#RealtyNewsRoundUp: AMRUT & Smart Cities Mission Get Over Rs 7,000 Cr In Budgetary Allocation

Realty News Roundup is PropGuide's selection of top stories from the real estate sector.

The central government on February 29 earmarked more than Rs 7,000 crore for two central schemes — Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) and the Smart Cities Mission. The general budget for the coming fiscal reserved of Rs 3,205 crore for the development of 100 smart cities across the country by 2020, while nearly Rs 4,091 crore has been set aside for AMRUT. The Urban Development Ministry is planning to develop 100 more such cities on the lines on smart cities. Read more

The Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) has decided to make amendments in Gurgon-Manesar Development Plan 2021. The civic body wants to construct a railway overbridge above Delhi-Rewari railway line to provide direct connectivity to a few sectors of Old Gurgaon with Dwarka Expressway. For this, the alignment of the sector 101-104 road, which will provide direct connectivity for sectors 9, 9A, 10, 10 A of Old Gurgaon to Dwarka Expressway, will be changed. A senior official of HUDA said the new plan would allow residents to skip NH-8 to reach Delhi or airport. Read more

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the Noida Authority to deliver a detailed report with evidence of violation, of all real estate developers violating its orders on March 1. Several realtors had raised objections that they were being falsely framed by the civic authority. To date, the Noida Authority has fined 11 developers and issued show-cause notices to 70 others. The NGT panel had asked authorities to strictly impose a fine of Rs 50,000 on developers who were violating the Environment Ministry's 2010 guidelines on constructions. Read more

Addressing the red tape issues raised by restaurants, hotels, medical stores and small-scale industry owners, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has reduced the number of no-objection certificates required by them to run their business from 72 to 51. This exercise, which is part of the ease-of-doing-business initiative, is primarily aimed at reducing corruption in the civic body. The BMC has also reduced the number of levels a file goes through before being cleared. Read more

Now, some smart news to heat and power your house. Scientists in United Kingdom have developed new moth-inspired, ultra-thin graphene sheets, which can be used in 'smart wallpaper' that can generate electricity from waste light or heat, and power a host of applications at home. Using a technique known as nanotexturing, it involves growing graphene around a textured metallic surface to effectively capture light.  Read more