Other forward-looking actions of the government include: repealing the ULC Act, giving infrastructure status to certain kinds of residential developments, reducing interest rates, proposed amendments to foreclosure laws, tax benefits to housing financial institutions to allow securitisation. In addition, the property prices have been the lowest since '94. 

In this scenario, there cannot be a better opportunity for investing in housing, be it for the corporates or the individual. These measures by the government have surely resulted in giving a fillip to the sagging real estate business. It is, of course, a bit premature to expect a boom. The person who deserves the credit for these positive developments is the dynamic Union Urban Development Minister Shri Ram Jetmalani. He was responsive to the long pending demands of the housing sector. 

Unfortunately, the State Governments are not supporting and supplementing the efforts of the Central Government. In fact, they have a greater say in many aspects of shaping the destiny of the housing sector. 

The ULC Act, though repealed by the Central Government, is yet to be adopted by many of the State Governments including Karnataka. 

Stamp duty and registration charges are still very high (it goes up to 14.6% in Karnataka as against Central Government's recommendation of 3 to 4%). 

Bureaucratic hurdles are innumerable. One hopes a progressive government like Karnataka realises its responsibilities towards one of the basic needs of its citizens, namely 'Shelter'. 

Above all, what business and industry and the general public is looking forward to is a stable government at the Center. Without which any amount of incentives given to industry will not create confidence in Indian economy (whether for resident, non-resident or foreign investors). The people are fed up with the bickerings and the cheap politics that are being witnessed repeatedly. One can only hope and pray for a positive outcome in the near future.

 M. R. Jaishankar receives the award from Mr. A. P. Sinha (right), Vice-Chairman & Managing Director, CIDCO. 

Brigade Regency was declared the "Project of the Year ' 98-Bangalore" at the thirteenth annual awards function of Accommodation Times at Hotel Regent, Mumbai on 8 May 1999. 

Brigade Regency has also been the first apartments project in Bangalore to receive a CRISIL rating. The true luxury apartments in Malleswaram have been fully booked and occupied.

For the first time, Brigade offers apartments specifically for the small budget. Brigade Vista offers one-bedroom (540 sft, 605sft) and two-bedroom (820 sft, 870 sft) apartments that are ideal for small families, young professionals, senior citizens and corporate housing. 

Brigade Vista is located at Banashankari, just 3 km from Jayanagar. An added bonus is its proximity to leading educational institutions (Valley School, Aurobindo Memorial School, Kempegowda Institute of Medical Science, PES Institute of Technology) and excellent hospitals. 

Banashankari is also the nearest city base for industries in South Bangalore, including Electronic City and the Bidadi Industrial Area.

Block A of Brigade's Deluxe apartments in Banashankari has been launched. This block has 2-bed apts. (1180 sft and 1220 sft) and 3-bed apartments (1550 sft). 

Block B with 3-bed apts. (1600 sft, 1630 sft and 1640 sft) is already under construction. 

Brigade Residency offers its residents unmatched quality of life and excellent facilities. It is also Bangalore's first eco-friendly building . 

Brigade Group's third project in Mysore, Brigade Royal luxury apartments, is completed and ready for occupation. Brigade Regal, our fourth project, is being launched now. Our first two projects in Mysore, Brigade Residency and Brigade Retreat, set the standards for luxury apartments in the royal city. 

 
Ms Githa Shankar (left) presents a memento to 
Philomena at the farewell function. 

Philomena has been with us since our inception in 1986. Starting as an accountant, Philomena rose steadily through the ranks to her present position as Manager, Accounts. She was named the best employee of the year in 1991. 

Philomena and her family will be relocating to Delhi, where her husband has been transferred. 

Our association has been a long and happy one. We at Brigade wish Philomena every success in the future. Bangalore's loss is Delhi's gain.

 "Ritual Symbols", a metalwork mural by the renowned sculptor Balan Nambiar, adorns the walls of the "Atrium" at Brigade Regency, Malleswaram. 

