Indian Real Estate

Hyderabad, Sept. 10: The two prestigious flyovers starting from Panjagutta and Greelands Junctions which has already been delayed, would be opened for public in March. According to informed sources the completion of the two flyovers that are aimed at easing traffic on one of the busiest arteries of the city was delayed owing to the tackling of large chunks of rock sheets and the shifting of pipeline, cables.

When contacted Mr N. V. S. Reddy, additional commissioner of MCH for traffic and transport, conceded that there were difficulties since they had to handle “a few unexpected problems.” Huge drainage pipes and criss-crossing cables which were laid for various purposes were discovered at the foundation level. As there was a ban on blasting the rocks as they were located beneath multi-storied buildings, the only option left to remove those pipes was to have the rocks chisled. But that meant a huge delay in the construction process. So the engineers resorted to embedding these in the structure itself.

Mr Reddy said another problem with the Panjagutta Flyover is getting the desired shape of piers. It is hard to get the right curves when the radius of pier is 75 metres. “It is perhaps the steepest curve the engineers have ever worked on,” he added. The Rajiv Gandhi Statue-Panjagutta Junctions bridge which is 1235 metres long would lead up to Nagarjuna Circle from where one of its arm will connect it with Banjara Hills road number two and the other one would land to JVR Park. The Greenlands Junction Bridge which is 1,150-metres-long will merge with the existing overbridge and land near the gate of HPS. The total cost of the two bridges is estimated as Rs 53.5 crore.

Hyderabad, Sept. 10: Hyderabad Urban Development Authority (Huda), which had gained notoriety as real estate broker of the State by acquiring lands from poor farmers and auctioning them at sky-high prices, is now on a mission to improve its public image. Huda had stated earlier that it would take up the construction of low-cost townships for the middle income section of society. Now, it has shortlisted at least five sites for the construction of these low-cost townships for middle class.

A formal announcement regarding the inauguration of this project is likely to be made by Chief Minister Dr Y. S. Rajasekhar Reddy on October 2. The process of identifying sites for these townships was delayed for various reasons. Official sources told this correspondent that these sites include lands at Jawaharnagar, Shamshabad, Kollur, Rampalli and Maheshwaram.“The officials have also identified some other sites at Tellapur, Saroornagar and Sahebnagar as a precautionary measure in case of any fresh litigations on the five identified sites,” sources said.

When contacted, Huda secretary P. Venkat Rama Reddy confirmed to this correspondent that they intend to have the project inaugurated by the Chief Minister on October 2. However, he refused to confirm the sites where Huda plans to set up the flats. Sources said Huda is reluctant to reveal the identified sites due to legal problems. “The Huda is on an image building exercise. The top officials of Huda are of the opinion that this project would help to improve the tarnished image which Huda now has among the public owing to land auctioning.” official sources said.

“So, Huda is bent upon grounding this project,” they added. As per the proposal, the low-cost township will have at least 2,000 units (flats). Each unit will be of 800 square feet and priced around Rs six lakhs. This way, Huda wants to construct at least four to five townships at different places in the outskirts of the city for the benefit of middle income group. “Huda plans to sell these flats in low-cost townships at Rs six lakhs each with a provision of installment facility to the allottees,” an official said. “However, the project, if inaugurated on October 2, will take another two years to be completed,” he added.

Notwithstanding the contemplated political uncertainty in the State, real estate developers are busy giving a final shape to their plans for mega residential projects that will further improve the profile of Hyderabad as a hot destination for property investment. These projects, mostly developed by local construction giants like Myhome, Jayabheri, Indu projects and IVRCL, are coming up in 10 to 30 acres of land and will comprise apartment complexes with towers going beyond 20 stories. Prices for these complexes could vary between Rs 3,000 and Rs 4,000 per sq ft. The high price, they say, is because of the multiple facilities — club houses, swimming pools, tennis courts, malls and multiplexes — that are planned as an integral part of the projects. Another common feature that binds these projects together is that they have all been temporarily grounded (for the past four-five months) because of court orders, according to which the municipal authorities have been asked not to give a fire clearance to multi-storied buildings. “We will start the construction the day we get permission. But the issue still remains unsettled which has also caused our project cost to increase abnormally,” laments Dr Rameshwar of Myhome. Myhome is ready with its plans to build 11 towers to house 1,500 flats in 30 acres on the Hitex-Miyapur road while 600 flats in 10 acres of land is Indu Projects’ target which is a part of Indu Fortune Fields near Kukatpally 13th phase. Jayabheri will have 600 apartments in 20 towers spread over 14 acres of land in Gachibowli. According to the grapevine, IVRCL is closing the deal with land owners to create both commercial and residential space in 10 acres just behind Hitec city first phase. “Each tower having a two-floor car parking space and 10 floors will be built at a distance of 90 ft, which is 40 ft more than the required space between the towers. Besides solar fencing, we also plan to instal closed circuit cameras in the balconies to make the place totally secure,” informs Dr Rameshwar. Indu projects which has already sold all the proposed 376 villas at Fortune Fields has readied its plans for the 600-apartments complex in the adjacent 10 acres plot. “Hyderabad’s potential as a property gold mine is increasing because of infrastructure projects like Outer Ring Road. Besides IT professionals, people working in infrastructure building companies, most of which are located in the State have become potential buyers because they can afford it,” Mr Shyamprasad Reddy of Indu Projects points out. The size of each apartment at Fortune Fields will be between 1,800 and 1,830 sq ft. The developers have been projecting the club house built in 25,000 sq ft as an unique feature of the project. “We will also build malls and other entertainment facilities as an added luxury,” he added. Buoyed by the successful marketing of 280 apartments for Rs 3,500 per sq ft at Nanakramguda within just one week, Jayabheri has put up 600 apartments in the proposed complex at Gachibowli for sale for a whopping Rs 4,000 per sq. ft. The company which revolutionised the living culture in apartments with its Silicon Valley, is confident of getting buyers for the proposed project. “The cost of property in prime areas is still affordable in Hyderabad compared to Rs 8,000 per sq ft (market rate) in Bangalore, Rs 11,000 in Chennai and 14,000 plus in Mumbai,” says Maganti Ram Mohan, director Jayabheri.

A LONG and desperate wait for improved infrastructure in Coimbatore seems to be heading for an end if the positive signs from the Coimbatore Corporation are not deceptive.

Roads that should measure up to the reputation of an eminent city, multi-tier parking lots, subways, an additional water scheme to meet the rapid rise in population and flyovers that can reduce the present chaos on the existing thoroughfares - these are some of the developments in store for the city. At last, some positive signs are definitely emerging from the congested Town Hall, where the Corporation's head office is located.

Is the information technology park, coming up in Peelamedu, forcing the image makeover? Or are the city managers tired of poor and worn out facilities? Neither.

The Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) of the Union Ministry of Urban Development has come as a boon to Chennai, Coimbatore and Madurai Corporations.

Coimbatore has prepared an elaborate City Development Plan (CDP) containing schemes for over Rs. 1,400 crore. It has entered into a Memorandum of Agreement with the Ministry on the plan. The city police too is to get some funds under the scheme for traffic management. So will the Highways Department for improving its roads that criss-cross the city. Even as the Corporation has put itself in the fast forward mode towards implementation of the scheme, public confidence remains low over its ability to bring about changes at the desired pace.

The delay in the implementation of the underground drainage scheme proposed in 1998 and the Pilloor second phase drinking water scheme that was also mooted around that time are cited as instances that contribute to low levels of public optimism over schemes taking off.

These schemes had not taken off for a long time as the Corporation faced funds constraints and councillors had resented huge loans fearing a huge repayment (and interest) burden that could, inevitably, be passed on to the people in the form of high usage charges.

But, with 50 per cent funds to come from the Centre and 20 per cent from the State Government under the JNNURM, the Corporation is confident of implementing all the schemes that are pending for years and also some new ones that seek to elevate the status of the city.

What lends more credibility to the entire scheme is the time frame of implementation. All the projects should be completed in seven years.

The unprinted message from both the Governments is: "We will give most of the money, but you finish the job on time." The Corporation also feels that it can speed up the process and meet the deadline with more experts on hand and that is why it has sought more engineers, right up to the level of a Superintending Engineer to oversee this scheme alone.

If things proceed in the right direction, traffic will flow smooth on the city roads and pedestrians will not impede it but take subways to cross these stretches. Now, there is not even one subway.

Roads in commercial hubs may not be choked with parked vehicles as multi-tier lots for these will be built. Garbage will not turn the city an eyesore as a scheme for Rs. 56 crore will ensure that biodegradable waste is converted into manure.

Waste disposal

And, a separate facility for the disposal of bio-medical waste is already on a trial run.

Even if the IT park brings a huge inflow of people, the new water scheme will not put pressure on the Corporation to look skywards and pray throughout the year for heavy rain to fill up the Siruvani Dam. The scheme aims to relocate all slums encroaching on waterbodies to multi-storeyed tenements planned in the city border.

An area that remains a cause for concern is unbridled construction of multi-storeyed shopping complexes that do not offer parking space.

What the city needs is accident-free roads, uninterrupted water supply, total sanitation through underground sewers and waste management (with total public support) and good maintenance of infrastructure. The JNNURM measures up to these requirements. But, all eyes are on the Corporation now.

Building codes in the U.S., for instance, aim to protect occupants from exterior and interior sound sources. To deal with exterior noise the codes usually require measurement of the exterior acoustic environment in order to determine the performance standard required for exterior building skin design.

The architect and the acoustical scientist can arrive at the best cost effective means of creating a quiet interior (normally 45 dBA). The most important elements of design of the building skin are usually: glazing (glass thickness, double pane design etc.), roof material, caulking standards, chimney baffles, exterior door design, mail slots, attic ventilation ports, etc.

There are two ways in which sound can be generated within buildings. Firstly, airborne sound travels through walls or floor/ceiling assemblies due to either human activities in adjacent living spaces or from mechanical noise within the building systems. Mechanical systems are elevator systems, boilers, refrigeration or air conditioning systems, generators and trash compactors. Walls or ceiling assemblies have to meet certain performance standards to achieve the desired level of quietness.

Secondly, it can arise from transmission through the building itself, like the footfall of occupants. This type of noise is somewhat more difficult to abate, but consideration must be given to isolating the floor assembly above or hanging the lower ceiling on resilient channel.

Water-logging in compounds is increasingly becoming a problem hard to tackle in the urban areas of Kerala. Not only in cities, but also in regions that were slowly getting urbanised, water-logged compounds are creating headaches for house owners every monsoon.

The reasons for increasing levels of water-logging are many. They are not too hard to find, given the topsy-turvy nature of our urban development. "Lack of any proper planning in providing a drainage is the major cause of water-logging," points out the Kochi-based architect G. Jaigopal. Add to this the high ground water table in many parts of the State, especially in the coastal areas like Ernakulam. The city and suburbs have one of the highest water tables in Kerala.

High water table

"In many areas in Kochi, the ground level is often lower than the mean sea level, resulting in a high water table," Mr. Jaigopal points out. In such places, the rainwater does not sink into the ground. Coupled with the groundwater, it becomes almost a lake. The only problem being that the lake is formed right in front of your house.

"In planned towns, each compound is assigned different levels. If your compound is at a certain level, the next plot is given an assigned level lower or higher than yours, according to the slope of the land. The water from all the plots are diverted through sloping drains towards the nearest canal or stream or river or any other water body. But, here, we have absolutely no planning regarding such matters," points out Mr. Jaigopal.

"On the other hand, we compete with each other in rising the level of our own plots than the neighbours," with the result that an entire area gets waterlogged."

He points out that providing proper drainage is the basic way to prevent water-logging. "The issue of water-logging can be handled at two levels," points out Sebastian Jose, Kochi-based architect. In his opinion, draining off all the rainwater that falls on your plot is not quite advisable. "It should be the last resort," he says.

Recharging groundwater

"Most city plots have small surface areas, so the collection of water from direct rainfall is comparatively lesser than the water collected from the roof." Mr. Jose advises making use of the excess water for recharging the groundwater levels. Using sand piles to help the water get absorbed into the ground is one technique for increasing the re-charging. As the soil in Kochi is mostly clay, the absorption of water is also very less. But, using sand can increase the absorption levels. Make a sand pile and direct the water into it. Sand acts as a filter.

In city plots, even underground storage tanks for storing the rainwater could be built, with the house being situated on top of it. However, Mr. Jaigopal points out that using excess water for recharging the soil and water sources is highly difficult in areas with a high water table. "But, there are plenty of options in areas with a low water table."

Proper drainage

Providing a proper drainage is highly important, he points out. There can be different ways of providing drainage. Open drain is one idea. Another is, sub surface drainage. The sub-surface drain will not be visible over the surface, but will collect water through open joints. Maintenance is easier for such drains. Clogging, especially plastic clogging, is another issue causing water-logging. The maximum peak rainfall in an area in one hour should be considered ideally, for designing the drains for that area. However, water will not be absorbed by clay or rock. Hence in areas with clay or rocky sub-surface, groundwater recharging is very difficult.

Unproven method

A theoretical possibility of deep borewell recharging has been evolved, but it is yet to be practically proved, says Mr. Jaigopal. According to this theory, water can be recharged into deep underground through borewells. This water may, in turn, help to increase the water table of an area with rocky sub-surface or with a low water table.

An Edelweiss report on the Indian construction sector released earlier this week estimated that the aggregate order book for the industry was expected to grow by 20 per cent Y-O-Y to Rs.50,000 crore in the current fiscal.

"Backed by the robust growth in order book throughout FY 2006, the construction industry saw a strong Y-O-Y growth in the first quarter of FY07," it said in the report based on a survey conducted among 15 construction companies, including eight rated ones.

Edelweiss estimated that revenues of the sector were likely to grow by 48 per cent this year over the previous year.

Earnings too are set for a whopping 62 per cent growth in the current year, it said.

Maintaining that industry players are now adequately sensitised to volatility in the prices of raw materials, it said increased caution was likely to keep focus on operating margin.

"We see profitability scenario intact to a large extent against such price fluctuations with built-in price-escalation clauses and committed raw material supply agreements with customers," it added.

The infrastructure sector of the construction industry, which exhibited robust growth over the previous three years till FY 06, is also expected to be on the similar strong growth trajectory for another two years, it said. - PTI

Real estate can bloom in Uppal. But, stinking Musi, bad roads and pollution have to be dealt with. And neighbouring Habsiguda gives it a complex too.

Till a few years ago, real estate dealers used to find it hard to get clients buy land in Uppal. Even builders were not very keen on the area. However, things have undergone a sea change of late.

The expansion of IT giant GE, construction of Uppal cricket stadium, spurt in commercial establishments including malls and large number of educational institutions have played a major role in the increase of real estate prices.

The recent signing of MoU between State Government and Raheja group to launch an IT park in Medipally and the presence of top scientific research institutes is further fuelling the real estate prices here.

However realty dealers have a word of caution. While Habsiguda is well developed in terms of infrastructure, developmental activities in Uppal are still in its nascent stage.

Air and ground water pollution, due to heavy vehicular movement and the proximity to a polluted Musi, continues to be a major deterrent in the overall growth of Uppal as a prime destination for developers.

Rate check

At the moment, a square yard in Habsiguda starts from Rs.15,000 and goes up to Rs.30,000 in colonies like Kakatiyanagar which are well connected with the main road. In Uppal, the cost of a square yard is between Rs 7,500 and Rs.15,000 depending on the locality.

A 2-bed room deluxe flat fetches a rent of Rs. 4,000 to Rs.5,000 while a 3-bed room apartment costs in excess of Rs.6,000.

"HUDA's plan to acquire 800 acres of land along the Musi for development under Green City project has been stalled. Also, several colonies here do not have connecting roads to the Uppal main road. If these two problems are solved then there is no looking back for this place," said a local real estate dealer M. A. Raja.

Rent on the up

With GE alone employing about 4,000 employees in its facilities, hunting for a rented apartment has become a big challenge here.

Rentals in Habsiguda and Tarnaka are saturated. While the municipality officials have just managed to complete

underground drainage system in Uppal, internal roads and pollution-free environment are still distant dreams.

Water woes

"Pollution and bad roads here sometimes discourage people from purchasing houses. Hundreds of lorries come from Secunderabad and Hyderabad to Uppal cross roads to go towards Warangal highway. Musi's stench is also a major dampener," said TDP Uppal town president and Uppal Merchants Association President B. Hanumantha Rao.

"By December this year, water problem in Uppal will be solved with the construction of three water holding reservoirs. We are also in the process of laying CC roads in colonies under various State and Central Government projects," said Uppal Municipal Commissioner M.S.S. Somraju.

Builders in the city are a worried lot these days. So much so that they have come together to float a forum and seek amendment to rules that they hold responsible for bringing construction activity to a grinding halt.

For almost six months not a new venture has been taken up and the builders cite certain provisions of GO Ms. 86 for this. With land prices going up and many ruling out individual houses, apartment flats were expected to sell like hot cakes. But the near shutdown of construction activity appears to have affected this too.

The Greater Hyderabad Builders Federation, an umbrella organisation of builders associations from different parts of the city and suburbs has approached Chief Minister Y.S.Rajasekhara Reddy and sought certain modifications to the said order. "Since the order issued in March first week, not a single application seeking building permission has been made with authorities concerned," says a representative of the federation.

`Floored'

Only projects that had pre-March permission are being completed and new ones were put on hold due to `impracticable' provisions related to mortgage, FSI in respect of buildings up to 15 metres height and occupancy certificates, they contend.

The argument put forth with regard to mortgage of a floor, whether the project is of three floors or 20 floored, was not feasible for those with fewer floors to build. "It might not matter for bigger apartments, but a developer with plans of say three or five floors is in trouble since even he has to mortgage one entire floor," says K. Venkatesh of Motinagar Builders Association.

The permitted FSI too is contested and described discriminatory in nature. "Projects on more than 1,500 sq.mts get a built-up area of about 45 sq.ft. per sq.yd., while those coming up on less than 1,500 sq.mts are allowed just 15 sq.ft., which is not justified. What can developers of small ventures build with such small built-up area?" argues Mr. Venkatesh.

FSI issues

Apprehensions are that if the permissible FSI is adhered to as per the new provisions, builders will hike the price and then pass the burden to the buyer. A builder does admit the possibility saying, "We cannot absorb the burden and it naturally has to go to the buyer. It could lead to 50 per cent to 100 per cent escalation in prices of apartment flats".

"We represented the matter to the Chief Minister and sought these minor modifications. We are expecting a positive response at the earliest," says Prabhakar Rao, Legal Advisor for the newly formed Federation.

It is not the builders alone who find themselves at crossroads due to new restrictions. Says a builder, "With the option of independent homes almost gone and apartment constructions at a standstill, it is the middle class aspiration to own a dwelling that takes a beating."

If there is one problem which is bothering many residents in Chennai city and suburbs it is the grille offences reported almost every day in locked homes.

While the custodians of law are squarely blaming the victims for being "careless", the public, on the other hand, are annoyed over the callous attitude of the police.

At a time, when flat promoters are vying with each other in marketing their newly-built homes as the best in the market to potential buyers in the metropolis, they are now facing yet another uphill task: How to overcome the menace of grille offenders.

When contacted, civil engineers and architects told The Hindu Property Plus that even before a prospective buyer poses few basic questions such as, do you provide security to the apartments and do you offer any alarm system, which would automatically alert the nearest police station in the event of a crime or other problems, the answer is a straight yes.

Even before such modern day crimes used to be reported, no apartment permitted outsiders to park their vehicles inside the premises.

When such is the scene, it is strongly suspected that without the insider passing on information about the whereabouts of inmates, burglars cannot barge into a specific house and escape with the booty. Well, this is for the police to investigate.

The architects' view point is that new homes should have modern electronic gadgets fitted, with inbuilt software, instantly alerting about any crime or incident that occurs in the home in the absence of the inmates. Instead of relying only on the security personnel, it would be wiser to have gadgets, which inform about any trespasser, a police officer says.

Mumbai-based Micro Technologies (India) Limited, which deals with developing security systems based on embedded technology, offers readymade products such as micro home security system with wireless technology and numerous sensors to protect the users' premises.

Any fire or gas leak in the home, the user is intimated through an SMS, an executive of the company says.

Small or big, every home is beautiful to its owner and hence it has become essential to invest on security aspects also along with the cost of the property.

We must achieve the character and acquire the skills to live much poorer than we do. We must waste less.

— American novelist and essayist Wendell Berry

Environmentalists tell you that a mud house is a meaningful choice. But when you start thinking of one for yourself you find more people who discourage you.

The contractor will say there is no proven technology. The "down-to-earth" architect may say it is not worth the trouble and your neighbour may laugh at you.

Though they are claimed to be cost-effective, people realise that it is easier said than done. The "discourage brigade" may point out at the Yelahanka fiasco where a Government agency attempted to build thousands of houses that were washed away in one rain years ago.

Whom should one believe?

Well, Bangalore is one of the cities which have many mud houses. Chitra Vishwanath, one of the architects who has been doing only mud houses for a good 10 years now, puts the figure at 5,000.

In a city that has 1,500 architects and where the Centre for Sustainable Technologies (CST) of the Indian Institute of Science has made a pioneering effort to evolve sustainable building materials and technologies, few architects embrace them.

There are reasons. Making mud-based bricks (adding only a little quantity of cement) is not easy, points out Mysore-based B.S. Bhooshan, who has built over 200 mud buildings in the State. It requires close monitoring, which cannot come free.

The mud-brick making machine is available with CST on hire, no doubt. But you will have to ensure that the labourers prepare the proper mix of mud, sand and cement (both in terms of quantity and quality). Then, they have to put exactly 9 kg of wet mix and press it manually by forcefully pulling a lever. "The labourer will like to put only 8 kg and make his job easy," points out Mr. Bhooshan.

The required strength cannot be achieved when the labourer fails you. So too when the mix is not properly made. The architect suspects this could have happened in Yelahanka as well.

On their part, architects will have to supervise at almost every stage of construction to ensure quality. They say it is a "thankless job."

"It takes a lot of hard work to understand the material, to design well with it, to train masons and workers on it and that does not come by sitting in an office," says Ms. Chitra. But she says, "The joy of building with mud comes with hard work and it is the process that is as important as the product. This means building and creating dedicated teams not depending on contractors. It is your attitude which lessens the pain."

Saving cost, according to her, is not the idea with a mud house. Savings come from the simplicity of the finish.

Today's walls and roofs take only 40 per cent of the total cost of buildings, Mr. Bhooshan points out. Rest of the money goes into modular kitchen, floors and other accessories. There is little scope for the mud wall and roofs to make a significant difference to the cost of the house.

Though the cost of the bricks (consequent to rise in the price of cement) has gone up, the mud bricks and blocks (used for the foundation) save cost only if they are made on the site using the mud dug up for laying the foundation. If they are secured from elsewhere the cost of transport is added.

Though Ranka Builders attempted to manufacture mud bricks on a large scale a few years ago, it was not successful apparently because of lack of demand. "But you have persons like Yogananda of J.P.Nagar, who offer a package solution to you," suggests N.H. Ravindranath, who heads CST. He says his house was built with a dome-like roof 14 years ago using mud bricks.

Birds love it

Ms. Chitra points out other benefits that go beyond the reach of the mathematician in you. Her house has 32 kinds of birds coming into it. It does without a fan, and recycles water besides harvesting rainwater. The house has a facility (Eco-san) to turn waste into fertilizer.

Mr. Bhooshan points out the futility of building a mud house and installing an energy-monster air conditioner in it.

Durability? "Ask the 500-odd people for whom I have built," says Ms. Chitra. Mr. Bhooshan too says the mud houses are durable.

But he is sad that there are hardly any takers for the alternative technology now. He says the issue has to be seen in the larger context. In the renewed globalisation scenario, where people are encouraged to own more than they need, the mud houses are the victims. Even the house has emerged a commodity to be owned as a showpiece. A German company using robots puts up a pre-fabricated house in 48 hours, he says.

Why not, you may ask. Mr. Bhooshan questions our world vision. "If everyone is to live the lifestyle of an average American, you will need 11 earths to sustain it."

He says everyone cannot have a party on one earth.

Quoting figures from the Ministry of Non-conventional Energy, architect K.R. Ganesh says Indian's per capita coal energy consumption is 482 calories as against the world average of 1671. That of the U.S. is 8,129 followed by Japan (4,070) and the U.K. (3871).

The energy consumed by cement (in the manufacture) is 5.85 mega joules per kg (MJ/kg). The energy consumption of soil-cement block is only 2.6 MJ/kg (if six per cent cement is used) and 3.5 MJ/kg (eight per cent cement), according B.V. Venkatarama Reddy and K.S. Jagadish of CST.

Mr. Ganesh simplifies it all: a regular building using RCC roof and plaster consumes 20 tonnes of coal energy while a mud house of the same size will need only nine tonnes.

Mr. Bhooshan wants the Government to issue guidelines for energy audit of every upcoming building (as is being done in the U.K.) and announce tax sops for energy-efficient buildings.

Berry, it seems, has reasons to warn us: "We must waste less. We must do more for ourselves and each other. It is either that or continue merely to think and talk about changes that we are inviting catastrophe to make."

A regular building using RCC roof and plaster consumes 20 tonnes of coal energy while a mud house of the same size will need only nine tonnes. Centre for Sustainable Technologies (CST) of the IISc has evolved sustainable building materials and technologies and offers technical support to builders. Labourers must prepare the proper mix of mud, sand and cement (both in terms of quantity and quality) to make bricks. Architects will have to supervise at almost every stage of construction to ensure quality. Technologists and architects offer package solutions in Bangalore. House of architect Chitra Vishwanath has no fan, recycles water, harvests rainwater and has a facility to turn waste into fertilizer. Architects want tax sops for energy-efficient buildings.

While taking up construction and ordering for material in the process, do keep an eye on the quality. Sand is a key construction material and it is imperative that the load that is dumped at the construction site is a quality one.

Good sand is one that is clean and coarse and free from either organic or vegetative matter.

Sharp and angular grains are what you should go for. Experts suggest that the sand should be well graded and does not come with silt and clay. It should also be free of salt that attract moisture.

The varieties available include pit sand, river sand and the one brought from seashore.

Pit sand is coarse with normal reddish yellow colour and is usually used in concreting.

Obtained from river beds, the river sand is considered to be fine, consisting of rounded grains and is used for plastering.

