‘State-of-the-art Kalwa bridge to end traffic woes’

Is removal of water meter of the society legal? TMC workers had removed water meter from pride Paradise Society and after inquiry they showed e-work order of TMC. We asked them to justify the work being done but they said if the work is not done they might face ire from some affluent people from TMC and might loose their job
- Ivan D Souza, Pride Paradise

Normally, water meter, if legal, is not removed. The same will be enquired into and if anyone is found guilty, action will be taken. However, work of extending the pipeline at the fag end of this water district was taken up by TMC to restore water supply to Pride Paradise society.

It has become risky to travel at night due to rise in number of dogs. This has been the case since a year. We have dog lovers in our area, who feed the canine, but I am not sure whether they get the dogs vaccinated or not. When TMC men come, they are unable to catch any. I suggest that TMC take help from dog lovers in catching, vaccinating them and control ever-increasing population
-Manoj J Sharma, Swastik Residency Kavesar Ghodbunder Road

As per the Animal Birth Control Rules 2001 & Relocation Clause 7(6), the municipal corporation can undertake sterilisation of dogs and relocate them in the same area. The TMC is trying its best and around 46,000 dogs have been operated and vaccinated so far and dog birth is being tried to be brought under control. As per your suggestion, we will definitely seek help from animal lovers in this regard.

The road right in front of our building at Ovala Naka connects to main Ghodbunder road (in front of Honda showroom). It was dug-up a few months back for water pipeline related work. However, the filling up work has been left incomplete. Considering the well-constructed and maintained Ghodbunder Road and service road, this is disappointment and can cause bikers to skid/fall. Also, the road just beside footpath and main Ghodbunder Road is not levelled properly from Cosmos County to Ovala Naka, which can increase lane size and reduce congestion if levelled appropriately
-Ketan Gujkar a resident

The work in question had been undertaken by Mira-Bhayander Municipal Corporation with permission from the MSRDC. The work, however, had to be halted midway during the rainy season. We will now write to the MSRDC immediately to get the work done from Mira-Bhayandar Municipal Corporation at the earliest.

Request to take urgent steps to stop trucks plying through Kalwa since it is creating havoc in the evening while coming from office. We waste tremendous time and national property petrol and adding worst health problem due to pollution. It is a humble request to kindly save us and stop trucks plying through Kalwa at least till 11pm
-Zafar Shaikh, Kalwa resident

The TMC is planning for a long-term solution to this issue by constructing state-of-the-art bridge at Kalwa. New approach roads, one on the other end of Kalwa bridge, second at Kalwa-Belapur road and third at Saket road, will help to ease traffic congestion in this area. The work has already started and is expected to be completed in 30 months.

Thane lacks proper parking arrangements, especially Talao Pali and other areas, where there are no signboards and vehicles are towed or clamped without any sign boards. I am unable to use my brand new car for past more than two months due to fear of parking
-a resident

The TMC has decided to create on-street parking facility since development of off-street parking facility will require some more time. For this purpose, it is proposed to demarcate parking lots on the roads which are selected in consultation with the traffic department. Parking/no parking boards will be erected on these roads to facilitate the vehicle drivers to identify the parking and no parking stretches on the roads. Activity in this regard has already been started by providing this facility along St John High School compound wall near Talao Pali.

Stagnant water at the fountain at Court Naka causes potential fear of dengue and malaria. We had earlier complained about it, but no action was taken. Moreover, it is aesthetically unappealing
-Dr Rachana Acharya, Waghbil Road

Instruction is being given to remove the rainwater collected in these fountains. The TMC will also undertake beautification of the existing traffic islands on grant of advertisement rights basis shortly, wherein these lacunae will be taken care of. The agreement in this regard has already been signed and Court Naka fountain restoration and beautification will be done within two months.

Tikuji Ni Wadi Road (from Manpada flyover) and Gladys Alvares Road is a six-lane highway. A huge sum of civic funds may have been spent on its construction, but this is going to waste. Buses, trucks and broken down vehicles are parked in the slow lane. Footpaths are incomplete, blocked, broken or occupied by hawkers/swatters forcing public to walk in middle lane of the highway. Only the third (fast) lane is left for vehicular movement. Instead of enjoying this modern convenience, residents of surrounding societies like Shubhra Arambh, Happy Valley, Cosmos, Eden Valley, Hiranandani Meadows are facing hardships
-Malcolm Rodrigues, a resident

The TMC is in the process of implementing parking policy as well as hawker policy. On implementation of these policies, it is expected that these issues will be redressed. Apart from this, the TMC has proposed a pedestrian subway at Vasant Vihar junction. It shall be provided with small shops for vendors. Regarding repairs of footpaths, we shall undertake a rigorous drive in the coming months. We are also working on a soft mobility plan, especially in terms of pedestrians way and exclusive cycling track. Regarding parking of vehicles, the same shall be coordinated with DCP (traffic).

No proper roads in big complexes like Neelkanth

The road link from Tikujiniwadi Circle to Neelkanth Woods to Ghodbunder Road near TMT proposed depot is incomplete due to tussle between the forest department and TMC.

Due to this, residents in this area with big complexes such as Neelkanth Greens, Neelkanth Woods and Cosmos Lounge are not getting proper roads. The street lights are not maintained properly and we are even denied our right to get pipeline gas connection from the MGL.

Regarding sewerage connection, only TMC officials will be able to explain. Thank god, we have TMC water connection. How soon this will be addressed? Now the civic body, the state and Centre is ruled by the same coalition, so we should get relief.
-Shantaram Shinde, Manpada resident

On lines of New Delhi, restrict vehicles a day per week
Seeing the situation in New Delhi, it’s time to take proactive step to reduce road traffic and thereby pollution. One way is to restrict vehicle to come on road a day per week.

The number plate shall be provided with suffix “letter”. For instance, MH-04 4321T, the letter T stands for Tuesday, which means that vehicle should not be driven on Tuesday. Black T stands for Tuesday and red T for Thursday.

This will be applicable to all type of vehicles, public and private, trucks and buses. This will ensure that each vehicle will be rested a day per week. The letter in this regard must be issued by the RTO.
-Sandesh Walde, Thane resident

Least city can do is regulate dusty ops
We should be wary of the recent Chennai floods and the Delhi pollution control steps. The storm water channels and the estuaries where the water drains, should be regularly de-silted. Scientific steps should be taken to ensure that the drains are properly sized to handle floods. Regarding air pollution, the least that Thane can do is to regulate dusty operations such as granite slitting, rampant spray painting of automobiles at open spaces without proper fume extraction. Yet another dust generating operation is the practice of layering newly tarred road surfaces with stone/cement dust.
-Radhakrishnan Iyer, Manpada

Launch an online parking slot booking app

I have read about several parking issues being faced by Thanekars in the city close to station and the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) is planning to construct a building dedicated to parking. I would suggest if you can look at an online parking slot booking app similar to bookmyshow where you can book your seat online and pay for the same immediately. This will ensure transparency in collection and people can plan their trip accordingly.

Another way of handling this parking problem could be if housing societies could allow empty parking slots to be given to people who need it as most people are out for during office hours and weekdays and slots are empty.

Security concerns of societies can be addressed if they tie up with fixed people and their papers and car documents are verified before slots are given to them. This may help societies earn money, reduce parking issues and ensure utilisation of space during the day.
-Ketan Gunjkar, a resident

Source: dnaindia.com

Contact
501, 5th Floor, Plot No - A-123/4,
Odyssey IT Park, Road No. 9,Wagle Estate
Thane (W) - 400 604, Maharashtra, India

Mobile : (+91) 9833 4583 23 E-mail: mchithane@gmail.com    

Mumbai Real Estate hopeful for 2016

The last few days of 2014 saw a big change when the new chief minister (CM) was sworn-in. Due to the impending elections, the previous government put all big infrastructure projects on a fast track. As a result the impact was visible in the fall of 2015, when the vision and the mission started taking shape.

In short, this year Mumbai market saw the after effects of 2014, when several new infrastructure projects such as double deck flyover, monorail and the metro got operational. This obviously also impacted the property market at various fronts which includes not just the property prices, locations but also the flow of demand and supply.

40% increment in ready reckoner rates

Like every year, the beginning of 2015 saw a hike in the ready reckoner rates that made home buyers feel the pinch of expensive realty of Mumbai. Premium residential localities such as Worli and areas near the Bandra-Kurla Complex were among the places where rates have increased by 30-40 per cent. While the average hike across the city was between 15 and 20 per cent for 2015, the highest increase was about 40 per cent.

Impact: This move by a cash-strapped state government was expected to be beneficial in two ways. First, it would have reduced the price disparity between the current market rates and the official rates. This means that a developer sells the properties at a higher price but pays tax as per prevailing official rates. Second, this would have brought down black market transactions.

For 2016, The government is planning not to hike the prices as this would further dampen the market sentiments and ultimately the buyers demand.

Slew of new infra projects took shape

As the new government took charge, the first thing that the CM did was to put the development of the Navi Mumbai International Airport on a fast track. As the construction was stalled due to land acquisition issue, the judiciary cleared the deck and gave a go ahead to CIDCO to develop the same. The deadline given is 2019.

Impact: With little work being done on ground, it might further get delayed.

Coastal roads project is another big ticket infrastructure development that caught the fancy of the urban planners. These roads are planned to connect Nariman Point with the extended Western Suburbs.

Impact: If materialised, it would bring down traffic congestion on the Western Express Highway. This would also impact the property markets of the extended suburban areas such as Mira Road, Bhayander, Malad and Borivali due to easy and swift connectivity to the town area. Currently the local train network is the fastest medium to travel to South Mumbai, which remains crowded round the clock.

For 2016: Expansion of monorail and development of Thane metro were also on the cards but remained at the planning stage.

Unsold inventory crossed 70,000

 As per Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated, the total unsold stock in Mumbai reached 77,000 in 2015 with 60 per cent of the total properties priced above Rs 1 crore. In fact the number of project launches also fell as compared to the previous year.

Impact: Since builders want to reduce the existing inventory, they chose to sell it by introducing various deals and offers. However, as per experts, the transactions did not pick up - neither on Gudi Padwa nor during the Diwali festival, which left property developers high and dry.

For 2016: The market is expected to remain subdued for the next six months as well, opines Samrantak Das, Chief Economist and National Director at Knight Frank India.

Smart city initiatives

 Greater Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Thane are the three locations shortlisted for the 100 Smart Cities project.

Impact: This would include redevelopment, retrofitting and development of existing infrastructure in Greater Mumbai while for Thane it would be including factors like communication and mobility, energy efficiency, green buildings and transportation.

For 2016: With a vision of enabling convenience in the affordable regions of the Mumbai Metropolitan Area, various municipal authorities are working on proposals which have been submitted to the centre for review. Other than this, the Kalyan-Dombivli belt is also planned as the Bandra Kurla Complex like commercial space.

Development Plan 2034 went awry

 The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai came out with the Development Plan 2034 early this year. However, things went awry when citizens, stakeholders and urban planners cried foul because of numerous errors and misses. The reason why the draft development plan was heavily criticised was its failure to address issues like affordable housing, lack of open spaces in the city, transit oriented densification, differential FSI and infrastructural development to support the rising population. Hence the government rejected the piece and guided the corporation to come up again with a draft development plan. The year 2016 would hopefully see a better version of the development plan.

State regulatory body

 The Maharashtra government is all set to form a regulatory body as the cabinet has given nod to the Real Estate Regulatory Bill 2015, with certain amendments and changes. This regulatory bill mandates to register real estate developers and contractors under a competent authority. Without such registration, developers and contractors will not be granted permission to conduct business. This would prevent buyers to fall into the trap of fraud developers and realtors, especially in areas which are early in the development cycle and have projects in the under-construction phase.

The year 2015 is ending on a hopeful note that with the coming of 2016, the real estate sector would see better days. The much awaited Real Estate Regulatory Bill will be tabled soon while the city would have its new development plan, affordable housing policy and smart infrastructure. The year seemed not so good for Mumbai realty but there is always light at the other side of the tunnel and 2016 is expected to find it!

Source: magicbricks

Contact
501, 5th Floor, Plot No - A-123/4,
Odyssey IT Park, Road No. 9,Wagle Estate
Thane (W) - 400 604, Maharashtra, India

Mobile : (+91) 9833 4583 23 E-mail: mchithane@gmail.com   

  

Ghodbunder bypass, Metro work to take-off in 2016

The year 2016 seems to be good for Thane as the city is set for better infrastructure. It will get Ghodbunder bypass road and the work for Kasarvadavli-Wadala Metro is also likely to take-off.

Next year, Thanekars can be hopeful of less-clogged streets as the work on Ghodbunder bypass road, adjacent to Gaimukh to Balkum creek, is likely to begin. This 200-metre-long and 45-feet-wide road will be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs313 crore. It will take care of the heavy vehicle traffic movement that comes from Ahmedabad highway.

“The proposal was approved by the MMRDA, but required an NOC from the defence ministry as the road is adjacent to Navy’s Akbar Camp,” said Thane MP Rajan Vichare.

Vichare met defence minister Manohar Parikkar and explained the situation. “I explained to him that we will make the road without disturbing the boundary wall of Akbar camp. Parikkar told us that he will give the requisite permission soon,” added Vichare. If this approval comes, it will improve the traffic situation on the stretch to a great extent.

Work for Thane Metro from Kasarvadavli to Wadala is likely to start

In another development, work for Thane Metro from Kasarvadavli to Wadala is likely to start before the next budgetary session of the legislative assembly. “Earlier, there was a proposal to have an underground Metro. But consultants appointed to study the project suggested that this would push up the cost as well as time,” said MLA Pratap Sarnaik, adding, “So, it has been decided to go for an elevated Metro.”

