#RealtyNewsRoundup: Noida Flats Get Costlier With 2 Per Cent Hike In Stamp Duty

Realty News Roundup is PropGuide's selection of top stories from the real estate sector.

The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet has approved raising the stamp duty on homes by two per cent in all the cities, including Noida and Greater Noida. This will put an extra Rs 1-2 lakh burden on each buyer, while the revenue department expects to earn an additional Rs 100 crore. With thousands of flats routinely delivered late in Gautam Budh Nagar, especially those affected by the Okhla Bird Sanctuary (OBS) row, it will be a double whammy for many home buyers. Read more

Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi has assured a group of home buyers that his party will support the legislation of the much-delayed Real Estate Regulatory Bill in the Rajya Sabha. The group fighting under the banner 'Fight for RERA' includes home buyers from Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Kolkata and Mumbai, along with the National Capital Region. Most of the group members are facing massive delays in delivery of apartments in different projects across the country. Read more

In a move aimed at scientific management of data and boosting revenue, the North Delhi Municipal Corporation will soon launch digitisation of records of about 350,000 properties under its jurisdiction. A senior NDMC official said the digitisation project, capable of maintaining 400,000 property tax records, would be launched soon and relevant paper work in this regard was underway. North Delhi Mayor Ravinder Gupta said the process of tendering would be completed in March and the work would start by April. Read more

Consumer products giant Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) has reportedly sold its iconic south Mumbai guest house Alhambra, which was built by the sultan of Darbhanga, for around Rs 170 crore. The three-storey building spread over 18,800 sq ft on the Carmichael Road in the 1950s was home to three former chief executives of the company. The identity of the buyer of the heritage property could not be ascertained. Read more

The Rajiv Gandhi International Airport has been ranked the third-best airport in the world for the seventh consecutive year in Airports Council International's (ACI) Airport Service Quality ranking, in 5-15 million passengers per annum (MPPA) category. In its announcement of winners for, ACI declared Hyderabad Airport - operated and managed by GMR Hyderabad International Airport - as the third-best airport in the world in this category. Read more