Construction resumes at a few realty projects, but with restrictions

The developers in Noida and Greater Noida on Monday said a majority of them will not be able to resume construction at their respective sites owing to riders imposed

The developers in Noida and Greater Noida on Monday said a majority of them will not be able to resume construction at their respective sites owing to riders imposed by the government amid the ongoing lockdown to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid 19).

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There are at least 600 ongoing realty projects in Noida, Greater Noida and Yamuna Expressway areas. The developers had to halt construction since March 25, 2020, when the government enforced the nationwide lockdown. As per the developers’ body, the National Real Estate Development Council, at least ₹50,000 crore homebuyers’ money is invested in housing projects in Noida and Greater Noida.

Due to disruption in construction, the housing projects are expected to be delayed. To minimise the damage done to industries, including the realty sector, the Uttar Pradesh government has allowed construction in non-containment zones (which are not Covid-19 hot spots and are not sealed) with riders that construction labourers are made to stay on-site and standard operating procedures with regard to social distancing norms and sanitisation are adhered to. The state government also allowed the opening of private offices with a staff strength of up to 33%.

“We have resumed construction at our sites in Noida, Greater Noida and Yamuna Expressway areas with limited workforce. We have also started operations at offices with reduced staff and are following laid-down protocols. We first disinfected our offices and sites before starting operations. But the real estate sector will only be able to revive if the government announces relief package, take quick decisions on our demands and give financial aid to builders -- the 45-day lockdown has left us with huge liquidity crisis,” RK Arora, president, NAREDCO (Uttar Pradesh chapter ), a builders group, said.

The majority of builders are unable to resume construction as labourers want to go home.

“We do not have exact numbers of builders who cannot resume work. But a majority of them do not have labourers on-site. As a result, work cannot resume. We are requesting the administration that labourers living in the vicinity of construction sites be allowed to work, while following social distancing norms,” Prashant Tiwari, president, Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India (CREDAI), Western UP, another builders’ lobbying group, said.

Since March 25, many construction labourers were staying at construction sites or in makeshift houses erected nearby as they were not getting transport facilities to return to their home towns.

“But now they know the government is arranging transport facilities and they want to go home. It is becoming tough for us to stop them from going to their home towns.Also, liquidity crisis is affecting the construction,” Getambar Anand, former national president, CREDAI, said.