emerging destinations: gurgaon-sohna road
Homing in on ‘golden’ corridor
This stretch is brimming with choice for those looking for a good deal in NCR
Geetu Vaid

READY FOR BIG TIME: A view of a completed residential project on Sohna Road

The economics of demand and supply has always kept the property market in NCR buoyant in spite of the overall ‘slow-and-cautious’ sentiment prevailing in other regions of the country. Prices have seen a steady appreciation and new projects and new destinations keep the realty scene bright and cheery.

The horizon of real estate development has been expanding on all sides. With Gurgaon’s cup brimming with demand for quality housing, its promise of ‘golden’ gains is spilling over to the periphery areas. The Gurgaon-Sohna road is one such location where the end users and investors can have their ‘fill’ as a wide array of residential as well as commercial property options are available down this southern corridor of Gurgaon.

The stretch, which is commonly referred to as Sohna Road, is well-connected with NH-8 and the Golf Course Extension area apart from the Manesar industrial hub. It is also close to the airport and connected through Metro to Delhi/NCR. The presence of world-class educational institutions like G D Goenka World School, Ryan International School, DPS, Pathways World School, Amity International School and hospitals like Park Hospital, Vedanta Medicity, Artemis in close proximity have also added to the “habitation” as well as investment quotient of the area.

Favoured destination

Though not a completely new “kid” on the block (development has been progressing since the construction of the road in 2008), it has emerged as a favourite destination of developers if one goes by the large number of residential and commercial projects that have come up here. The pace of development is rapid and a well-conceived master plan ensures that it will be balanced and orderly. Neeraj Kumar Sharma, CEO, ECNON Group, says, “Sohna Road is the new central hub for the commercial and residential investors. Residential projects by top builders of India are coming up here. Many MNCs are moving to this area noticing the increase in population. The area is developing in a planned way. Hospitals, educational institutes, retail sector, and connectivity with main city hubs like IFFCO Chowk, Hero Honda Chowk and Rajiv Chowk are the basic amenities which people are getting at Sohna Road.”

“The Gurgaon-Sohna road offers projects that provide a hassle-free life in a pollution free environment,” says Harpreet Singh Batra, MD, Imperia Structures Ltd. The Imperia group is coming up with Imperia Esfera residential project in Sector 37-C, Gurgaon, just 2 km from NH-8.

Better infrastructure, better gains

There will be a substantial increase in demand for quality housing as well as office and retail space in the vicinity of the industrial hubs. After Manesar next on the Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation’s (HSIIDC) radar is Roz-ka-Meo where it plans to set another industrial township. Almost 1,700 acres have already been acquired in this area which is about 26 km from Gurgaon.

An overview of various plans of HUDA for the area reveals that wide roads and tree-lined avenues linking this area with the other hubs of Gurgaon are among the top priorities of the state’s urban development authority. The authority plans to spend over Rs 40 crore to widen over 5-km stretch of road between Rajeev Chowk and Badshahpur Chowk. Also in sight is HUDA’s Southern Peripheral Road (SPR) project from Sohna which will connect NH-8 with the Gurgaon-Faridabad stretch through a 17-km road.

“The government’s enhanced focus on comprehensive infrastructure development and improving the connectivity has given a major boost to the growth of this corridor. The advent of Metro and now the Rapid Metro Rail has made these areas a lot more accessible than before,” says Ravi Saund, COO, CHD Developers Ltd., whose Avenue 71 project on Sohna Road will be ready for possession by September 2013. The fact that a large number of the projects in the area are nearing completion has also made it into an end user’s market and the prices have also seen an uptrend due to this.

Projects and prices

There are over 20 residential projects in the area with an inventory of over 15,000 units. Sohna Road has become an ideal destination for investors as it has a mix of residential commercial and retail projects. Major builders in the area include CHD Developers, Raheja group, Bestech India, Spaze Group, Eldeco, Unitech, Vipul, Orchid, Imperia etc.

