The local administrations of the NCR region have notified fresh guidelines extending the ban on construction activity in Noida, Ghaziabad till May 3, but builders in Gurugram and Faridabad can resume work immediately after getting necessary clearances. Delhi will review the situation on April 27 and take a call accordingly.
The ministry for home affairs (MHA) had issued a set of guidelines to follow during the lockdown on April 15, and allowed certain industries, including real estate, to resume work after April 20. But most states have decided to play safe and continue the lockdown till May 3, when the nationwide lockdown ends.
The local administrations in Noida, Ghaziabad have decided to continue the ban till May 3, while the Haryana government has allowed resumption of construction work in Gurugram and Faridabad, if the project is outside the containment zone.
“District administration has not allowed the work to start since number of hotspots have increased in the district. Construction material is also not reaching the project sites. Real estate projects will be delayed and we need a relief package from state government as well as central government,” said chairman of Noida based realty developer RK Arora, who is also president of the UP chapter of the National Real Estate Development Council (NAREDCO).
From UP government, NAREDCO has demanded for waiver of stamp duty, deferment of land dues instalments and extension of EMIs for one year for home buyers and any term loans.
Most Haryana-based builders have started the process to resume work.
“As per the Haryana government’s guidelines, we have applied for the permission to start construction activities at our projects and we will resume, once the permission has been granted. Once our operations resume, we will start the work in line with the government’s guidelines,” said Pankaj Bansal, director of M3M Group.
In Noida, the district administration has clarified that no housing project or any other construction work will be allowed in the district.
Major part of Noida and Greater Noida is under quarantine and it has 30 buffer zones in locations identified as hotspots and completely sealed.
“We are geared up to resume construction as soon as government and various authorities permit us to do so. The construction was halted in November and December due to NGT ban. While we were still in process of recovering 100% manpower, all of a sudden construction has come to a halt again due to Covid-19 pandemic. But, we remain committed to make up for the lost time as far as possible while abiding by all the regulations set forth by the government,” said Nayan Raheja of Raheja developers.
