Nationwide lockdown due to the coronavirus crisis has disrupted the entire business industry in the state, and most affected amongst all is the real estate developers and tourism stakeholders. The tourism business has come to complete standstill, while the real estate developers are facing the problems due to sudden stoppage of ongoing work.
Goa’s Real Estate Developers, who have been severely got affected due to the ongoing coronavirus crises have sought for the relaxation in the lockdown restrictions. According to them the relaxation is necessary because most of the construction sites are left completely unattended due to the sudden enforcing of the lockdown, said developers.
According to the builders, there is an urgent need of taking care of the machinery and material that is been lying down on various construction sites across Goa before monsoon hits the state.
Meanwhile, some local builders are also asking for government permission to restart the work of their incomplete projects to reduce their financial burden which they are facing due to the sudden stoppage of work.
According to them, housing comes under essential requirement and that many other state governments have already allowed relaxation in the lockdown restriction for the real estate industry. The local builders while speaking to the NT said that allowing the work to start at construction sites would serve several purposes.
One of the prominent builders from Goa Jagannath Desh Prabhudesai who is also the president of CREDAI said that by letting builders restart activities, construction workers will get work and wages and incomplete projects will get completed.
“Builders must be asked to ensure that construction workers do not leave the site and also do not commute. The safety and hygiene conditions to prevent coronavirus must be maintained.”
Prabhudesai said that local builders who are members of CREDAI have labourers on site who have not left the premises during the ongoing lockdown. He claimed that several builders took care of construction workers at the time of the lockdown by providing them with food and shelter.
Another prominent real estate entrepreneur from Mapusa, having multiple projects in the north Goa, feels that the construction work should be allowed where the labours are dwelling inside the project premises. “This way there is no scope of virus transmission since no outsider is allowed to enter in the construction sites,” says Rajkumar Gadge, the Chairman & Managing Director of Mega Structures Real Estate Limited. According to him, the builders are bound to complete projects as per RERA guidelines. “Keeping the labour idle can only lead to adverse circumstances and the possibility of getting into the bad habits of drinking since the alcohol is sold as essential commodities. Rajkumar hopes that the government will take a serious look into this sector and allow resumption of work with social distancing norms.
There is no doubt that due to the coronavirus crises entire real estate industry is facing the the very bad days. According to them the real estate industry was already facing recession and allowing work to restart on sites is the only way to prevent it from going further down.
“The industry is a major contributor to state revenue and provides employment but we have to fight our own battle and struggle,” said a north Goa based builder. He said that in the present scenario there are no buyers for homes and the coronavirus illness will stretch the slowdown further.
The realty developers in the state are also asking for the waiver in registration fee and stamp duty for six months, and they want the state government to differ in the infrastructure tax levied by them.
“Waiving the registration fee and stamp duty will boost the sentiments among home buyers,” said Prabhudesai.
With RERA is place, builders are also worried about being hauled up by buyers for not completing ongoing projects on time. They are seeking extension in the completion period by six months from Goa RERA.
Source: NT
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