“The residential units here are reasonably priced as compared to other areas in Gurgaon and the average price range is around Rs 8000-9000 per sq ft. Huge number of corporates have shifted base here and this is the reason why the group housing units are much in demand,” says Amit Raj Jain, CMO, Spaze Towers Pvt Ltd. Spaze has the highest inventory on Sohna Road (over 60 per cent). The company currently has 11 projects in Gurgaon, mainly on the Sohna Road, out of which eight are commercial and three residential projects. The group has already delivered three commercial projects — Spazedge, Spaze iTech park, Spaze Platinum Tower. According to Jain, the price appreciation here has been around 30 per cent in the past one year. Agreeing with him, Saund says that the prices have appreciated from Rs 5,000 per sq ft three years ago to about Rs 9,000 per sq ft. a year ago. Projects like CHD’s Aveneue 71 and Raheja group’s Aranya have got good response from end users as well as investors. According to Saund the price appreciation in their project has been up to 235 per cent since the time of its launch in late 2010.

The slowdown, too, has not had much impact on the prices here. According to Sanjay Sharma, MD, of Gurgaon-based brokerage firm Qubrex, “The slowdown in the market is in the number of deals and not the prices. Prices have been rising by over 10 to 20 per cent, especially in the ready-to-move in properties, and the ones that are close to completion. And as most of the properties along Sohna Road are ready to move in their prices have been appreciating.”

The commercial segment is also booming in this area as more and more office spaces being set-up and with a large number of residential projects in the vicinity the stage is all set for the ‘walk-to-work’ concept to blossom here. “This will further facilitate the residential market and the investors will benefit,” avers Saund.

Rental gains

Housing needs of a substantial floating population and workforce of MNCs and industrial units have lead to higher rental gains for home owners in the area. There has been a steady increase in the rental values. According to recent figures released by property portal 99acres.com, the rental values in this area have increased by almost 19 per cent in the past 12 months. Currently a three-BHK apartment can fetch over Rs 40,000, while office space is in the range of Rs 65 to 70 per sq ft.

However, while the area has a number of plus points, it is the practical roadblocks that have to be dealt with prudently if it has to live up to its promise of being a residential haven.

Key concerns Going by the recent news headlines the water and power woes of Gurgaon seem to be intimidating for those planning to settle in the area and group housing societies on Sohna Road can’t distance themselves from these practical hurdles. But most of the group housing societies here are catering for 24-hr power back up and water. “Thus, even though the sting of higher cost of the utilities is there, the lack of sufficient utilities from the government agencies is not a critical issue,” says Sanjay Sharma of Qubrex. According to him, traffic and tardy expansion of the road are the major issues. “Other facilities like sewerage, water, and power issues are handled at the group housing or colony level rather than by holistic planning of the whole area. This has more to do with management constraints of multiplicity of governing agencies rather than the time constraints. As more and more people move in, and the occupancy of the offices spaces increases we expect people will be able to assertively demand and get the necessary facilities,” he adds.

expert speak: using residential property for commercial activity
Check the legal aspects
Om Ahuja

caution pays: Check bylaws before going in for commercial activity from residential areas Tribune photo

In cases where zoning laws and the co-operative housing society in question permit it, there can be cases where running a business from home is viable. Doing so can save on the cost of renting or purchasing a commercial space. It also saves on the cost of commuting to and from work as well as on many operational costs.

It bears mentioning that full-scale commercial use of a residential flat is often opposed by co-operative housing societies. That said, utilising 20 per cent of the space in a residential flat is legally permissible as long as the business in question falls within certain categories.

For example, the MSC Apellate Court ruled favour of a certain resident in Ghatkopar, Mumbai in 1986, stating that carrying out activities such as yoga classes in a residential flat does not constitute a breach of the bylaws of a co-operative housing society. The ruling basically meant that the professional activity of teaching certain arts would not be viewed as commercial activity, even if certain charges are levied.

In a case filed under the Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishments Act, 1961, it was ruled that the use of a residence as an office by chartered accountants, lawyers and doctors would not be considered as a commercial activity. The premise of this ruling was that the work and skill involved in such a profession is predominantly mental or intellectual rather than physical or manual. These cases clearly indicate that there are some instances where professional activity in a residential flat would be considered legal. However, these should not be taken as blanket rulings. Apart from the individual bylaws of housing societies, different state laws would need to be considered.

Whatever the other aspects of the case may be, it is certainly necessary to get the approval of the housing society in a general body before using a residential flat for commercial purposes. Depending on the nature of the business and also subject to the approval of the housing society, it may also be necessary to obtain permission from the local municipal authorities for conversion of the flat into a commercial establishment. It may be possible to obtain permission from the housing society to conduct a business that does involve any movement of people or storage of goods in the residence. Nevertheless, it is not a good idea to start any kind of business in a residential flat without getting complete clarity on the legal aspects. Even if a housing society permits business activity in a certain case, such activity can still be deemed illegal and be notified accordingly. It is not advisable to take anything for granted, and to have the legality of such an undertaking examined by a qualified lawyer.

— The writet is CEO, Residential Services, Jones Lang LaSalle India

Home scouting continues in shraddhs
Sarthak Shukla

Pitrapaksha or ‘shraddhs’ is generally the time when no deals are finalised, but this year the mood seems to be positive as a large number of prospective home buyers were seen thronging the camp offices of related companies on Sunday last, the day pitrapaksha started. Banker Piyush Prakash who visited different camp offices with his wife to check out the available possibilities in his budget in the Greater Noida area said, "Of course, shraddh period is on and most likely I am not going to clinch the deal during this period. But, I will finalise the deal sooner rather than later."

While it is true that prices have gone up, the number of genuine buyers in the market is slowly returning even in this period which used to be considered inauspicious. There are enough investors and buyers in the market who are desperately keen to buy a home in spite of the high cost of flats.

So, what is going to be the realty market scenario in Delhi and NCR in the next few months? Experts opine that the demand is slowly gathering momentum after an extended slowdown. Devinder Gupta, Managing Director of Century 21 DGS, says, "Even with the price increase, buyers are coming forth to buy. Though the number of buyers is not as high as it was 18 months ago, it is certainly more than what it was about six months back when even the prices were about 10-12 per cent cheaper than what they are today."

The profiles of the buyers have also undergone a change in the past few months, says Ajay Singhal, Director of NCR-based Avalon group. The number of non-resident Indians (NRIs), who formed a sizeable section of the investors, has come down, while more domestic buyers, such as doctors, lawyers and other professionals and businessmen, are looking for homes. As for the demand, it is more for the ready-to-occupy flats, says Sanjay Khanna, Director of Kailash Nath Projects Pvt Ltd. Some people may be ready to wait for a couple of months to occupy their flat, but a majority of the buyers want it soon - in about two weeks' time, he says. Among them are people who have to settle here because of their jobs. The number of such people will go up in the coming months. As for those going in for under construction projects, surety of delivery in time is the chief consideration in finalising a deal. These buyers are very cautious about the track record of the builders.

According to Gupta the demand is going to pick up pace in the festive season. After the strong momentum that residential market attained in 2011, residential sales declined during the first half of 2012 in all leading cities, particularly in NCR, Mumbai and Bangalore. On an average, the demand in India's six main markets has declined around 40 per cent in the past one year. New project launches have seen a drop of nearly 50 per cent. Home sales have fallen during the first half of 2012 in all major cities as buyers had postponed purchases in anticipation of a cut in interest rates.

home improvement preventing cracks in buildings
Keep crack concerns at bay
Raj Kumar Aggarwal

Shear cracks can cause extensive damage to a structure

Cracks in buildings are very common and give an impression of poor quality construction work. Cracks also decrease the durability of buildings, and penetration of moisture through these spoil the external as well as the internal finishing of the building. Though it may not be possible to eliminate cracks altogether, these can be minimised by careful planning and construction. It is also possible to conceal these.

Sometimes cracks appear in concrete and brick work whenever stresses in structure exceed its strength. The stress can be caused due to wind pressure, foundation settlement, moisture changes and increase in load etc. After a crack is noticed it is desirable to observe it for some time, in order to judge whether the crack is static or active, before carrying out repairs.

Different types

Cracks are generally of two types. First are the non-structural cracks (shrinkage cracks) that don’t damage the structure directly, but with the passage of time and water seepage the steel reinforcement gets rusted and this makes the structure unsafe. The second type of cracks are the structural cracks that occur due to incorrect design, overloading and faulty construction. These can cause major damage to the structure.

Different shapes

The tall and slender buildings that are being constructed nowadays have thin walls and are more crack-prone as compared to the old short buildings that had thick walls and were built at a slow speed.

Therefore, measures for control of cracks in buildings have assumed much more significance now. The cracks up to 1mm in width, even though closely spaced and greater in number, are less damaging as compared to a smaller number of wide cracks (more than 2mm in width). The crack may be narrow at one end and wide at the other or it may be of uniform width. Cracks have many shapes such as horizontal, vertical, diagonal, toothed, stepped and of map pattern.

Horizontal cracks at the base of a brick parapet wall over an RCC/RBC cantilevered (projected) slab are very common and can be found in a large number of buildings. Such cracks occur due to differential expansion and contraction of RCC and brickwork. Such cracks can be avoided completely by having an RCC parapet instead of the brick one. These can also be minimised by delaying the construction of brick parapet over the slab for a period of at least one month and simultaneously deferring plastering on the parapet and slab for another month. Moreover, the cement plaster should be discontinued by V-groove at the joint of slab and brick parapet to conceal the crack, if it appears later on.

How to prevent

Dislodging or cracking of glazed, marble and granite tiles from walls can be checked by allowing about one month’s time to new brick walls to undergo excessive shear stress likely to develop between wall and the tiles before fixing the same.

Cracks in external walls along the roof level usually occur when a roof slab undergoes thermal movement due to variation in temperature. Such shear cracks can be prevented by providing a slip joint bearing on all external walls between slab and supporting wall with a smooth bearing for RCC slab/beam with 6 mm thick (1:3) cement plaster finished with a floating coat of neat cement followed by a thick coat of lime wash. Moreover, the bearing of the slab should not be extended to full thickness of external wall. Roof slab must be provided with adequate insulation in the shape of earth filling/tile terracing. Ceiling plaster and wall plaster should be made discontinuous by a 10mm wide groove. This joint will also check the horizontal cracks at window sill and lintel level in the topmost storey of the building.

Cracks in partition wall supported on RCC beam and slab can be avoided by having horizontal gap between the top of the wall and soffit of beam/slab instead of filled tightly and by delaying the construction of partition wall as well as plaster work as much as possible. The gap can be filled with some compressible jointing material.

Vertical crack along the joint of RCC column and brick walls which generally appear after a few months of construction due to differential expansion, if thin in size, can be filled in at the time of finishing and by removing 10cm wide strip of plaster around the crack and then filling the crack after enlarging and cleaning the same with mortar in case of wide cracks.

Cracks in RCC sun shades, projections and louvers generally occur due to more water-cement ratio and inadequate concrete cover given to reinforcement. To prevent such cracking and premature deterioration, it is required to construct these components with (1:1.5:3) concrete of M-20 mix, with proper cover to steel reinforcement, lesser water-cement ratio, proper compaction and curing of concrete for 10 days (the minimum required time).

Freshly laid cement concrete pavements and slabs also sometimes develop cracks before the concrete has hardened due to plastic shrinkage, especially during hot weather. In order to prevent such cracks the use of warm aggregates like bajri, sand and water should be avoided by storing the same in shade instead of under direct sun. Concreting should be done during early hours of the day when bajri and mixing water are comparatively cool.

Corner cracks in concrete floor panels can be minimised by using less water while mixing the concrete and avoiding excessive trowelling during finishing. Settlement of all types of floors can be checked by filling the earth in 9-inch layers and then watering and compacting the same before the floor is laid.

Cracks around door frames occur mainly due to shrinkage of unseasoned wooden frames. Such cracks can only be avoided by using properly seasoned wooden frames. .

In order to avoid cracks, masonry work should be carried out systematically and uniformly at all levels. The plaster work on walls should be deferred for at least one month in order to let shrinkage in RCC and masonry work take place. Cracks of more than 1.5 mm width generally need repairing. Carrying out the repair of cracks should only be started once these have stabilised.

No useful purpose is served in repairing the cracks when these are still developing.

— The writer is Executive Engineer, Baba Farid University of Health Science, Faridkot.

decor trends
Paper art
Alisha Gupta

Variety is the spice of life and when it comes to choosing wallpaper there are a wide range of options available in market. Wallpaper is a great way to add feel to any space. Thanks to the wide choice of colours, designs and textures available in the market you can set the mood of any room as per your taste.

Wall papers can be applied easily and can be changed whenever you get bored of a particular look. These are the easiest way to add colour and character to a plain single-colour wall. Besides the decor element, wall paper is also great to camouflage cracks or other imperfections in a wall and add a stunning effect to the room in just few hours.

A perfect choice of wallpaper can do wonders to the room; a small room can look spacious with the right choice of pattern and colour etc. Here are some ways in which you can spruce not only your walls but also any type of surface by using wall papers creatively.

Highlight

Add more colour and life to the room. Highlight one wall by putting wallpaper on it. Along with wallpaper use a painting which will makes the space look more alive and eye-catching.

Covering

Wallpaper is nothing but a beautiful and stunning covering for a dull and plain wall, but why just walls? It can be used on different things.

A magnetic board covered with wallpaper in spaces like office area, study room or children’s study will make it look appealing and also serve the purpose of sticking notes, pictures, reminder or any other thing over it.

Outline

Focus display area with the border framing of wallpaper. Instead of covering the complete wall with wallpaper try making an outline frame of wallpaper inside which you can put small frames, shelves etc.

All around

A band of wallpaper running all around the room either on top of the wall or as a bottom panel will add an extra colourful dimension.

Entrance

The house is the reflection of the owner’s personality; let it reflect at the entrance itself by covering the border of the entrance door with nice royal textured wallpaper for bright and royal entranced to the house. You can also use it in covering borders of windows.

Ceiling

These can also be used on ceilings to lend a new charm to a room and make it look beautiful.

Cabinet background

Open cabinets look dull and boring, therefore a nice colourful wallpaper as the background of the cabinet can add freshness to the whole area and make it look more pleasing to eyes. You can also do the same for your closet. Wallpaper generally acts as the focus area of a room. Out of four walls, one wall will have a wallpaper to make the room look more colourful, It’s time to try out something new and different.

— The writer is a Delhi-based space designer

Green house
Perennial charm
Maj Gen C.S. Bewli

With the increase in population, the prices of land have skyrocketed resulting in smaller houses where one hardly has enough land for gardening activities. Not only this, long working hours have made people busier and very little time is there to spend with plants. So, ever-green beauties are the perfect choice for people who don’t have enough space or time to devote to their garden.

Perennials are the plants that continue to grow year after year, unlike the annuals that need fresh potting every year. The unique combination of sun-loving colourful blooming ixoras and the shade-loving fleshy and decorated foliage of peperomias give a fresh look to the garden throughout the year without shedding their leaves. Besides pots ixoras can also be grown as a hedge and peperomias do well as ground cover, thus making them flexible landscaping plants.

Peperomia

These are natives of America and are grown for their impressive and ornamental foliage which is compact and come in cascading, bushy and upright format. Further, the beauty of these plants is reflected by the fleshy leaves that are decorated with smooth, rippled or hairy and variegated or green surface. Peperomias are not succulents even though these have thick leaves. They do well in shallow containers with good draining soil. Compact growth of the leaves is seen when these are grown in bright filtered sunlight, more so with the variegated species. In a garden design, leaves with different pigments play a significant role in imparting instant warmth to the landscape all year round.

These plants have also gained the distinction of being excellent for dish gardens, terraniums and hanging baskets. Not only this, these appear to be the best container plants because:

They are slow growing and as such don’t overgrow their containers that quickly.
Remain presentable at all times of the year.
Though they can accept some neglect, but do not allow them to dry out completely.
Remain almost disease-proof and pest-free.

Peperomia magnolifolia, both with green and variegated leaves and obtusifolia and clusifolia with variegated leaves are the most sought after perennials. These are basically grown for their foliage; the flowers are not showy and are exceedingly simple and are mounted on a green or brown spike resembling rat’s tail. Propagation of these plants is done during spring, through leaf or stems cuttings. However, at the time of re-potting some plantlets with roots can be taken out and re-potted.

Ixora

It is a low-growing ever-green perennial tropical shrub native to India and comes in a variety of colours and species.

It is a hardy and an easy-to-grow plant and an all-season profuse bloomer. The cultivated species ixora coccinea is ornamental in nature and is grown for its dazzling colourful blooms that are small in size but form big star-shaped clusters at the branch tips. It is an excellent landscaping plant and is a must in every garden due to its stunning showy flowers which bloom for most part of the year to keep the garden colourful. Though the plant likes good watering, yet in order to allow the plant to bloom profusely water only when the top soil gets dry. Compost used should be porous to allow excess water to drain off to avoid root rot.

Propagation is from seeds, stem cuttings or air layering. It does well as a container plant, but grows equally well as a hedge to make an excellent border. To revitalise the plant for the compact appearance, it should be pruned to get the desired shape after the flush of flowers.

Hybrid platter

Many hybrids have been developed to produce big and different coloured flowers. These shrubs vary from 25 cm to 3 metres in height to give a wide choice to the plant lovers and landscapers. Combining colours well is an easy art; blue, red and yellow are contrasting colours that can add excitement and vibrancy to the garden.

Growing tips Prune the plants after the flush of flowers and also sometime between spring and autumn to maintain the shape. For compact growth and for more flowers grow where it receives two to three hours of sunlight. It does not do well as an indoor plant. Fertilise once in two months with NPK having more of nitrogen contents. Remove withered flowers and dried leaves, if any, periodically.

tax tips
Better to buy flat from the builder
S. C. Vasudeva

Q.I have sold a residential house and want to invest the entire sale proceeds in a bigger flat in a multi-storeyed building. Is it necessary that the flat should be bought from the builder? Can I buy from another allottee? The possession of the flat is likely to be handed over in about four years. Will I be entitled to the exemption? — vijay singh

A.Section 54 of the Act provides for exemption from taxability of a long-term capital gain arising on the sale of a residential house provided a residential house is purchased within one year before or two years after the date of sale of a residential house or constructed a residential house within three years after the sale of a residential house. The requirement in case of sale of residential house is to utilise the amount of capital gain earned on the sale of a residential house so as to avail exemption. It is not essential to utilise the entire amount of sale proceeds in order to avail the exemption.

The Income Tax Appellant Tribunal has recently held in a case (Kishore H. Galaiya vs. ITO) that when a flat is purchased from a builder, it should be construed as construction, and therefore, the period of three years should be allowable after the date of sale of a flat for compliance with the requirements of Section 54 of the Act. It has also been held in the aforesaid case that in case the entire amount of capital gain has been utilised towards such construction, the exemption under the aforesaid Section should be allowed. In case you purchase the flat from an allottee, you would be covered in the category of purchase of a residential house, and therefore, the exemption may not be allowable in case the possession of the flat is handed over after a period of about four years. It would, thus, be advisable to buy a flat directly from the builder.

Remitting sale proceeds abroad

Q.My brother is a citizen of Australia. He had remitted Australian dollars for buying a house in Chandigarh sometime in 2002. Now he is interested in selling the same. What are the tax implications? Is it possible to remit the entire sale consideration to Australia? — manoj sapra

A.The gain arising on the sale of house property would be taxable in India. The gain so arising would be a long-term capital gain and taxable at the rate of 20 per cent plus applicable surcharge thereon, if any. It would be possible for your brother to remit the sale proceeds of a residential property to the extent of the amount paid for the acquisition of immovable property in foreign exchange received through banking channels. The balance amount can be credited to NRO account and can be remitted within the limit of $1 million facility per financial year available to non-residents.

