The avoidable tragedy at Carlton Towers in Bangalore on February 23 has once again highlighted the sheer apathy of agencies that look after the safety aspect of our buildings.
The investigation into the Carlton Towers tragedy has revealed that the magnitude of the tragedy could have been worse as the terrace was stocked with 1,000 liters of diesel. And before Carlton Towers, another shocking incident took place close to Bangalore on January 26, where a building under construction collapsed, killing 27 people – this too has brought into sharp focus several chinks and lacunae in safety norms followed in the building construction industry. Even as investigations are going on in both these cases, experts admit that violation of building plans is normal looking at the state of other buildings under construction. read more>>

With the real estate bubble in the West having burst, and the brewing crisis caused by Dubai World now slowly fading away, the hypothesis among real estate experts seems to be that the real estate sector is now ready for a comeback. Barring the chances of a real estate bubble growing in China and Brazil – discussed in earlier posts – the rest of the world seems to be returning to an even keel, thus opening opportunities for investment. read more>>

Stock chart for TR PROPERTY INV.

The market remains in a precarious situation. It is time to keep your heart, mind, eyes and ears open before taking a decision. The extended weekend brought mixed news. The industrial output data for December surpassed all optimistic estimates. China surprised by raising the reserve ratio for banks. Data also showed that Eurozone growth came to a halt in the last quarter of 2009. Among the other bad news was of course the blast in Pune just as India and Pakistan get ready to resume bilateral dialogue.