Indian Real Estate: NRI Housing Societies, Foreign Partners and Nature Resorts

Punjab Real Estate: Punjabis Wanna Come Homereal estate industry is the 50:50 joint venture
Hot speculation about young and old NRI techiesforged between Delhi's DLF Universal and $5-billion
wanting to come home has led entrepreneur T.S.worth UK developers, Laing O'Rourke. A coming
Dhillon to chalk out plans for a comfortabletogether of two real estate development Goliaths,
housing society for NRIs in Mohali. Inaugurating hiswith a view to providing world class construction
NRI Services Centre in Sector 34, Chandigarh,and infrastructure projects in the country.
Dhillon said his impetus for planning a housingAlready, with a presence in Chandigarh, perhaps,
society was the number of NRIs wishing to returnDLF and its new partner will be roped in to
home, or those that were on the verge ofconstruct the NRI Township.
permanently severing ties with the homeland dueIf that doesn't attract the NRI crowd, yoga and
to long pending property disputes.meditation centres, rejuvenation spas are the
Settled in UK, Dhillon, an NRI himself, is acutelynext new hot options in real estate investment.
aware of the issues and problems NRIs faceFrom Anandas in the Himalayas to Satvik resorts,
when they come to India. Talking about reverseBhimtal, INYS and Shreyas in Bangalore, now a
brain drain, he agrees NRI professionals seekinglittle closer to home, ‘The Kikar Lodge', a
greener pastures are returning to India in hordes,nature resort is as much in demand with the
followed by Punjabi elders who even after yearsyoung as with the old, for hosting corporate
of living in firang land could not get the wheat andmeets, business dinners and family outings.
mustard fields of Apna Punjab out of their minds.Nestled amidst 1800 acres of forest, 70-kms
Lonely, with children busy with careers in USA, UKfrom Chandigarh, the Lodge is a 2.5-acre resort
or elsewhere, elderly NRIs are just as keen tothat has received immense response from
return to Punjab as the young techs wanting toJullunder, Amritsar, Ludhiana and Delhi, as well as,
be a part of and to participate in India's upbeatthe inbound traffic to Manali.
economy.Encouraged by its reception, owner Amarinder
Wanting to attract them with a lucrativeSingh Chopra has two similar projects in Kasauli in
proposition, Dhillon says: "We have planned athe pipeline. The resort built at a cost of Rs.
society exclusively for NRIs in Mohali. And, I am2.5-crores is in close proximity to Anandpur Sahib
sure once we start talks with the government;that means it is absolutely sold out at the time of
they would be willing to give us land."the Hola Mohalla.
The other ground breaking news to jolt the Indian