This specially commissioned work of art is part of the art collection Brigade Group is associated with. Murals at Brigade Rathna and a sculpture at Brigade Gardens say "Welcome" graciously to visitors.

The Brigade Group participated in Reality '99, the property exhibition held at the Hotel, Bangalore between the 29th and 31st January. 

Reality '99 is the maiden exhibition organised by Karnataka Ownership Apartments Promoters' Association (KOAPA), with leading property developers and housing finance institutions participating in full force. 

The response was overwhelming and the event marked the start of a positive trend in Bangalore's real estate activity. 

 
Anil Thomas attending enquiries 
at Brigade's Stall 

Brigade Group participated in "VATAN - The Property & Investment Exhibition" at the World Trade Center, Mumbai, between the 9th and 11th of April ' 99. About 20 leading builders and developers from all over India participated, with the Bangalore developers receiving the largest number of non-Mumbai enquiries. 

On 27 Jan 1999, the bhoomi pooja of Brigade MLR Center was performed. Brigade MLR Center is located on Vanivilas Road, Basavanagudi, opposite National College. Designed by Venkataramanan Associates, it offers up to 30,000 sft of well planned space on the basement, ground, mezzanine and three upper floors. 

The foundation stone of Brigade Square was laid on 8 Apr 1999. Strategically located on Cambridge Road, less than a km from MG Road, Brigade Square offers up to 20,000 sft of excellent space in basement, ground and three upper floors. Brigade Square has been designed by Rathi Associates. 

 
The expansive 1500-sft terrace garden of a fifth- floor 
penthouse at Brigade Regency, Malleswaram. 

The two projects together will offer a large number of apartments (1, 2 and-3 bedroom) in multi-storied blocks of ground + 13 and ground + 14 floors. 

The township will include parks and open spaces, club house, shopping center, meditation center, schools, community hall, vocational training center & health center. Brigade Enclave will be ideally suited for group booking from corporates, public sector undertakings and, of course, individual buyers.

The International Jurists' Association, in its World Survey 1996 & 1997, has ranked him amongst the world's ten best judges. The American Biographical Institute presented him with its Distinguished Leadership Award, and listed him in the International Directory of Leadership, 1996. He was awarded the International Man of the Year gold medal in 1998. He is a visiting professor at the London School of Economics, the University of Sterling in Scotland, the Sorbonne at Paris and Harvard Law School. 

These are but a few achievements of Justice Michael F. Saldanha, a judge of the High Court of Karnataka since 1994. He is known and respected for his speed and efficiency; his precedent-setting judgments; and his sweeping reforms in environment and public life. 

M. R. Jaishankar interviewed Justice Saldanha for Brigade Insight recently. These are just a few excerpts from the interview: 

 
Justice Michael F. Saldanha (right) talking to Jaishankar. 

Where do you think our garden city is going with increasing urbanisation ? A lot of development can be done in the areas where the people are coming from. For instance, in Maharashtra, people had run away because of a drought. They were transported back and given the necessary inputs and rehabilitated. We talk about Bangalore as a Garden City. With the pressure there is temptation to encroach. There are green areas in Bangalore and under no circumstances should any building have been allowed in these areas.We are now approaching the millennium. How will Bangalore be, of 5 years or 20 years from now ? If we do not come down very strongly on these uncontrolled developments, then the city would virtually go to pieces, as it will not be able to withstand the pressure. The pipes cannot take the pressure, the water lines cannot supply enough water and the electric lines cannot carry the necessary load. If there is no room on the road then you can't quietly cut off an acre of a park and build there. You have to intelligently plan.With the government not tackling the problem sufficiently well, what should the corporate bodies, activists, N.G.O's do ? I address myself to your industry and its shortcomings today. The majority of the builders would probably be members of your organisation. If they decide on one or two small things, for example, if they say that we will have an accent on aesthetics, when we construct we will try and maintain the image of the city.You need not compromise on profits and I believe that the industry should ask itself the question: if I were to do this for myself would I do a job like this and ultimately would my children thank me for what I have done to the city ?What can the NGOs and other citizens do to uplift the city ? They notice things but they don't do anything about it. I will give you an example: in the last two or three months you get news in the newspapers on the ELRTS. Now the ELRTS is a stupid hare-brained scheme that has no sanity in it. It has never been used in any metropolitan city in the world. They have not even thought of the ELRTS stations! I asked why don't you have a simple underground metro for Bangalore? Nobody is willing to generate public opinion and tell the authorities that Bangalore will not have this. I am not just talking about writing letters in the newspapers. People could individually or concertedly discuss this with the minister of planning.This, many people say, is because of the rock conditions of Bangalore. That is not true. I have seen this work being done for the extension of the tube in London. They have rock, water and everything. In some of the areas we have groups and organisations, like in case of Lavelle Road and a few other roads, who get after the people concerned and get their job done for them. This has changed the complexion of the road.Some of the Corporates and people who would like to contribute say that we are contributing various taxes—why should we contribute more when we know that our tax money is not being utilised properly? It's a very good argument. In fact I have been pointing out that they should strike down the collection of road tax unless you can justify the money is being ploughed back into the roads. 

In Church Street some of the people got fed up of the road conditions. They went to someone who had the machines and asked him to do up the road and give them the bill for it. He quoted Rs.70,000, finished the job in one night and he did a good job of it. The sequel to this is very funny. The Corporation Engineers lodged a complaint with the Commissioner of Police that some unauthorised people have worked on the road. After having done a job like this and having spent Rs.70,000 they were threatened by the police !As an active judge you have passed a number of landmark judgments which have far reaching consequences and given innumerable directions to the authorities to do their job. Are they really complying with it and how are you trying to enforce compliance ? Whenever I pass an order I identify the person to whom it should be sent. I ask them to report compliance within a week. I try and see that each of my orders passed is implemented. I am not aware of a single one of the directions I have given being flouted.India is in a very paradoxical situation. We are progressing tremendously in science and technology and a few other areas. At the same time the state of the country is deteriorating. In my opinion, the youth of the country are quite confused. Should they be in the country or should they go out if they get the opportunity ? There is no need to run away from the country. The first thing is that we will have to work very hard and that's what the youth will have to do. To say that this is somebody else's business is wrong. My wife keeps asking me why I mind other people's business. I say that its not other people's business but a public cause. If I see a person setting fire to a tree I will hammer him. Even if I stop one person the message will get across.What is your personal mission in life ? My personal mission in life is two-fold. I have always believed in upgrading the quality of life. I stand for high standards and I don't like standards to fall. I want people to be more prosperous, I want people to be happier, I want life to be richer in all respects. When people are doing well and are happy there probably will be a better atmosphere. Whatever I do and wherever I go, I sort of translate this into whatever I am doing. 

I am always looking forward. I am involved only because of the mental freedom I get. I don't get any money or any personal benefit out of this. If I see the city cleaner and see somebody able to drive better and other things looking up I feel happy about it.

The project is a joint venture between Karnataka Power Corporation Limited (KPCL) and Unocal Corporation, Texas, USA. 

Nearly 173 acres of land have been acquired through the KIADB. 

The project is expected to cost Rs 700 cr. During the first stage, the plant will generate 200 MW of power. 

When operational, the plant will use naphtha to run a turbine and generate power. The hot gases released as a result of the combustion will be used to heat the water drawn from the Vrushabhavati river to produce steam and run another turbine for generating electricity. 

A large scale community effort is also gearing up to revive the lake. 

The BWSSB has suggested remedial measures to tackle 11 sources discharging sewage and sullage into the lake and has written to the BMP to provide the funds. 

The first such 24-hour monitoring system was installed in front of Town Hall on J. C. Road. 

According to PCB officials, such systems will also be installed at five other points in the city. These systems will monitor and display the content of carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and ozone in the air. It will also display wind speed, direction and air temperature at three minute intervals. 

In a recent column, she has strongly advocated water harvesting for Bangalore. And rain water harvesting is exactly what we have provided for at the eco-friendly Brigade Residency. 

