10-Oct-2019

06-Dec-2019

17-Feb-2020

CREDAI Bengal Daily News Update | 17.02.20

Carveout for REITs, InvITs under consideration

Govt weighs carveout to let trusts follow earlier regime or be exempted from taxes on

dividends.

India is examining whether a carveout can be provided to real estate and

infrastructure investment trusts (REITs, InvITs) under the proposed regime for taxation of

dividends.

The budget proposes to scrap dividend distribution tax (DDT) and shift the taxation of such

payouts to recipients.

Industry has already taken up the issue with the government as it could adversely impact these

increasingly popular investment vehicles for the real estate and infrastructure sectors that rely on

steady dividend income.

Moreover, sections within the government are also worried that the move could impact its own

asset-monetisation plan, especially in the roads sector.

“There have been representations — the issue is being examined,” a senior government official

said.

Two options are under consideration. One is to create a carveout for InvITs and REITs to allow

them to continue with the earlier regime of payment of DDT by the entity distributing dividends

while there is no tax on the recipient. The second is to shift InvITs and REITs to the new regime

but exempt them from taxes on dividends.

Newspaper/Online ET Realty (online)

Date February 17, 2020

Link https://realty.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/industry/carveout-for-reits-invits-under-consideration/74167147

A final call would be taken closer to the reply to the Finance Bill, taking into account all pros and

cons, the official said.

Investors In a Spot

The Finance Bill proposes to remove DDT at the rate of 15% at the level of the company, making

it taxable in the hands of the recipient at the applicable rate. Section 10(23FD) of the Income-Tax

Act, 1961, which earlier exempted dividend income received by a unit holder from a business

trust, is also being proposed to be amended. Hence, dividend incomes received by unit holders

from business trusts will also be taxed in the hands of unit holders.

InvITs and REITs, unlike companies, are structured as business trusts and are therefore bound by

law to distribute 90% of their cash flows. This puts them and their investors in a spot, especially

as the change comes after the framework for InvITs and REITs was rolled out and have begun to

generate interest after much effort. A number of private equity and sovereign wealth funds have

invested in these instruments.

The dividends will be taxed as income in their hands and taxed at their marginal income tax rate

going up to 30%.

Experts said the taxation regime on REITs and InvITs had reached some level of maturity and

acceptance after multiple rounds of deliberation over the years and therefore should be left

unchanged.

“It is imperative that status quo is maintained on the same to ensure investments flow into these,

as number of such investments/structures are at different stages of implementation, based on the

current understanding of the taxation system,” said Vikas Vasal, national leader, tax, Grant

Thornton in India.

Vasal pointed that the government is also looking at using these vehicles to monetise

infrastructure assets and said that the recent budget proposals should be looked at from the

investors’ perspective.

InvITs and REITs were introduced in 2014 but they only took off in 2017 after several tweaks

were made following multiple stakeholder consultations.

Also consistent with the global framework, they were provided a single level of taxation. Nearly

$3.6 billion has already come through the route and another $5 billion of InvIT transactions have

already been announced. These flows are also crucial to the government financing its ?103 lakh

crore investment programme.

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SC completely lifts ban on construction activities in Delhi-NCR

The apex court had on November 4 last year banned all construction and demolition

activities in Delhi-NCR. About a month later, on December 9, lifted the ban partially and

allowed construction activities between 6 AM and 6 PM, after the Central Pollution Control

Board had said that air quality index (AQI) level was not severe at that time.

The Supreme Court Friday completely lifted the ban on construction activities in the Delhi-

National Capital Region (NCR).

The apex court had on November 4 last year banned all construction and demolition activities in

Delhi-NCR.

About a month later, on December 9, lifted the ban partially and allowed construction activities

between 6 AM and 6 PM, after the Central Pollution Control Board had said that air quality index

(AQI) level was not severe at that time.

On Friday, the matter came up before a bench comprising Justices Arun Mishra and Deepak

Gupta.

Senior advocate Aparajita Singh, assisting the court as an amicus curiae in the pollution matter,

told the bench that ban should be completely lifted as it has served its purpose.

The bench, which was hearing an application filed by the India Trade Promotion Organisation,

lifted the ban which paved way for construction activity during the night time in Delhi-NCR.

Besides this, the bench issued notice to the Delhi government seeking its response on a separate

application which said that despite the ban imposed by the apex court, garbage burning was still

going on here.

