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Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

Thackerays’ ‘Taandav’ for trees, tigers

AI generated image Mumbai: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) President Raj Thackeray launched a sharp attack on the government for the systematic degradation of the state’s environment under the garb of development, even as the climate change poses a direct threat to the environment, economy, agriculture, public health and the future of both rural and urban centres. Questioning the state government’s claims of having planted millions of trees, he rued how the World Environment Day has been...

Thackerays’ ‘Taandav’ for trees, tigers

AI generated image Mumbai: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) President Raj Thackeray launched a sharp attack on the government for the systematic degradation of the state’s environment under the garb of development, even as the climate change poses a direct threat to the environment, economy, agriculture, public health and the future of both rural and urban centres. Questioning the state government’s claims of having planted millions of trees, he rued how the World Environment Day has been reduced to an annual ritual of tree-planting drives and clicking selfies for social media, though 90 pc of the saplings don’t survive even a day. “Only the government knows where those trees really are,” said Raj sternly. He recalled a "Blueprint of Maharashtra’s Development" he had proposed in 2015, in which he advocated how development without environmental sensitivity is hollow. Justifying, he said that the consequences are visible where roads, bridges and infrastructure projects are hailed as achievements, but even a short spell of rainfall can paralyze entire cities. Referring to recent reports on farmers returning from the fields after 10 am due to the scorching heat, Raj said that the worsening climate crisis has become an everyday reality. Citing official statistics, Raj claimed that extreme heat has caused productivity losses of nearly USD 159 billion and slashing of 160 billion work-hours annually in recent years. He mentioned the World Bank estimates that India’s GDP could plummet by 2.5-4.5 pc while 57 pc of the country’s districts sheltering 76 pc of the population stare at serious climate-related crises. Taking a swipe, he said while the governments boast about growth figures and economical rankings, they are silent on the staggering costs of environmental destruction. He questioned the development model “whether flooded cities, washed-away crops and unbearable summers” genuinely indicate progress. Claiming that Maharashtra was increasingly becoming unliveable for upto 8 months in a year, he said excessive monsoon rains disrupt rural life and urban floods cripple cities, while extreme heat make normal life a torture in summers in both urban-rural areas. Targeting the Centre, Raj alleged that nearly 173,984 hectares of forest lands were diverted in the past 11 years for mining and infrastructure projects to benefit the PM’s single favourite Adani Group. He said that these lands amount to 1,730 sqkm, or equivalent to the area of 16 Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) that is spread over barely 104 sqkm. Dissolve state wildlife board: Aaditya Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aditya Thackeray has accused the Maharashtra government for issuing a permit to carry out mining activity in the sensitive tiger corridor between the Tadoba-Andhari and Indravati sanctuaries housing the big striped cats. In a strongly-worded letter to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) Member-Secretary Sanjay Kumar, Thackeray sought his immediate personal intervention, sacking the Maharashtra State Board for Wild-Life (SBWL), revoking the permit, and probe against the Chief Wildlife Warden & Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) M. Srinivasa Reddy for the alleged lacunae. Aditya’s two-pager says the permit has been granted for “scientific exploration and excavation/systematic recovery of low-grade iron ore in existing mines in villages Hedri, Bande, Parsalgondi and Round Parsalgondi, in the Etapalli taluka of Gadchiroli district”. Last January, Aditya – MLA from Worli – had first raised the issue saying that the proposed mine would create only 120 jobs, including 32 permanent, and the estimated output is pegged at 1.1 million tons in a year. Referring to two letters of Reddy – on April 28 and May 21 – the SS (UBT) leader claimed that in communications to the state government, the PCCF had changed his stance on the issue. Aditya said that in the first letter, Reddy had effectively opposed the government plans for mining activity but in the second letter, he took a somersault, ostensibly due to government pressures or some commercial interests, “the U-turn is disgraceful and detrimental to India’s national interest” – and this abrupt shift in stance must be investigated thoroughly. In view of the contrary stance of the PCCF Reddy, entrusted with protecting the wildlife but failing to defend the NTCA and NBWL, point to serious malfunctioning of the SBWL, and hence it must be dissolved, besides reviewing all its decisions in the past three years, particularly those pertaining to hazardous activities in sensitive areas, demanded Aditya. 444 tigers roam in 11,000 sq.km As per the Status of Tiger Report (2002), and the Maharashtra Economic Survey 2025-2026, the state boasts of 444 tigers prowling in the wild along with other menacing creatures. The state’s total protected wildlife network of 88 Notified Areas of National Parks, Sanctuaries, and Conservation Reserves - including 6 dedicated to the striped big cats – is spread over 11,092 sq. kms as per current data.

