIL), the Mumbai-based real estate developer, will develop a 100 acre township in Noida - its first project outside its home turf Mumbai. According to Hari Prakash Pandey, vice-president, finance and investor relations, HDIL, the project will kick off in ...
Housing Development and Infrastructure Ltd (HDIL), the Mumbai-based real estate developer, will develop a 100 acre township in Noida - its first project outside its home turf Mumbai. According to Hari Prakash Pandey, vice-president, finance and investor relations, HDIL, the project will kick off in the next 8-10 days, as the firm has got the required approvals. “The township format has a villa kind of feel and both plots and villas will be sold,” Pandey told Livemint.
The project is crucial for HDIL which has not launched a single project since last April and requires the much-needed cash flow from fresh projects. HDIL badly needs fresh projects to generate cash flows to repay debt, which stood at about Rs.4,000 crore as of December.
In recent times, the company has also spoken about divesting some assets outside Mumbai to exit so-called non-core assets, something that largedevelopers such as DLF Ltd have done. It owns about 170 acres in and around Kochi and another 100 acres in Hyderabad.
Pandey said HDIL will soon launch a residential project in Mumbai’s Ghatkopar suburb, following the launch of a project last year in the suburb of Mulund. The Ghatkopar project, which will generate almost0.8 million sq. ft of saleable area, was delayed on account of approvals.
HDIL has to make sizeable repayments in the next 12 months, JP Morgan Asia Pacific Equity Research Report said in March.
“However, given policy issues in overall Mumbai real estate and specifically the airport project, work on the company’s ongoing projects has been slow over the last two-three quarters and the deliveries have been delayed,” it said.
As policy regulations gain clarity in Mumbai, the HDIL tried to sell assets and development rights of plots to reduce debt in the past year. Estimate pegs the earning at about Rs.1,400 crore in the past one year.
Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority (MTPA) today said that it is aiming to double its annual tourist arrivals from India to one lakh by 2015.With India being the strategic market, the tourism board would expand the product offering of the destination through a gamut of integrated destination marketing initiatives, it said.In a bid to consolidate its presence in India market, Vijaye Haulder, Deputy Director, Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority is leading a travel business delegation of about 24 prominent organisations comprising of hoteliers, ground handling agents and service providers from Mauritius, a statement issued here said."Mauritius has received a prominent increase in the average per person spent by Indian Travellers, contributing significantly to the Tourism Receipts of the destination. The spending power of an Indian Traveller to the destination has doubled to USD 360 per person per day indicating a positive consumption trend. We are committed to a greater destination visibility by enhancing the awareness quotient of the destination and positioning Mauritius as a lifestyle statement, must to visit destination," the statement said.
Following the imposition of minimum alternate tax and global economic uncertainties, Ansal SEZ Projects has approached the government seeking to surrender its special economic zone (SEZ) in Gurgaon. The request for denotification of the SEZ will be placed before the Board of Approval (BoA), which is ... 
An approximate of 400 road over bridges (ROBs), road under bridges (RUBs) and Limited Height Subways (LHSs) will be constructed by the North Central Railway (NCR) zone. This will involve removal of crossing points connecting road and rail traffic on the level-crossings. This act has been taken up to ... 
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development has proposed tougher norms for acquiring land for industrial use, as it finalised the new Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill. In a report due to be tabled in the House on 17 May proposes a more stringent definition of 'pub ... 
The Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation (Mhupa) is framing an affordable housing policy, which is likely to be finalised in two months. The new policy would attract the developers and meet the shortage of around 25 million houses in India.
Earlier, the Union Budget had announ ... 
Odisha state government is looking forward to build houses in urban areas of the state for the economically weaker sections (EWS). These flats are set to be available at Rs 3 lakh. The low income groups (LIG) will get flats for 5 lakh with an EMI in the range of 2,400 to 2,600 per month. At present, ... 
The Welspun Group-led consortium has agreed to bring down the grant amount it had earlier sought from the Kerala government to operate the Vizhinjam Container Transshipment Terminal.
The consortium, which had earlier asked for a grant of 479 crore, has agreed to lower the amount by 20 crore after t ... 
Mill workers in the financial hub of the country, Mumbai are likely to get 3,592 tenements measuring 16,113sqm on the Bombay Dyeing mills land at Lower Parel and Wadala, if the high court verdict given on Friday comes through, reports DNA news paper.
Similarly, 10 other private and National Text ... 
The construction work of five underground stations on the Colaba-Bandra-SEEPZ underground metro is likely to be funded by private business houses and an export promotion wing of the central government, first of its kind endeavour. The cost of all the five stations is expected to be around Rs 1,000 c ... 
The state-owned Kerala State Housing Board’s (KSHB) project to enter into the real estate business has received poor response, reports agency.
Last year May, the first-of-its-kind project was started at Kowdiar. Of the 36 apartments, only 14 have found takers till now. The Board was planning to s ... 
Housing Development and Infrastructure Ltd (HDIL), the Mumbai-based real estate developer, will develop a 100 acre township in Noida - its first project outside its home turf Mumbai. According to Hari Prakash Pandey, vice-president, finance and investor relations, HDIL, the project will kick off in ... 
The Technical University of Graz, Faculty of Architecture and IE School of Architecture & Design, Ma ...
Rogers Marvel Architects & Peter Walker and Partners will redesign Constitution Gardens east of the ...
The most drastic impact of this on the environment is the increased amount of post-consumption waste ...
Together, these illuminate the complex, ongoing interaction in Scolarias work between architecture a ...
The National Design Awards were conceived by the Smithsonianas Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum
