Sham and loot behind SHAMLAT Throwing norms to the wind, village common land is being usurped blatantly, says Chitleen K. Sethi This is appalling loot that is happening silently. Village common lands in Punjab are being picketed. Slowly, but surely, shamlat deh, an integral feature of almost every village in the state, is shrinking.   Hall of Shame

Freehold move to drive up realty at Ambala Sadar Decision to provide impetus to stagnant prices, says Rahul Das The proposal to turn Ambala Sadar into a freehold area is likely to have an impact on property prices. Ambala Sadar is the only area in Haryana where the land is owned by the government while the residents own the building superstructure. To correct this anomaly, Haryana government is now considering a proposal to turn Sadar area into freehold.

Retailers, realtors increase ad spend, says study
Organised retailers in India are not only expanding their physical presence, but are also increasingly making it felt on television airtime through advertisements as they grapple to attract more footfalls. According to data collected by AdEx India, advertising by retail industry reported a 12 per cent increase on television during January-May 2007 compared to the same period last year.

Estate talk Joint venture flavour of the season for hotels Peeyush Agnihotri Stringent land policies, soaring property prices and other legal formalities are some of the factors that discourage the real estate industry from bringing more hotels required for the tourist arrivals. In an interview with The Tribune, Vincent Lottefier, CEO of Jones Lang LaSalle Meghraj India, the country’s largest real estate services firm, said the hotel industry plans to expand primarily through joint venture mode.

Vincent Lottefier

HOME DECOR Sound conditioner Devendra Malik tells how to keep that unwanted noise at bay If different sounds entering your room while you work or sleep disturb you, it is then time to take a look into the different soundproofing techniques. Soundproofing is done by materials, which either block the sound from entering the room or absorb to contain it in an area. Since sound is measured in decibels, all soundproofing materials have a standard transmission class rating.

GREEN HOUSE Right tree for the right spot Most of the ornamental trees come with their own set of problems, details Satish Narula Man learnt the art of landscaping from nature. The basic elements being the undulations, flowing or falling water, skyline and above all, the trees. But I find this being least understood of all in the modern era. Now when the concept of selling houses by colonisers is the trend and plantations are done beforehand to attract prospective buyers, it is important to do judicious planning, especially for trees.

Realty takes off in Haryana’s educational hub R.C. Sharma Kurukshetra, the land of Bhagvadagita, is catching the fancy of realtors as well as genuine buyers. Being well connected through rail and road with Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, J&K, Chandigarh and New Delhi, this town is becoming cynosure of all eyes. A view of the city as seen from a heritage building. — Photo by Ravi Kumar

Dubai firm keen on India, China
A government-backed investment company from Dubai plans to invest $2.5 billion in Asian economic giants India and China over the next two years, a report from New York stated. "The investment company has spent the last three to four years familiarising itself with Asia and building its portfolio with a series of small investments," Soud Ba'alawy, executive chairman of Dubai Group, was quoted as saying by the Wall Street Journal.

TAX TIPS
Working out tax on sale of one house and purchase of two
By S.C. Vasudeva
Q. Section 54 of the Act provides for an exemption of capital gains in case “a residential house is purchased within the specified time limit”. Can exemption be granted if two houses are purchased by the assessee from the capital gain earned on sale of a residential house?
— Ram Parkash, Ludhiana

Buzz on Bourses
AEZ mall for Ghaziabad
New Delhi: Real estate developer AEZ Group has said it will invest Rs 500 crore in setting up a new shopping mall in Ghaziabad. The mall will come up in an area of 11.5 acres and is expected to be fully operational by 2010. “The new mall Celebration City in Ghaziabad is one of the 10 such shopping complexes we plan to set up in the NCR.