Credai should set up a team to study the negative impact of construction work on air quality: Piyush Goyal

“I have asked CREDAI to consider setting up a group to study whether we can see, at least in major cities or in the top 20 cities of the country, the impact of construction that leads to air pollution and deterioration of air quality,” he said. This was announced at the 25th foundation day of CREDAI held in the capital on November 25.

Read also: Homebuyers will benefit if the affordable housing limit is increased from ₹45 lakhs ₹80 lakhs: Credai

He said the sector should adopt better construction methods using steel and precast concrete to curb environmental pollution, and that the adoption of better methods would help improve the speed of construction.

“I believe this can help us significantly reduce air quality and pollution,” he added.

He urged CREDAI to accept this as a mission and report back to the government.

“So you can use your capital. You will be able to grow your business much faster, satisfy your customers much better, and have much better quality construction if we volunteer to look at steel and precast concrete structures. at least in urban areas,” he said.

He also said car parking was becoming a big problem in some city centers and that developers should consider the need for electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

Goyal also asked developers to design and build net-zero projects.

Build affordable rental housing projects

He also asked realtors to build affordable rental housing projects to prevent the spread of slums in urban centers.

“Rental housing, I think, is another area where the government is also willing to step up. We had previously launched this scheme. We are ready to discuss this with your industry on how we can make affordable rental housing possible in the future… to ensure that no one ever has to live in a slum,” he said.

Goyal said the government is trying to rehabilitate all slum dwellers by providing them with their own home right on the spot, exactly where they live or in and around the area.

Read also: Delhi-NCR Pollution: Exempts RERA compliant real estate projects from construction ban, say developers

“I think if rental housing also became affordable, we could stop the further spread of slums, especially in cities. These are the areas where together we can create miracles,” the minister said.

Developers should consider expanding beyond Indian shores.

Goyal also suggested that CREDAI members consider entering foreign markets to tap real estate development and redevelopment opportunities.

“The real estate sector should seriously think about expanding beyond Indian shores and increasing the export of our services,” he said.

Look at the greater formalization of the real estate sector

The minister also urged developers to consider greater formalization of the real estate sector.

“It is time to think about more formalization in the real estate sector like digital payments and recruitment under EPFO,” Goyal said, adding that more formalization will help the sector, which contributes hugely to India’s GDP, to grow much faster.

He asked CREDAI members to provide social security, healthcare and post-retirement benefits to people working in the real estate sector.

He suggested that real estate developers should ensure that their workers are registered with ESIC and EPFO.

This will help the real estate industry be recognized for their contribution to job creation, he added.

ABOUT RERA

Goyal said RERA has helped eliminate bad developers from the market and boosted buyer confidence.

Over the last decade, the Modi government has made a concerted effort to clean up the system and improve ease of doing business, he said. “Bank balance sheets have been strengthened and NPAs have come down significantly,” he added.