According to the Bangalore Environment Trust, this is a vital water conservation option that has not been sufficiently explored to date. With the severe water crisis perpetually threatening the city, more eco-friendly buildings may be our only salvation.

Members present requested Karnataka to take a lead role in the formation of the association. 

Consequently the Confederation of Real Estate Developers Associations of India (CREDAI) was formally launched during the Reality' 99 in Bangalore.

 The first phase of the flyover from Sirsi Circle to TCM Royan Road was thrown open to traffic on 23 April'99 When completed, the flyover, which starts from 200m west of Sirsi Circle will have a length of 2.5 km and will descend 375 m before Town Hall Circle. It will be the longest elevated flyover in the country.

Underfed, undernourished and made increasingly ill by their way of life, they are usually migrants from various districts of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. 

Moved by their plight, a group from the Christian Workers Movement founded the Rag pickers Education and Development Scheme (REDS) in 1985. They began with a 24-hour shelter and a large scale paper purchasing co-operative (the ragpickers contribution in the recycling of waste paper keeps the price of paper low and saves trees which would otherwise be cut). 

REDS has grown Impressively over the years and over 4000 children between the ages of 6 and 18 have benefited from its programmes. 

For more information write to REDS at PB 2549, 15 Curlee Street, Bangalore 560 025. 
Tel: 91-80-569209 Fax: 91-80-221 8243.

 Mr K. Jairaj, IAS, Managing Director of the Karnataka Power Corporation Limited, the state-owned power generating company (installed capacity 3600 mw) with a network of 14 hydro–and one coal-based power stations. Mr Jairaj has successfully closed a financial plan, valued at Rs 1500 crores ($400m) for thermal plant expansion. The project is now six months ahead of schedule in construction. 

Mr. Jairaj impressive academic credentials include: BA (Hons), Bangalore; MA (Economics), Delhi School of Economics; Master in Public Affairs, Princeton; Master in Public Administration and Edward S. Mason Fellow, Harvard University. He was selected for the IAS, Karnataka cadre. 

Other positions held by Mr. Jairaj include: Commissioner for Commercial Taxes, Karnataka; Metropolitan Commissioner, B'lore Metropolitan Region Devt. Authority and MD, Karnataka Urban Infrastructure Devt. and Fin. Corp. Ltd; MD, KSSIDC; Transport Commissioner; MD, Karnataka State Co-op Apex Bank; Deputy Commissioner, Tumkur District, and MD, Karnataka Silk Mktg. Board Ltd. 

He has been President of both the All India and Bangalore Management Associations; Vice-Chairman of the Council of Power Utilities, New Delhi; Trustee of the Bangalore Environment Trust and Vice-President of the Association for the Mentally Handicapped, Bangalore.

According to several industry sources, today more deals are happening in Bangalore than any other major city in the country. The city is once again one of the most preferred destinations. The reasons for this are two fold. 

Bangalore probably offers relatively the finest quality of city life in the country. Compared to cities like New Delhi and Mumbai, Bangalore is far less polluted and has a far lower crime rate. Bangalore also offers excellent choices for education and employment, particularly in the IT sector. 

To add to the city's infrastructure, the authorities have been investing an enormous amount of money in the city. About Rs 1,000 crore is being spent on infrastructure development every year. This year will see over Rs 500 crore being spent to enhance the power transmission and distribution system. People have also realised this and infrastructure, or the lack of it, is no longer an issue in the property market. 

General permission for investments by NRI's, overseas corporate bodies and Persons of Indian Origin in deposit schemes of companies, including finance companies and mutual funds. 

Repatriable investments by NRI's and OCB's in air-taxi operations, subject to clearance by the Director General of Civil Aviation. 

Permission for NRI's and PIO's to lend to resident individuals, partnerships or proprietorship firms and also transfer shares by way of gifts. 

Permission to PIO's to gift immovable property to charitable trusts and organizations, subject to compliance with other applicable rules and regulations, including the provisions of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, 1976. 

Permission to all expatriate categories to invest in government securities and treasury bills, while granting permission for investment in shares and debentures under the portfolio scheme. They will also be allowed to sell shares acquired through direct investment schemes without RBI permission. 

