Ludhiana: Members of the Ludhiana Builders’ Association have complained to the government that the state’s building industry is in the grips of a very active mining mafia.

New Delhi In order to give a major push to the low-cost housing for low and middle-income groups, the Centre is set to give a relief in the form of 1% interest subsidy on housing loans of up to R15 lakh where the cost of house is up to R25 lakh. As a result, the burden on the government is expected to be to the tune of R500-600 crore.

“The Cabinet will take up the issue on Tuesday,” a senior official said. The decision is expected to benefit borrowers by providing a relief of around R15,000 per annum on loans up to R15 lakh. Till last year, the limit of subsidy for an individual borrower was up to R9,990 on a loan of R10 lakh

The process of getting green clearances is turning into an “official extortion cell”, Mr Navin Raheja, President, National Real Estate Development Council, said here.

Member of Parliament Maneka Gandhi has written to Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan alleging that a company has begun illegal construction near Karnala bird sanctuary in Panvel.

In the letter, Gandhi said a private company had sought permission to set up a factory within 10 kilometres of the sanctuary, which houses 147 species of Indian birds and 37 migratory bird species, including some endangered species. She said the company intended to dispose its effluent into the sea.

Chandigarh: Around 55 lakh cubic feet of silt, that has been removed from Sukhna Lake, is lying by the lake itself.

AHMEDABAD: It is not just riches that land-owners around the city have wheeled in after Tata Nano came to Sanand in 2008 to turn the surrounding area into India's car belt. This once idyllic place is seeing much strife between family members battling over land - the most precious commodity in the region. This has also drawn fraudsters, waiting to pounce on the gullible.

The special investigation team (SIT) formed in December 2010 by the Ahmedabad police in collaboration with district collectorate has received 1,017 applications related to property disputes

To fix priorities for development of road links based on maximum utility, the Delhi Government has framed a draft policy on construction and maintenance of Master Plan roads.

Even as civic administration and other city agencies are planning major infrastructure projects, this will cost the city almost 500 trees in the process.

According to the data provided by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) Tree Authority, permission to cut 493 trees was sought by various agencies including the BMC, MMRDA and MUTP since January 2012 for major infrastructure projects. Of the 1,297 trees that are obstructing these development projects, the civic administration has given permission to chop 111 trees and transplant 382.

A committee appointed by the state government to study certain aspects of the ambitious rental housing scheme has recommended the introduction of affordable housing in special townships in areas outside the limits of municipal councils.

The committee, comprising the metropolitan commissioner, principal secretaries of housing and urban development, last week submitted a report to the state government at the behest of Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan.