There are times when Delhi is known to be the place for the rich and elite. But of course, being the national capital of India, some aspects should be taken for granted. In such a case, why is the aspect of constructive development missing? With the population levels increasing day by day, buying property is the biggest challenge in the state.

I still remember when we were planning to buy a house a few years ago. We had an ordinary budget of Rs. 20 lacks and that too came about after pulling a few strings. But then considering this expensive city; is this amount enough to buy a decent home in a good location? Definitely not in the centrally located residential areas in the city! Atleast the ones that we found were dingy, cramped with no ventilation and comparatively smaller than what we were used to living in.

At the same time, a good house is definitely possible built in the outskirts of the city. The real estate market of Delhi is considered one of the expensive realty markets in India. At the same time, it attracts many people from different parts of the country to buy property here.

With the rising population and lack of space for housing, builders and property dealers have now moved to the National Capital Region. With most of the multinational companies operating from Gurgaon, it soon became the place for residents. Today, it is known as the Singapore of Delhi. But then, space constraints along with other issues started cropping soon. So, exploration of other regions such as Noida, Ghaziabad and Faridabad were started. It took no time for property to come up here.

These NCRs have definitely catered to more options for housing for the constantly growing population. An ordinary middle class Delhite invests the savings of his lifetime to buy property. So, once this investment is done with the help of a home loan, he literally has to make ends meet in order to ensure that he is able to provide for his family as well as pay up the loan along with the interest.

The moment when a person feels that atleast he has an insurance policy for life- a house; barely does he realize that it is the beginning of another round in the ring called life where he is already having a tough life!

So, despite opening more avenues it has created more hurdles for the common man. First and foremost is the distance. Moving to the NCR means increased travel time and travel expenses. This caters to more fuel consumption and so, even if the person is not paying a rent anymore, his other expenses would definitely increase. This would be after paying his monthly EMI. And so, this is one price that a resident has to pay for opting to budget housing in a distant area.

Initially, it might seem all manageable with the distance since the bus service seems frequent. But once we actually start using that service, we realize that it is not that easy. The frequent service is definitely a blessing but then with this comes the flood of people at all times. These long distances buses can be considered as houseful round the clock. Peak hours are the times when they should be avoided the most. So, one can easily add in the time for those extra minutes spent in traffic jams. However, things are slowly improving with the metro being introduced and being extended to the NCRs. But the problem continues to persist.

Over a period of time, other important aspects which come to light are the power cuts and water problems. Electricity and water all of a sudden seem to be some kind of assets meant for the elite. And so, it seems as if we are being tested for whether or not, we belong to that category! It would be hard to find any home in the NCRs without an inverter. An ordinary home inside the city is equipped with an inverter. Since there is no electricity and water, it means additional investment to ensure that the utilities are bought from time to time.

Additionally, it is also being seen that the concept of independent housing is slowly coming to an end. With more and more people selling away their land and property to builders, the concept of multi-storied apartments has taken over. So, in the past where one family used to live on a given land now has about a dozen families living. This obviously means increased consumption of utilities etc.

On the other hand, there have been cases where the builders turned out to be frauds exploiting the common people. Or there have been instances where property has been constructed on unauthorized land. In the entire above scenario, the common man is the end sufferer.

So, what are the solutions to the above problems which seem to have come about thanks to the lack of efficient management by the relevant authorities? Above all, this mishmash could only be sorted with the right intervention…what do you think?

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The Government of India has announced and proposed its Union Budget for 2010 – 2011. The following have been announced.

Better income tax slabs which would benefit almost 60% of the tax payers. This can be elaborated as follows:

• For those with income range between Rs.1.6 lakhs – Rs. 5 lakhs, the tax liability would be 10%.
• For income varying between Rs. 5 lakhs – Rs. 8 lakhs, the tax liability would be 20%.
• Income above Rs. 8 lakh will have a tax liability of 30%.

Keeping aside the above, the following key points should also be noted:

• A proposed hike in the fuel prices has been a major amend. So, some of the benefits that come from the above tax savings would be catered to the fuel.
• The higher inflation in food prices and related items would come from the above hike in fuel prices.
• Fiscal deficit is proposed to be higher at around 5.5% for the coming year.
• Enhanced deficit for current financial year is expected to be at 6.9% which is a huge disappointment.

Collectively, this stresses on the fact that benefits coming out of tax savings would be deviated towards paying more for the daily needs and utilities.

Higher fiscal deficit means that the Government income is less than its earnings. It meets this additional expense by printing surplus currency or by selling public assets. These public assets are basically made and supported by tax payers like us.

The budget certainly raises a hope as it has proposed to bring down the fiscal deficit in the next two years. But as has been seen in the past, the interim sees higher non-plan expenditure and that means increased fiscal deficit by the time the fiscal year comes to an end. So, we need to wait and watch to see what happens next!

There is no hike in service tax and which is welcoming for now. However, it remains to be seen if new occupations are being brought into the service tax bracket. But, until then, the public has to keep its fingers crossed.

Gems and jewel prices such as gold, silver and other precious stones are all set to rise. So, a warning to all those planning to get married or investing in a wedding must keep their pockets a bit more flexible!

It is agreed that the defence of the country is paramount and cannot be compromised on, still one fails to understand hike of another 4% in its expense on the country’s defence. This is especially when India continues to have a misfortune of having the majority of poor in the world and especially when they are dieing of hunger. Are we still afraid of others taking over our country despite being a nuclear power? At such a point, it is hard to understand the investment in nuclear resources if it is still not a good enough deterrent?

Excise duty is being increased for most of the manufacturing and capital goods segment. This is an effort towards fiscal discipline and management. But then, these minor benefits are taken away by pay commission reports that are recommended and implemented.

Almost Rs. 35,000 Crores have been raised by selling equity of public sector undertakings (supposedly owned by public) but none of this will be used for general benefit of public. It is likely that all will go into meeting the fiscal deficit.

You will pay more for your new television sets, air conditioners and cars. When will the Government understand that these items are no longer luxuries but utilities? It is tragic that these items get the same tax treatment as cigarettes and tobacco.

On the other hand, the extension of banking and interest facilities for real estate and housing sector is a step in the right direction. This would lead to stimulating many other related sectors like steel and cement in the economy. But it has to be ensured that these benefits are passed on to the general public by builders and developers through affordable housing.

It is not yet clear regarding the benefits of introducing new private banks. Rather than giving licenses to new banks, it is better to support existing banks in expanding their current networks. It has to be realized that the Indian financial market is still developing and major part of the population is still illiterate. They being subjected to aggressive private banking would mean that there will be more shocks and financial indiscipline. Many in public may end up losing money by trusting their savings to these new private banks.

In the end, let us hope that budgetary targets are met and no mid year surprises are thrown on the general public. They need to plan their budget too and it is possible only against a certain, stable Government budget.

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The Australian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (AIQS) is the authority responsible for maintaining the standards of this profession in Australia. All foreign trained Quantity Surveyors have to get their skills and qualifications assessed by this body before they apply for immigration.

The assessment is based on whether a candidate qualifies for the Probationer membership at the AIQS. Those applicants under the Skilled Migrant program found eligible for this would be termed as being ‘Suitable’. They would score full points (60) on the Point Based System.

Qualifying Conditions

In order to be eligible for the above, the applicant must satisfy the following conditions:

• A bachelor’s degree or a higher qualification in the relevant field.
• In some cases, relevant work experience is also required.
• He should be able to score the relevant points on the Point Based System.
• In some territories, the applicant has to register with the State as a professional. However, in most of the territories, a membership would be more than enough to maintain the standards for development and networking of the professional.
• Minimum English language skills proved by IELTS.

Tasks Involved

The following is the expected job description which the applicant should be able to perform:

• He should be able to analyze and maintain the expenditure involved for construction right from the utility stages involving sketches.
• Should be able to study engineering and architectural drawings and conclude the total costs.
• Consult and work in coordination with architects, engineers, builders, financiers, owners and developers.
• Should have various tools to implement on budgetary control.
• Should enlist the various materials required; prepare bills for tenders and advice clients on tenders accordingly.
• Execute construction contracts and measures and permit progress payments.
• Oversee all the recent changes and measures and negotiate accordingly.
• Recommend on cost regarding any corrections in existing buildings with reference to the raw material used and the method of construction and so on.

In case you are a Quality Surveyor planning to work in Australia, you must meet with the above. In addition, it is best that you contact an Immigration and Visa expert. This is because he would be updated with all the latest in the Australian Immigration.

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If you are a foreign trained architect planning to migrate to Australia, you have to get your skills assessed in prior by the Architects Accreditation Council of Australia. This Council is the authorized body to assess the skills of all the migrant Architects. AACA is responsible for maintaining standards, conducting and evaluating for the registration of the appropriate architects.

Eligibility Requirements

In order to work in Australia, you must prove your proficiency in the field of architecture. These include meeting the following conditions:

• You must possess a Bachelor’s degree or a higher qualification with the relevant needed experience in the similar field.
• You must be registered/needs to register as an architect in the particular city.
• The occupation should be mentioned under the Skilled Occupation List. Based on the demand of the occupation, you would derive points accordingly.
• The applicant must meet all the licensing requirements, with approval from the local bodies.

However, the skill criteria might vary for those seeking approval under general skilled migration category.

Job Description

In Australia, an architect is expected to design buildings, conceptualize and plan along with the detailed drawings in coordination with the builders. The role of an architect involves the following:

• Devise concepts based on the opinions and advice of clients and the management regarding the size, styles of the buildings.
• Prepare a detailed documentation of the entire project including the entire data of the plan.
• Work in coordination with other engineers and experts from the field of environmental design.
• Provide with design related information and other estimated times.
• Contracting documents with terms and conditions for the clients.
• Developing studies in collaboration with quantity surveyors, conducting inspections and managing construction work with reference to the specifications.
• He can also specialize in using computer based designs and software for project preparation.

An architect can specialize in commercial, residential or industrial building construction etc. He can also be conservation or a heritage architect and so on. So, if you are an architect wanting to work in Australia, hire an immigration consultant for a hassle free visa issuance!

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