The spate of land acquisitions across the country, either for gigantic Special Economic Zones (SEZs) or for other infrastructure projects, is beginning to acquire political overtones. We have already witnessed some protest by the farm lobby over the manner in which Haryana government acquired the initial chunks of land for the 25,000-acre SEZ to be built in collaboration with the Reliance Industries group.

The other day, there was another significant protest led by former prime minister V P Singh at Dadri where some 2,500 acres of land have been acquired by the UP government for a power project.

The simple question being raised by V P Singh is whether in a “free-market economy” the farmers are being given the freedom to sell land on their terms. Even if they give up land for development, what do they get in the long run as stakeholders in development?

These are difficult questions to answer today because as yet there is no well-thought-out policy on large-scale agriculture land acquisition for the purpose of development. For instance, the Punjab government has acquired a full 1,000 acres in Amritsar district to be handed over to real estate company DLF for an SEZ.

Similarly, large chunks of land are being handed over for SEZs and township development in states like Maharashtra, Gujarat, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and so on. The government has already cleared some 115 SEZs. More applications are likely to be cleared in due course.

The commerce ministry said last week that the overall limit of 155 SEZs, decided by the empowered group on ministers, may also be reviewed, given the massive response from the industry. It will be interesting to see how various state governments politically handle the acquisition of agricultural land, wherever required.

A minister in the UPA government told this writer there is a nagging worry among the top leadership that the farmers’ resentment over massive land acquisition could develop into a big political problem in later years. This would happen simply because big money pumped into such SEZs, which are largely real estate plays, will raise land prices in the initial years.

The farmers from adjoining areas who gave up land at government determined prices will then start calculating their notional losses. This is what happened when the Haryana government acquired land recently at 2001 prices from farmers to develop an SEZ.

CPI (M) member of Parliament, Mr Mohammed Salim, who works closely with West Bengal chief minister also echoed the view that land acquisition from farmers must be done with utmost care. He said the West Bengal government too was grappling with the issue as it tries to facilitate massive townships and SEZ projects.

The Hyderabad Outer Ring Road (ORR) project is generating a lot of heat and dust. Frequent changes in the alignment of the road and alleged irregularities in land acquisition from hundreds of landowners are snowballing into a major controversy. The debate on the issue in the Monsoon Session of the State Legislative Assembly had turned bitter with the members of Opposition and ruling parties trading charges and invectives. The Opposition onslaught continues outside as well. Besides organising protests by ORR-displaced persons, the Opposition sought to corner the government at the Powerpoint presentation made by officials of the Hyderabad Urban Development Authority on September 1.

The Opposition has alleged grave irregularities in the land acquisition and alignment of the ORR ever since May 2004 when the Congress came to power. Telugu Desam president N. Chandrababu Naidu dubbed the land acquisition as “a bigger scandal than Bofors, which was a mere Rs 60 crore.” He alleged that the ruling party leaders, MLAs, MPs and State and Union ministers acted in concert and forced the distress sale of lands worth Rs 7,500 crores by farmers. The modus operandi adopted by “vested interests” was to get notifications issued for the land acquisition by Huda and later get the lands denotified after “influential persons” purchased them at dirt-cheap rates from the worried farmers. The Opposition also charged the government with effecting changes or deviations in the alignment of ORR only to protect the interests of influential persons either to save their lands from being acquired or to benefit them by taking the alignments closer to their properties so that the market value will soar in the future.

Such beneficiaries include industrialists, real estate developers and film stars. Congress leaders countered the Opposition offensive by claiming that Opposition members are raising a hue and cry because their interests were affected due to acquisition of their lands for ORR. Those who stand to lose their lands for ORR include several Telugu Desam and TRS leaders and legislators. The prestigious 162-km ORR requires 5,500 acres of land from 3,192 agricultural land owners and 6,509 plot and house owners in 81 villages. The government must come out with more transparent policies for land acquisition and a comprehensive compensation, resettlement and rehabilitation package for land and plot losers.