Lure of luxury
Super deluxe condominiums and penthouses seem to be the flavour of the season for realtors investing in Punjab. From Omaxe to Vipul and Emaar MGF to DLF, and Parasvnath to Uppals, all major real estate players in the state are aiming to cash in on the deep pockets of Punjabis and the NRI population by offering them luxury homes.

Collage Group’s luxury housing complex in Amritsar

Multiplex saga unfolds in small towns
The multi-crore entertainment multiplex industry has now set its eyes on small towns. Going by the revenue collection figures, 65 per cent of the total box office collections in the country come from non-metropolitan and tier II and III cities.  
 Emaar MGF’s villas in Mohali (left)

Realty sector pitches in for more FDIs
The booming realty sector wants a status equal to telecom and aviation with amendments in the foreign direct investment guidelines to boost construction and infrastructure development in the country.

HOME DECOR
Winsome Walls
Painting your house is much more than a random pick of shades and textures because ‘har ghar khucch kehta hai’. Just like the colour of your clothes, the colours of your home too are an expression of your personality. Striking a right balance of shades and texture, a balance of bright, mute or nude, glossy, rough or matt is what transforms a plain boring wall to a plush brilliant one.

Hospitality sector fails to bloom in Baddi area
Demand fuels supply, but this is not the case as far as growth of hospitality industry is concerned in the Baddi-Nalagarh-Barotiwala area. With industrialisation picking up in the belt there is a huge demand for quality hotel accommodation. The area which has drawn investment worth crores has also seen the advent of MNCs which regularly receive foreign visitors as well technicians. This has led to a spurt in the demand for quality hotel accommodation. But very few top groups have set foot in the area so far.

TAX tips
By S.C. Vasudeva
Computation of capital gain

GREEN HOUSE
Liquid Asset
A water feature is not only pleasing to eyes but also has therapeutic value as the soft flowing acqua soothes frayed nerves, says Satish Narula

• Drown the myths
• Sound of music
• Learning from Nature

Banks gobble up major share in housing mart
Despite housing being the State’s responsibility, the share of public sector housing finance companies has dipped from 10.19 per cent in 2001-02 to 2.63 per cent in 2005-06, says India’s official auditor.

Rainwater harvesting, solar power to be mandatory in WB
Spurred by environmental concerns, West Bengal government is set to make it mandatory to have rainwater harvesting and solar power facilities in buildings. “Global warming and climate change are threatening us. We must therefore have the greenhouse concepts like solar power and rainwater harvesting in new buildings. I am talking to my urban development minister to include these in the Municipal Act so that it becomes mandatory for all,” Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said.

Unitech to invest 9,000 cr in Hyderabad
Unitech, the country’s second largest realty firm, has bagged two real estate projects in Hyderabad that it would develop over the next eight years at an investment of about Rs 9,000 crore. According to sources, the company has bagged a mixed-use project located at Budvel from Hyderabad Urban Development Authority (HUDA) for development of residential, commercial and retail space over 164 acre of land.

Realty bytes
Special invitee

• IHG to open two new hotels in Delhi