Handling loss

Q.I have incurred a loss of Rs 2,40,000 under head property income due to the interest payment being higher than the amount of rent received in respect of a house owned by me. Can I adjust the aforesaid loss against the income from property amounting to Rs 1,20,000 for the year? Can the balance loss be carried forward? — saurabh

A.Section 71B of the Income Tax Act, 1961 (The Act) provides that if in any assessment year the net result of computation under the head "income from house property" is a loss and such loss can't be set off against the income from any other head, then such loss can be carried forward to the following year and can't be set off against the income from house property. This Section also provides that in case such loss can't be so set off against income under head "income from house property" the same shall be carried forward for adjustment to the following eight years. In view of the above, you can adjust Rs 2,40,000 being the loss incurred under head property income against the income of Rs 1,20,000. The income from house property would be nil and the balance of amount of Rs 1,20,000 will be carried forward for adjustment against the income from property in the following eight years.

REALTY GUIDE
What is the minimum construction area for the plot?
B K Sanghi

Q.I have a one kanal residential plot in Sector 26, Panchkula. I am regularly depositing the non-construction charges to HUDA. But the deadline for the completion of plot is expiring next year. What is the minimum construction area for the plot and what are the formalities to get part completion certificate/completion certificate (occupation certificate)? Also tell me how to get the electricity supply. — h.s. walia

A.Kindly note that w.e.f. January 1, 1998, the minimum construction area for a residential plot has been fixed at 25 per cent of the covered area permissible on Ground Floor which includes one habitable room, a kitchen and a toilet. Some plot holders apply for and obtain part completion certificate after constructing 25 per cent of the permissible covered area/one living unit. But the validity of the part certificate is only six months. After the expiry of six months it has to be got revalidated otherwise this certificate is deemed to have expired. Plot holders who have not obtained revalidated part certificate, are required to do so without delay.

The following documents are required for obtaining a completion certificate/part completion certificate:

A copy of DPC certificate
Report of the architect in form BR IV and V.
A copy of the sanctioned plan.
An affidavit regarding non-commercial use of the plot in case of plots other than commercial.
A copy of the possession certificate
Four photograph of the building (front/ back/ toilet and kitchen)

It is mandatory to get this certificate when building reaches DPC level, otherwise heavy penalty is charged as per policy.

Once the completion certificate is issued by the Estate Officer, no time should be wasted in applying for permanent electricity connection, along with a test report on a prescribed form (available from the Haryana Vidyut Parisar Nigam) duly signed by the registered electrical contractor and along with an attested copy of the occupation certificate issued by the Estate Officer. Normally, the electricity meters are not available with Nigam and have to be purchased by the house owner and handed over to UHVNL/DHVNL for testing. The testing process may take some time and it should, therefore, be applied for as early as possible.

Legal rights

Q.My father died intestate in 2005. Besides my mother, my brother, I and our sister are the legal heirs. All three of us are married and have children. My mother has been living alone in the house bought by my father 40 years ago. Now my mother, brother and sister want to sell the property and divide the sale proceeds amongst the four of us. My mother plans to stay with my sister after selling the house. I am not interested in selling the property. My queries are:

Does my sister, who got married 25 years ago, have any right over the self-acquired property of my father?
Can the property be sold by my mother without my consent? — p.k.sharma

A.Since your father has not left any Will, the property in question will be equally divided among the four natural legal heirs. So, your sister has full right to her share in the self-acquired property of your father.

The property can’t be sold by your mother without the consent of all the legal heirs.
Since your mother is an equal co-sharer in the property, she has full right during her lifetime to transfer her share or make a Will in favour other co-sharers or anyone else as per her wish. Since your mother has the possession of the property, her share will be divided equally among the co-sharers and the natural legal heirs, including your sister.

launch pad
Springview Heights in Ghaziabad

SARE Homes (South Asian Real Estate) recently launched “Springview Heights” in its 88.35 acre integrated township called SARE Crescent ParC on NH-24 in Ghaziabad. The project will have six towers having 2 and 3 BHK apartments. Each tower will have its own club. Crescent ParC is a GDA-approved township and is in an advanced stage of construction and habitation. Families are living in Phase-1; phase-2 will be ready for possession soon; and construction is in full swing at phase-3. The leading facility management company Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) has been appointed to manage the project. Speaking about the project Vineet Relia, Chief Operating Officer, SARE Homes, said, “The project is proposed to be an IGBC certified green building, which will make it an environment-friendly place to live. ”

Luxurium in Gurgaon

Realtech India Group has launched its flagship residential property “Luxurium” spread over 22 acres in the heart of Gurgaon.“Luxurium offers a wide range of modern and stylish residential space which aimed to raise the standard of luxury to new levels. The residents will be offered with ultra modern infrastructure with spacious homes and a lavish lifestyle,” Atul Yadav, CEO of the group said. To be built in Sector 73, Gurgaon, the project comprises 2BHK+study, 3BHK/4BHK apartments, duplexes, and penthouses.

‘Mount Ville’ in Gurgaon

Gurgaon-based realty Mapsko Group launched residential project Mount Ville in Sector-79, Gurgaon, recently. Mount Ville will have 3-4BHK Hill homes. With a total of 802 units, the price starts from Rs 5,390 per sq. ft onwards. The project would be ready for delivery by the end of 2017.

Gold County in Bengaluru

Godrej Properties Ltd. has launched a villa project, Godrej Gold County, on Tumkur Road, Bengaluru. Spread over approximately 12 acres, this project will comprise 87 villas built over a total saleable area of 2.8 lakh sq. ft. Customers can choose from four types of villas ranging in size from 3,303 sq. ft. to 4,113 sq. ft., at prices starting from Rs 2 crore.

— Based on information provided by the developers

realty bites
Everstone-JLL Tie up

Everstone has tied-up with Jones Lang LaSalle India for providing retail property management services to four shopping malls at Pune, Kochi, Vadodara and Ahmedabad. Under this arrangement, Jones Lang LaSalle India will provide end-to-end services - from ensuring optimal year-round occupancy to creating and maintaining a superior retailer and customer experience. The mandate marks the introduction on Jones Lang LaSalle's globally proven Retail Asset Management services module in India

"We are ramping up our business in the real estate domain. JLL India will bring in global best practices which should enhance retailer and customer experience and ensure strong mall occupancies." says Dhanpal Jhaveri, Partner and CEO, Everstone Capital Advisors.

"This tie-up is a benchmark on the real estate market, as it is the first time that a private equity fund has entrusted its entire shopping centre management portfolio to a real estate consulting firm in India," says Anuj Puri, Chairman & Country Head, Jones Lang LaSalle India .

The tie-up for retail property management services will commence from October 1, 2012. Under this arrangement, the firm will provide complete leasing services as well as take responsibility for operations, customer experience, marketing, property and financial management, for the following shopping malls having total gross leasable area of 1.91 million sq. ft. — TNS

pick of the week
Hi-tech kitchens

Hacker Kitchens has given a new dimension to designer kitchens with its latest Emotion Nova series making these all the more tech savvy. The new series combines a design elements with harmony and adequate storage space. The range has innovative features like extendable worktop, pull-outs that open at the touch of a finger to display their perfectly organised contents, built-in LED Lights and more. All internal drawers have lacquer glass front instead of the normal wooden front and all cabinets have the extra dust seal feature which prevent dust and insects from entering the cabinets.

Fendi Casa furniture range

Fendi has unveiled new concepts in living and bedroom furniture. The Fendi signature, every single piece is the result of sophisticated design and manufacturing the high quality standard of the typical ‘made in Italy’.

Price - on request