Additional Solicitor General A N S Nadkarni, appearing for the Ministry of Environment, Forest

and Climate Change, told the bench that Delhi government has given them plot for installation of

smog towers at Connaught Place and Anand Vihar here and the work has also been allotted.

The bench asked the chief secretaries of Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan to file

affidavits regarding compliance of the directions given by the court in its orders passed earlier

regarding measures including on curbing pollution, stubble and garbage burning.

The bench has posted the matter for hearing on February 28.

The top court had earlier asked all the states to explain as to why they should not be made liable

to pay compensation to persons affected by bad air quality saying it is their bounden duty to

Newspaper/Online ET Realty (online)

Date February 15, 2020

Link https://realty.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/industry/sc-completely-lifts-ban-on-construction-activities-in-delhi-ncr/74146496

provide basic civic amenities, clean air and drinking water to citizens.

It had also issued notices to all states seeking various details, including on air quality index (AQI),

managing air quality and disposing of garbage.

The bench on Friday asked all the states to file their compliance affidavits in this regard before

the next date of hearing.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Newspaper/Online Millennium Post

Date February 17, 2020

Amid stress in realty, large builders lap up prime plots in

distress sales

Over the past two years, land prices have fallen by up to 50% in Delhi-NCR, and 10-

15% in cities like Mumbai and Pune

This month, retail firm D-Mart founder Radhakishan Damani bought an 8.8-acre

parcel at Mumbai’s Borivali suburb from debt-laden CCI Projects for over ₹500 crore

Large developers and business groups are finding the continuing stress in the realty market

an opportune time to buy up land banks for future expansion, with several prime land parcels

up for sale at discounted rates and attractive terms.

As several distressed land owners and real estate firms try to get rid of large land parcels in

prime areas to generate cash, a few well-funded builders have been able to crack land deals

at attractive prices in the past few months. Many others are scouting for such similar distressed

sales.

According to real estate consultants and developers, land prices have fallen in the last two

years by up to 50% in certain key real estate markets, particularly in the Delhi-National

Capital Region (NCR). In cities such as Mumbai and Pune, the decline has been 10-15%, they

said.

“This is a great time for quality players to expand. Land prices have softened and high quality

land parcels are available at very good prices. At the same time, we are getting land parcels

which are at great locations at attractive terms," said Mohit Malhotra, managing director and

chief executive officer (CEO), Godrej Properties Ltd. Last year, Godrej Properties took over

six land parcels spanning across 300 acres of land in Pune from stressed local builder Solitaire

Group, acquiring 50% stake in a special purpose vehicle which holds the land. Malhotra said

the company has been able to sign the land deal at a discount of around 30%.

Last year, the Godrej group firm signed a record 12 land deals through a combination of

outright purchases and partnerships with land owners. One of its biggest deals last year was

buying the marquee R.K. Studio at Mumbai’s Chembur area. “We have taken prime properties

in Bandra. We acquired RK studio. All of them are high-quality land at city-centric locations.

We have signed them at attractive terms," Malhotra said, adding land prices in Mumbai have

softened by 10-15% while in Gurugram, it has fallen by 40-50%.

This month, retail firm D-Mart founder Radhakishan Damani bought an 8.8-acre parcel at

Mumbai’s Borivali suburb from debt-laden CCI Projects for over ₹500 crore. According to

land brokers who did not want to be identified, the deal was signed at a 10-15% discount.

Newspaper/Online Live Mint (online)

Date February 16, 2020

Link https://www.livemint.com/industry/infrastructure/amid-stress-in-realty-large-builders-lap-up-prime-plots-in-distress-sales-11581875706927.html

Godrej’s Malhotra said the company is also actively monitoring stressed assets that are under

National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) proceedings.

“The liquidity crunch in the market, and stringent Rera (Real Estate (Regulation and

Development) Act) and IBC (Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code) norms have led to a softening

of land prices for partially launched projects. This is a huge opportunity to ramp up

development pipelines across the country," said Vrushank Mehta, chief investment officer, R

Retail Venture, a joint venture (JV) between real estate firm Runwal Group and global private

equity firm Warburg Pincus. The JV is one of the investment firms and developers which are

bidding for V Hotel Ltd which is currently under insolvency. The biggest draw for V Hotel is

the prime property and land parcel that it owns in Mumbai’s Juhu neighbourhood, Mehta

added.

Last year, Bengaluru-based Prestige Group emerged as the top contender to acquire around

30 acres worth over ₹1,000 crore at Mumbai’s Mulund area from debt ridden Ariisto

Developers through a bidding process under bankruptcy proceedings. Prestige offered

Ariisto’s lenders an upfront payment of around ₹300 crore and area sharing of the project that

will come up at the plot. Around seven prominent Mumbai-based developers including L&T

Realty, Rustomjee Group, Wadhwa Group and Oberoi Realty had submitted bids for the land.

Prestige Group CEO Venkat K. Narayana declined to comment on the Ariisto deal. The

Mulund land transaction offers a great opportunity to enter the micro-market, he said.

Boman Irani, chairman of Rustomjee Group, which was also vying for the Ariisto land, said

that the NCLT route provides a much transparent way to acquire land unlike in the past. “At

least, the liabilities are known rather than unknown. Earlier, only steel, chemical and auto

industries had such option. Now, real estate firms too. The NCLT route is much more

definitive. The liabilities are clearly defined," he said.

_________________________________________________________________

Few takers for town planning schemes in Maharashtra

“The realty sector is not looking up and the cash-strapped state government is keen on

focusing other schemes,” one official said.

Nearly 150 town planning schemes in Maharashtra, proposed by the erstwhile BJP-led

government, have failed to take off.

The then government had hoped to roll-out 150 town planning schemes in the state, but the current

dispensation is yet to give the necessary clearances, officials in the know said. “The realty sector

is not looking up and the cash-strapped state government is keen on focusing other schemes,” one

official said.

The plan was further hobbled by the lack of interest showed by the civic bodies in the state. Senior

town planning department officials said that while the previous government had directed 27

municipal corporations and 250 municipal councils to come up with proposals — on the lines of

the Mann-Mhalunge scheme — only a handful have shown interest as the current government is

yet to issue directions on the same.

“Only Pune Municipal Corporation, Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation, Kalyan-

Dombivli Municipal Corporation, Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority, Pune

Metropolitan Regional Development Authority and Nagpur Municipal Corporation have

responded,” a top government official said.

The official added the government would clear the proposals as and when the local authority

submits one. However, some analysts said the process may not be as clear-cut. “The slowdown

in the announcement of more schemes could also be attributed to the amount of time it consumes

— from the announcement of the schemes to checking for the land ownership, it is a lengthy

process,” another analyst said.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Newspaper/Online ET Realty (online)

Date February 15, 2020

Link https://realty.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/industry/few-takers-for-town-planning-schemes-in-maharashtra/74144395

Maharashtra government to build houses for Dabbawalas in

Mumbai

The decision was taken during a meeting chaired by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister

Ajit Pawar, who ordered the state departments and officers concerned to make homes

available to the dabbawalas.

The Maharashtra government would be building houses for the city's famous 'Dabbawalas' under

the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), the state government said on Thursday.

The decision was taken during a meeting chaired by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit

Pawar, who ordered the state departments and officers concerned to make homes available to the

dabbawalas. Pawar also ordered to build Mumbai Dabbawala Bhavan.

Labour Minister Dilip Walse-Patil and other departments secretaries including MHADA

(Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority) Vice President Milind Mhaiskar were

also present in the meeting, which was also attended by a delegation of Mumbai's dabbawalas.

"It is good news. We thank Ajit Dada for taking such a decision. It will be really good for the

dabbawalas. We welcome this decision," Subhash Talekar, operation head of Mumbai Dabbawala

Association, said.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Newspaper/Online ET Realty (online)

Date February 15, 2020

Link https://realty.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/residential/mumbai-government-to-build-houses-for-dabbawalas-in-the-city/74144418

Plan to buy a flat in Visakhapatnam? Check if your area falls in

‘black’ zone

For, several banks have adopted a policy against sanctioning unsecured loans at some pin

codes in the city and you might find your application for a new credit card or personal loan

getting rejected.

Next time you intend to purchase a new property and want to make it your permanent home,

make sure you have gone through all the fact-checks properly. For, several banks have adopted a

policy against sanctioning unsecured loans at some pin codes in the city and you might find your

application for a new credit card or personal loan getting rejected.

K Raju, who bought a new flat in Madhurwada locality last year, was in for a shock when he tried

to apply for a new credit card. “To my utter surprise, the private bank rejected my credit card

application. I was told the bank can’t service the locality under my pin code,” the 39-year-old

private sector employee said.

When TOI tried to apply for a personal loan and credit card on the website of a few private banks,

it was found that the banks were reluctant to give loans or credit cards to a few specific pin codes.

While applying online, the applicant needs to fill up his or her home address on the personal

profile section. Once Visakhapatnam is typed in the specific ‘city’ column, the websites

automatically generate the pin codes and the applicants need to select their area’s pin code from

the scroll down button. However, the ‘unserviceable’ areas’ pin codes can’t be found in the list.

“Yes, banks often restrict unsecured loans depending on the locality where the applicant is

residing. However, different banks have different restricted zones. We first check if the bank has

any restrictions in the pin code area where our customer is residing before going ahead with the

application,” said B Ganesh, owner of a DSA agency.

A senior official in the credit department of a private bank said ‘redlining’ of some areas exist in

almost all Indian cities. “We redline only those areas where our credit realization is very poor.

There are some neighbourhoods where our officials fear to enter. It’s difficult to track loan

defaulters staying in those areas,” he explained.

Earlier, such system of rejection never used to come to light because bank officials never used to

reveal the exact reason behind the rejection of loan applications. But with the increase in online

applications, they are now bound to remove the restricted pin codes from the system to avoid

‘wastage’ of both time and money. “However, in some cases we give exemption if the applicant

has a salary account with us, or if we have a corporate relationship with the employer, or if the

applicant wants a loan against fixed deposits or other investments,” another private bank official

revealed.

Newspaper/Online ET Realty (online)

Date February 15, 2020

Link https://realty.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/residential/plan-to-buy-a-flat-in-visakhapatnam-check-if-your-area-falls-in-black-zone/74144449

The legal fraternity, when asked for their reaction, said this is a new trend and very few bother to

check this aspect when buying a new property. “But this is not a healthy trend. Normally, a home

buyer checks the area and papers related to the property. Why should one check this aspect? As

the city is expanding, many residential projects are coming up on the outskirts. Many people are

buying properties in such complexes and staying there permanently. Such a policy by the banks

is not right. You cannot judge an individual on the basis of his or her locality,” K Murlidhar, a

senior advocate, opined.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Haryana CM orders DTCP to register 300 flats of Ardee City

residents

The chief minister gave a big relief to the residents of Ardee city and ordered the DTCP to

get the accounts of allottees and builders matched and register their houses. Khattar

cautioned the authorities that laxity will not be tolerated.

Chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar chaired the grievance committee meeting in the city on

Saturday where 13 complaints, including the pending registration of around 300 houses, and the

lack of parking space in Sadar Bazar were tabled.

The chief minister gave a big relief to the residents of Ardee city and ordered the DTCP to get

the accounts of allottees and builders matched and register their houses. Khattar cautioned the

authorities that laxity will not be tolerated. "If any delay is caused by the builder, an FIR will be

lodged against him," the CM asserted.

In the meeting, DTP RS Bhatt informed the CM that a case is ongoing in HUDA for 20 acres of

land due to which the registration was banned by the department of town and country planning.

"But in the meantime, the ban was also lifted twice. Registry is currently being done," Bhatt

added. Khattar instructed the DTP to arrive at a decision in a month and prepare a list of arrears

towards allottees. During the meeting, encroachment and lack of parking space at Sadar Bazar

was also discussed. Khattar informed the residents that work on multi-level parkings will be

completed in two years and that will solve the issue of roadside parking which eats up space for

walking and driving.

Other than this, the long-pending case of low-hanging power lines at Patel Nagar in Sector 15

was also brought up. After 12 years, 70 deaths and multiple meetings, the problem persists and

complaints remain unaddressed. MCG councillor Subhash Singla claimed an agreement has

almost reached to provide the corridor for underground lines. “The cost of the entire project is

estimated to be around Rs 5 crore. A plan will be prepared to collect development fees from Patel

residents,” Singla added.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Newspaper/Online ET Realty (online)

Date February 16, 2020

Link https://realty.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/residential/haryana-cm-orders-dtcp-to-register-300-flats-of-ardee-city-residents/74158191

CCTV cover to be a must in all buildings: Maharashtra home

minister

“We have proposed the installation of certain software, embedded with artificial

intelligence, in CCTV control rooms so that they can detect the face of any criminal on

record from images captured by the cameras," said Anil Deshmukh.

State home minister Anil Deshmukh said on Saturday that the Maha Vikas Aghadi government

would amend the building bylaws to make it mandatory for builders to install CCTV cameras in

new and old buildings.

“The buildings need to have cameras installed at vantage points on their premises, including entry

and exit points. The building authorities should monitor the cameras and help police in gathering

evidence, if needed,” Deshmukh said.

“We have proposed the installation of certain software, embedded with artificial intelligence, in

CCTV control rooms so that they can detect the face of any criminal on record from images

captured by the cameras. In such a situation, the concerned police stations would be alerted,” he

said.

“Soon, a team would visit Telangana to study the legal aspects of women’s safety so as to expedite

judicial processes against suspects involved in cases of crime against women. This is to avoid

incidents like the one at Hinganghat in Wardha, where a woman was torched by a man,”

Deshmukh said.

On shortage of manpower in the state police force, he said there had been a freeze on recruitment

for the past five years, but now they have plans to recruit 8,000 policemen. He also reiterated that

a two-member committee was investigating phone-tapping complaints put forth by politicians

from different parties.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Newspaper/Online ET Realty (online)

Date February 16, 2020

Link https://realty.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/technology/cctv-cover-to-be-a-must-in-all-buildings-maharashtra-home-minister/74158238

Greater Noida: Flats handed over, Shivalik buyers still wait for

registry

The project is located at Surajpur Site C Housing Extension under Uttar Pradesh State

Industrial Development Corporation (UPSIDC).

Around 400 residents of Greater Noida’s Shivalik Homes are clueless about when they may

finally be able to register their flats as despite offering possession, the builder has still not

procured occupation certificate (OCs) and completion certificate (CC) for the project from

the Noida Authority.

The builder has dues to the Authority as well as financial debts to the banks. The residents have

recently filed police complaints alleging that their repeated appeals with the builder have gone

unheard. The project is located at Surajpur Site C Housing Extension under Uttar Pradesh State

Industrial Development Corporation (UPSIDC).

According to a homebuyer, Himanshu Shekhar, the future of the ownership of flats looks bleak.

"I booked my flat in 2016 and have been living here since June 2017, but there is no OC, CC and

registry of the flats. The builder is charging hefty amount for maintenance at the rate of Rs 2.50

per sq ft, but there is not even a club or swimming pool in the society. The upkeep of the society

is also inadequate," Shekhar said.

Other residents of the housing society also maintained that they their flats are not registered.

"I booked my flat in 2013 and have been living here since 2016. So far, we have not been given

OCs or CCs and the flats are not registered. The club and swimming pool have not been handed

over by the builder," said another resident Ashish Kharwade.

"I also booked my flat in 2018 and have been living here since that time. There are issues related

to OC and CC. We have recently been informed about the financial situation of the builder and

we don’t know what the future holds for us," said Rupesh Singh.

The residents claimed that they have been holding protests against the situation as well, however,

nothing seems to work.

"We are continuously facing the brunt of the security and housekeeping staff who go on strikes

for non-receipt of dues. We have been staging protests, but to no avail," Shekhar added.

Commenting on the situation, the builder’s representative for Shivalik Homes, Kalpanath Singh

Newspaper/Online ET Realty (online)

Date February 15, 2020

Link https://realty.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/residential/greater-noida-flats-handed-over-shivalik-buyers-still-wait-for-registry/74144406

said, "Our land is acquired from UPSIDC and the completion has to be done through them. We

are working on it and will soon get it done. We request the buyers to be patient."

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Punjab to 'better' policy on building violations

Sources pointed out that lakhs of residential units in the state have flouted the municipal

building bylaws, but only around 600 applications were received in 2019 .

Punjab government is set to bring in a more ‘people-friendly’ one-time settlement (OTS) policy

for non-compoundable building violations after its relaxation last year failed to evoke much

response.

Sources pointed out that lakhs of residential units in the state have flouted the municipal building

bylaws, but only around 600 applications were received in 2019 .

Punjab local bodies Brahm Mohindra told TOI that this time a more ‘public friendly’ scheme

would be brought in. “The one-time settlement is being tweaked. The scheme was put in public

domain and feedback from public and municipal councillors is being incorporated. The relaxation

will help regularise residential units with one violation or the other,” he said.

Sources added that that apart from offering relief to public ahead of the next assembly elections,

the scheme will also help generate more financial resources for the MCs and the Improvement

Trusts (ITs) through composition fee and change of land use (CLU), where permissible.

‘Last OTS evoked lukewarm response’

While in some cases the buildings plans have not been approved, in others unauthorised additions

have been made to dwelling units.

The OTS would come close on the heels of the local bodies department notifying asimilar scheme

for recovery of arrears of water and sewerage charges in the Urban Local bodies (ULBs) last

week. It is estimated that 15 % to 20% of water connections in municipal towns of the state are

unauthorised. The payable amount will have to be deposited in lump sum and failure to do so will

attract both interest and penalty in addition to disconnection.

The previous scheme that was notified by the state government on March 5, 2019, for one-time

composition of noncompoundable violations, came to an end on June 4, 2019, without enthusing

the people. Before this, the cabinet had approved for promulgation ‘The Punjab One-Time

Voluntary Disclosure and Settlement of Violations of the Buildings Ordinance, 2018’ for all

buildings constructed in violation of the building bylaws in the municipal areas.

“The last OTS evoked lukewarm response as violators expected that the civic bodies would

compound all violations blindly after recovery of composition fee, which was not the case.

Besides, there were conditions such as change of land use (CLU) being made compulsory for

Newspaper/Online ET Realty (online)

Date February 15, 2020

Link https://realty.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/industry/punjab-to-better-policy-on-building-violations/74144432

shop-cum-flats (SCFs) where residential portion is being used for commercial purpose,” said an

official.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Ensure no construction activity in Aravalis: Punjab and Haryana

HC

During the hearing of the case, the petitioner’s counsel informed HC that construction

activities in the Aravali area are rampant and in contravention of rules and statutes.

The Punjab and Haryana high court on Thursday made it clear that no construction activity shall

be allowed in the Aravali hills in Gurgaon district of Haryana. “No construction activity shall be

permitted in the area without permission,” a division bench comprising Chief Justice Ravi

Shankar Jha and Justice Arun Palli told the state counsel in the open court.

The order, however, was not made available by the court till the filing of the report. Lokesh

Sinhal, additional advocate general Haryana, also confirmed that the Chief Justice’s bench has

asked the state to ensure that no construction activity takes place in the Aravalis are without the

requisite permission.

During the hearing of the case, the petitioner’s counsel informed HC that construction activities

in the Aravali area are rampant and in contravention of rules and statutes.

The matter is pending before the HC in the wake of a petition seeking directions to ban

construction in Aravali hills by defining it as forest area. The matter is pending before the HC

since May 2018. According to the petition, banning the construction activity in Aravali area was

required to be issued keeping in view of May 7, 1992 notification issued by the government of

India for safeguarding Aravalli range.

The matter is pending before the HC in the wake of a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by

Harinder Dhingra, a Gurgaon based RTI activist.

Claiming his petition about the protection of environment and safeguarding the Aravali Range

falling under Garatpur Bas, petitioner has informed that the construction of slaughter house in

Bandhwari and proposed road known as Greater Southern Peripheral Road passing through

Aravali range for which thousands of trees would required to be cut down, would lead to

environmental degradation in the region.

Petition, which is pending for around two years, has also raised several other violations of laws

and violation of laws/notifications on account of illegal construction activities in Aravali area.

The matter would now come up for hearing on March 4.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Newspaper/Online ET Realty (online)

Date February 15, 2020

Link https://realty.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/regulatory/ensure-no-construction-activity-in-aravalis-punjab-and-haryana-hc/74146524

Surat civic body seals 160 properties over tax dues

According to SMC officials, till now, a total of Rs 191.53 crore property tax had been

collected from the zonal office and drive had been intensified to recover dues from tax

defaulters.

Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) had sealed 160 properties and disconnected water

connections of 20 properties in Pandesara, Ganpatnagar, Kshetrapal Nagar, Khatodara areas on

Saturday.

South Zone (Udhana) officials of the civic body had initiated the actions after property owners

failed to pay civic tax dues for the current financial year.

According to SMC officials, till now, a total of Rs 191.53 crore property tax had been collected

from the zonal office and drive had been intensified to recover dues from tax defaulters.

SMC has urged citizens to pay their due taxes on time to avoid harsh actions from the civic body.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Newspaper/Online ET Realty (online)

Date February 16, 2020

Link https://realty.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/regulatory/surat-civic-body-seals-160-properties-over-tax-dues/74158415