India emerges as APAC’s highest-yield market: CBRE

Mumbai: India has emerged as the most attractive real estate yield market across the Asia Pacific region, driven by strong economic fundamentals, rising institutional participation and sustained occupier demand, according to a latest survey by CBRE. The consultancy’s Q1 2026 Asia Pacific Cap Rate Survey shows that India offers the highest yields across every major asset class, including office, retail, logistics, hotels and student housing, significantly outperforming mature markets such as Singapore, Japan and South Korea.


The findings come at a time when global investors are increasingly recalibrating their Asia Pacific strategies amid geopolitical uncertainty and slowing growth in several developed economies. India’s real estate market, backed by strong domestic consumption, infrastructure expansion and a growing corporate ecosystem, is increasingly being viewed as a high-growth alternative capable of delivering superior returns.


Investment volumes in Indian real estate surged 189 per cent year-on-year during the January-March quarter of 2026 to USD 2.29 billion, up from USD 839.85 million in the corresponding period last year. This marks the second-highest growth rate in Asia Pacific after Singapore, where investment volumes rose 364per cent.


“We are seeing genuine, broad-based demand across sectors driven by India’s economic fundamentals, its growing corporate base and a young, consumption-led population,” said Anshuman Magazine, Chairman & CEO, India, South-East Asia, Middle East & Africa, CBRE. “Global investors who have been cautious till now are actively looking to deploy capital here, and we expect this momentum to strengthen further as more institutional-grade product comes to market,” he added.


Office Sector

India’s attractiveness is particularly visible in the office sector, where Grade A office cap rates in core central business districts range between 7.50 per cent and 8.40 per cent. In comparison, yields in Singapore stand at 3.25 per cent to 3.80 per cent, Tokyo at 2 per cent to 3 per cent, and Seoul at 3.75 per cent to 4.65 per cent. This substantial yield spread is drawing increasing attention from institutional investors seeking better risk-adjusted returns.


The student housing segment has emerged as another standout performer, delivering yields of 8.50 per cent to 9 per cent, nearly 320 basis points higher than Australia, the next-best market in the region. Similarly, India’s institutional-grade logistics assets offer cap rates of 7.15per cent to 7.75per cent, comfortably ahead of Vietnam’s 6per cent to 7per cent.


Industry experts believe these elevated yields reflect India’s position as a rapidly expanding emerging economy where institutional participation and price discovery mechanisms are still evolving. While mature markets offer stability, India provides the potential for stronger capital appreciation and income generation.


The report also underlined the growing maturity of India’s real estate capital markets. Apart from equity investments, global and domestic investors are increasingly participating through REITs, alternative investment funds (AIFs), structured debt, and private credit vehicles. India is now regarded as one of the leading markets in Asia Pacific for real estate debt interest, signalling a broader evolution of the sector beyond traditional equity-led investments.


“What makes India’s yield story particularly compelling right now is that it does not stand alone, but is supported by strong occupier fundamentals,” said Ada Choi, Head of Asia Pacific Research, CBRE. 


The rapid expansion of Global Capability Centres (GCCs), government-led infrastructure spending, and rising domestic consumption are further strengthening demand across office, retail, logistics and hospitality assets.


However, challenges remain. Investors surveyed by CBRE identified slower-than-expected economic growth as a key risk. While lending conditions remain accommodative, any tightening in monetary policy or rise in credit costs could impact capital flows into the sector.


Despite these concerns, India’s real estate sector appears firmly positioned as the region’s most compelling high-yield investment destination, combining strong returns with long-term structural growth drivers.

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