The cases shall be discharged on payment of an amount equal to the value estimated by the registering authority, reduced by 30% of the difference between the value so estimated and the market value set forth in the instrument. The benefit of this scheme is available only till 20 July 1999.

The interest rates for housing loans have now been reduced to their lowest in 18 years. 

The budgetary thrust given to housing has had another salutary effect: there are many new entrants such as HUDCO and a few scheduled banks offering housing loans on very competitive terms. 

The customer is now truly the king. There cannot be a better time for him to buy a house. All we can say is, wait no more, act now!Lowest Interest Rates Ever ! 
 

The fall of the Vajpayee government is consistent with the ratings' assumptions and does not, in itself, materially affect India's creditworthiness, it added. India's ratings are supported by the ongoing regulatory and structural reforms as well as prudent international liquidity management. To some extent, economic policy is shielded from the vagaries of coalition politics by the long-term economic and financial imperatives of market-based liberalisation, S&P said. Greater fiscal rigour, large-scale privatisation, and a renewed commitment to trade liberalisation would support an improvement in India's ratings. S&P said.

In an important amendment to the Karnataka Stamp Act, the new, reduced rates are effective from 1-4-'99.

Rs1,000

Rs 1,000 per share 
Rs 500 per share 
Rs 250 per share 
Rs 250 per share

Rs 1,000 
10% on Market value 
5% on the value set forth in the Document or on such average amount or value of comparable properties, whichever is higher) 

Rs 1,000 
10% on the market value of the property

(c) Given to person other than those specified in sub clause (a)

Rs 100 
(i) 4% on the market value of the property subject to a maximum of Rs 4 lakhs.(ii) If market value is not mentioned, then a fiscal amount of Rs 4lakhs. 
2% on market value of the property. 
Such Duty is adjustable towards duty payable on the sale / transfer Deed executed in favour of Attorney Holder or any other person.

(e) 20 yrs to 30 yrs 

(f) Above 30 yrs

The Member of Parliament's Local Area Development Scheme. 
Monitoring Quality of Road Works: A Users Guide. 

The State of Municipal Budgets: A Comparative Perspective across Five Cities in India 

The Industrial Environment in Karnataka: Some Energy Concerns. 

Concerned citizens could contact PAC for their publications or their quarterly newsletter 
Public Eye at 553 7260 / 3467 or 552 0246 / 5452 / 53 or e-mail them at pacblr@blr.vsnl.net.in 

The recipe for keeping drains clean without grease build-up: 1 cup table salt + 1 cup baking soda + 1/4 cup cream of tartar. Use 1/4 cup at a time only. Pour the mixture down the drain and follow with 2 cups boiling water. Let stand five minutes, then rinse with tap water.

Bangalore's first railway connection was commissioned in 1859. The train ran from Bangalore to Jolarpet. 

Bangaloreans saw the first motor car on the city's roads in 1903. 

Bangalore was put on the air map of India in 1937 by Indian Aviation Development Co. Their flights connected our city with Bombay. 

The first city buses for the growing city were introduced in 1940 by Bangalore Transport Company. The initial fleet size was 20 buses. 

When did autorickshaws first make their appearance in Bangalore ? Can any of our readers give us this info ? 

The first correct answer to reach Alok Narula at the Brigade office will get a surprise gift ! 

"Everything that can be invented has been invented" 

"X-rays are a hoax" 

"While theoretically and technically television may be feasible, commercially and financially I consider it an impossibility" 

"There is no reason for any individual to have a computer in their home." 

"I think there is a world market for about five computers." 

"640 k of memory ought to be enough for anybody." 

It was a delight receiving Brigade Insight, such a pleasantly and well produced newsletter. Once again, an excellent effort. 

I must admit that your newsletter is very informative 

The newsletter is really informative and has come up nicely. You are doing it really in a professional manner. Keep it up. 

Your quarterly newsletter is very interesting and really worth going through. 

Thank you for sending me Brigade Insight. A brilliant publication.