Earlier, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had said the work on Thane Metro will start by December 2015. But this did not happen and as a mark of protest Sarnaik staged a hunger strike at the winter assembly session in Nagpur.

He demanded that Metro is the need of hour in Thane due to ever-increasing population. “The honorable chief minister promised that the work on Thane Metro will start before next assembly budget,” said Sarnaik.

Source: dnaindia+

Contact
501, 5th Floor, Plot No - A-123/4,
Odyssey IT Park, Road No. 9,Wagle Estate
Thane (W) - 400 604, Maharashtra, India

Mobile : (+91) 9833 4583 23 E-mail: mchithane@gmail.com    

The 2015 REPORT CARD

While the demand for luxury projects remained subdued, the affordable housing segment managed to gather momentum in the year gone by. We discuss some factors that dominated the two major residential segments of Mumbai's real estate

The year 2015 saw the real estate sector take baby steps and move ahead after being in doldrums for a very long time. However, as we step into 2016, we take a sneak-peek into the world of two major markets (residential and luxury) of the real estate sector and their subsequent performances.

“There is bound to be a demand for quality housing, at the right location and at the right price and for that, both the private sector and the government need to equally contribute. When affordable housing will form a reasonable part of a private developer's business plan equally supported by initiatives of the government, only then will this scheme become a ground reality,“ says Venkatesh Gopalkrishnan, president (business development) & CIO, Shapoorji Pallonji Real Estate. There is a shortfall of 24 million+ houses and the requirement is high among the EWS and LIG.However, there are very few developers who want to venture into the affordable housing market. On the other hand, there were big-ticket investments made last year in the luxury housing segment. In September, Kumar Mangalam bought an iconic bungalow in south Mumbai's Malabar Hill for Rs 425 crore.In the same month, Lincoln House was bought by Cyrus Poonawalla, for Rs 750 crore.

“Developers launch about 250,000 housing units each year in the top seven cities across all segments, and 10 per cent of these launches comprise of luxury and high-end homes. The premium segment has not grown as expected, though it is picking up slowly.The demand is there but what needs to be done is to align with the needs of the customer,“ says Vikram Goel, CEO, HDFC Realty.

“The current year has been slow for the real estate sector. However, between the affordable housing and luxury housing segment, the affordable housing has relatively performed better, especially homes, which are between INR 15 and 40 lakh,“ says Gopalkrishnan.

“As per the data available from multiple sources ­ international consultants, domestic consultants, the registration offices across Mumbai and the MMR, and also data from developers ­ it is clear that there is a significant oversupply in the luxury space, and an under-supply in the affordable housing space and by and large, the absorption data is reflective of this,“ says Rohit Poddar, managing director, Poddar Developers. Will the year 2016 also pan out in the same manner or will it show any deviation?

“While we do not foresee much activity in the luxury segment, the urban affordable housing segment will present huge opportunities for developers, buyers and investors. According to a report by Cushman & Wakefield released in conjunction with CREDAI, urban affordable housing currently presents a USD 11.8 billion (Rs 75,800 crores) opportunity for the private sector. At a time when the central government is placing strong emphasis on the `Housing for All by 2022' initiative, we expect a strong de mand pipeline in the top seven cities to drive the private sector's participation in creating affordable housing,“ says Sanjay Dutt, managing director, Cushman and Wakefield.

Experts point out that the last two-three months have certainly seen a lot more buoyancy and an increase in absorption rates. Ultimately, real estate is a derived demand and a function of our GDP and industrial output. With a subdued economy, it will take time for the sales of real estate sector to improve dramatically. “We expect the economy to start growing significantly by the end of 2016. For affordable housing, prices have already started rising a little, and hence, it is advisable for prospective buyers to buy sooner than later to avail of several schemes being offered by branded developers today,“ says Poddar. However, some experts have also pointed out that 2016 will garner interest for both the segments of the market. “The government's announcement for reduced risk weight in loans for low cost housing has made it very lucrative for homebuyers in this segment, whereas the luxury housing segment will fare well due to the investment from the NRIs and HNIs,“ says Mayur Shah, managing director, Marathon Group.

Overall, the real estate sector has to pick up pace and going by the sentiments within the market, the affordable housing as well as the luxury housing segment is expected to start performing well in the latter half of the next year only, according to experts.

Source: dnaindia

Contact
501, 5th Floor, Plot No - A-123/4,
Odyssey IT Park, Road No. 9,Wagle Estate
Thane (W) - 400 604, Maharashtra, India

Mobile : (+91) 9833 4583 23 E-mail: mchithane@gmail.com