On the lines of special economic zones (SEZs), realtors are demanding special residential zones (SRZs) and special residential corridors to provide low-cost housing for the economically weaker sections. "The major challenge for the developers in providing affordable housing for the lower income groups is the rising land costs. The increasing cost of cement and steel is adding to the woe of developers and the end users are bearing the heat,' said Rohtash Goel, chairman of Omaxe, during a daylong seminar on affordable housing here.

The UK government has set a target for every new home to be "zero-carbon' by 2016. Given that it intends the industry to be building 240,000 new homes a year by that date, it is an ambitious target

Maharashtra became the first state in the country today to approve a regulator for the housing sector which would have sweeping powers, including the authority to fix prices of houses, in a bid to control the sector. The Maharashtra Housing Sector Regulatory Commission Act 2008, when passed by the state Assembly, will give the regulator powers of a civil court to settle disputes, regulate builders and have a separate budget to function independently, besides allowing it to set prices of flats built for the poor and middle classes by government agencies and private builders.

Bharat Nirman, the Centre's massive four-year

In the last three years, the city engineer's office of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) sanctioned a mind-boggling 15.69 crore sq ft for development in the city.

Andhra Pradesh has been galloping ahead on the road to progress and prosperity at incredible speed in the last four years.

Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy on Sunday directed officials to introduce social audit in the Indiramma housing scheme.

Allegations of corruption have been raised against the people involved in the construction of houses under the Indira Awas Yojana (IAY) in Goreswar Development Block in Baksa district. Local villagers informed The Sentinel that most of the IAY houses under the block are awaiting completion even after a span of two years. Based on public complaints, this correspondent visited the interior areas of Goreswar recently, to take a look into the alleged anomalies and the cases of corruption. It was indeed found that a large number of houses are lying incomplete.

once considered a sign of poor neighborhoods, clotheslines are back in vogue in the us. In India, however, resident associations in Gurgaon, Haryana, are discouraging use of clotheslines. Despite

One of the largest aluminium producers in the country with a market share of more than 30 per cent, Balco is poised to play a significant role in the context of globalisation. The company has achieved a dramatic surge in productivity and profit within a short span of five years from 2001when Sterilite took over the PSU.