Archive: May 31, 2022

Time to Get Fire Evacuation Systems in place for High-rise Buildings in Mumbai

Mumbai, May 31, 2022: The incidence of fire break-outs are rising. The recent fire incidents in Mumbai have raised questions over fire safety of high-rises. In Mumbai, as the Mumbai Fire Brigade recently stated, the city has witnessed more than 48,434 small and major fire incidents since 2008 to 2018, of which 1,568 were reported in Mumbai’s high-rises since 2008 and sabotaging 8,737 residential buildings, about 3,833 commercial buildings.

The lack of awareness, negligence towards fire safety audits, non-implementation of fire safety rules by the buildings or technical reasons like non-functional internal firefighting systems, inadequate sprinkler arrangements, etc., could be the reasons why fire accidents are happening? It is observed that many buildings in Mumbai do not have a Fire Evacuation system in place to evacuate the people on time. Timely evacuation can help prevent the loss of assets and lives of the people.

After many incidents of fire in the recent past in Mumbai, there has been a growing demand to ensure proper fire safety and Fire Evacuation system in place in the high-rise buildings. During major fire incidents in high-rises, it has been seen that the evacuation of people has often become a cause of major concern. The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai and the Fire Brigade Department realized the need to equip high-rise buildings in Mumbai with the right kind of Fire Evacuation system. Therefore, it has been made mandatory in 2018 by MCGM and Mumbai Fire Brigade department to have a provision of a Fire Evacuation Lift for all the buildings with a height above 70 meters (around 22 floors).

Dr Vikram Mehta, Managing Director of Spartan Engineering Industries and Fire Evacuation Lift Expert said, “Time is of the essence when fighting fires. A few seconds can be all that stands between controllable flames and an out-of-control blaze. Therefore, Fire Evacuation Lifts are important to evacuate the people on time before it gets out of control. It will be a lifesaver for firefighters and for the people.” 

Under the fire safety requirements, protective fire equipment like the Fire Evacuation Lifts, fire sprinklers and other fire management devices, may make the dangerous job of fire – fighting safe for evacuation of people.

The city needs to ensure implementation of an advanced fire evacuation lift before we lose more human lives and an effort in planning safer infrastructure.

Mr. Ketan Sengupta, CEO of Bengal Peerless Answers for the price hike on Real estate industry

In this current scenario of the real estate industry prices have increased 5-8 % due to a rise in the cost of construction, and rates are expected to rise further by 5-7 percent, taking the total increase to 10-15 percent across the Indian real estate market. Mr. Ketan Sengupta, CEO of Bengal Peerless Housing Development Company answered questions on the real estate market and price hikes.

1. PRICE HIKE in real estate based on the current scenario

Real estate prices have increased 5-8 percent due to a rise in the cost of construction, and rates are expected to rise further by 5-7 percent, taking the total increase to 10-15 percent across the Indian real estate market. There has been a steady increase in the prices of construction raw materials in the last two years. The prices further went up due to the Ukraine-Russia war. The oil prices in the international markets are at an all-time high including the Indian market and this has further added to the escalation of the prices.

2. Price differences in Tier-2 cities compare to Kolkata

Amid businesses in India realizing the advantages of the work-from-home (WFH) concept in the backdrop of the Coronavirus pandemic, there has been a major shift of the workforce towards tier 2 cities in West Bengal as well as in India. In these tier 2 cities, the cost of living is less, the work-life balance is better and housing remains affordable, as compared to megacities in spite of a huge jump in values in the past decade, backed by infrastructure development. Though the raw material costs are more or less the same, the cost of construction is low due to lower land value, lesser migrant labour issues & lesser construction curbs due to COVID-19. So developers can fetch for lower offerings and higher profit margins.

3. Profit rate after Price hike

Price increases are there across offerings like steel, cement, copper and even labour charges and developers will have to pass on the cost increase again on to home buyers to protect margins. Fully-built or ready-to-move homes may not see an immediate price rise, but new constructions will definitely feel the pinch of increased cost. For the last one year amid pandemic situations, developers have been able to absorb the rise in the cost of construction. However, with such increases of raw materials, market uncertainties, disruption in supply chain and record high crude oil cost, prices of new launches across the markets are estimated to be escalated by 10-15% varying on geographies, size and scale of the projects.

4. Your statement on the current price hike in real estate sector due to inflation

Sharp rise in raw material prices is impacting profit margins with disruption in logistics, timely deliverables, and absorption of hiked cost. If developers have sold inventories at a certain price, they cannot charge an escalation from that customer. This is making it hard for developers to pass on the cost increases. Government’s intervention is required to arrest the increase in the cost of building materials, especially steel and cement and the price has to be regulated till the time the supply is restored in the domestic markets and both cement and steel should be put in the lower slabs of the goods and services tax (GST).

Ankush Ahuja joins Hilton Goa Resort as the F&B Manager

Goa, 31st May 2022: Ankush Ahuja is a seasoned hotelier with a rich experience of over 13 years in the industry. In his new role at Hilton Goa Resort, Ankush would be spearheading the functioning on overseeing all aspects of food and beverage operations and repositioning of the food and beverage outlets.

Over the years, he has worked with the finest hospitality leaders such as Marriott International, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Centara Hotels & Resorts, Taj Hotels &Resorts, Carlson Rezidor and YUM Restaurants International. On his last assignment with ‘The B Premier Boutique Collection, Doha’ as Assistant Food & Beverage Manager, he incorporated unique menus for the restaurants, maintaining brand standards and operational excellence. He is a leader with the right skills to undertake Guest Relationship Management, Revenue Management, Food Promotion, Staffing and more.

With his wide spectrum of knowledge in budget analysis, effective cost planning,managing key relations, implementing and optimizing procedures, team leadership and development, Ankush will be bringing forth his expertise to maximise revenue and rightfully connecting with the customers to ensure that their requirements are met while maintaining the highest standards along with compliance with the food and safety regulations.

On Ankush’s appointment, Amandeep Singh Grover, General Manager, Hilton Goa Resortexpresses, “We are delighted to appoint Ankush as the F&B Manager as his expertise in the food and beverage industry will facilitate the hotel in promoting our outlets and will ensure a smooth functioning of the teams working under him.”

NDL AND Thaicom Ink binding MOU for Broadband-Over- Satellite and Related Services in India

India, 31st May 2021: NXTDIGITAL LIMITED (NDL) and THAICOM PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED, Thailand (Thaicom) today made a joint announcement of having signed a binding Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to form a strategic partnership to enter the Broadband-over-satellite (BoS) market and related services in India. The MOU envisages a partnership that includes deployment of BoS systems on India-focused capacity, which could be enhanced to provide future additional capacity on a state-of-art software-defined high throughput satellite; augmenting the existing IPSTAR-1 that is the first broadband satellite in the world and operational over India since several years. Partnership could also be in OneOTT Intertainment Limited (OIL), the broadband subsidiary of NDL and India’s fourth largest private ISP with over 1 million customers and a presence in 150+ cities and towns.

Thaicom and NDL will look to provide BoS services immediately on IPSTAR-1 – focusing mainly on the rural footprint of India, comprising 60% of NDL’s customers, through the only HITS (Headend-In-The- Sky) platform in India. The BoS service will focus on providing cost-effective and quality broadband and will give a tremendous boost to delivering education, information, entertainment, health and other services to these markets. It will also look to complement the existing broadband delivery technologies and broadband penetration of NDL’s broadband subsidiary, OIL. The details of partnership elements are being discussed and will be documented in definitive agreements between Thaicom and NDL.

Says Patompob (Nile) Suwansiri, Director and Chief Executive Officer at Thaicom Public Company Limited “We are delighted to ink this MOU with NXTDIGITAL, which is easily one of the best digital platforms groups in India. With our global satellite experience spanning nearly three decades and NXTDIGITAL’s distribution expertise, vast footprint and broadband penetration – we believe that together, we are best suited to delivering broadband over satellite and related services to India, not just at a high level of quality of service, but also cost-effectively. Our engagement and investments reflect our commitment to India, where we have had a presence since 2002, offering broadband over satellite since then.”

Says Vynsley Fernandes, Managing Director and CEO at NXTDIGITAL Limited “We have always taken our commitment to the Government’s digital India mission very seriously. With HITS, we now cover over 4,500 pin codes across India with a significant presence in not just rural India but also areas where terrain poses challenges to connectivity. Through this engagement with Thaicom, a global leader in satellite technology, we will look to facilitate digital inclusion across education, healthcare, information & entertainment – by extending satellite-based broadband connectivity and services to our customers there and also to underserved and other poorly connected markets.”

Thaicom and NDL will also develop and offer a myriad of global emerging digital solutions – critical to the government’s vision and mission of a resilient digital India. These solutions, already developed and deployed by Thaicom elsewhere in the world include satellite artificial intelligence solutions comprising space-based data technologies for agriculture, disaster relief & natural resource management to public WIFI systems and drones for augmenting rural digital solutions. With India’s significant dependence on agriculture and the incumbent challenges of crop management – the satellite-based AI will help by providing mission-critical data on tap.

Both companies have also agreed to set up a Centre for Excellence to develop new satellite and related digital based technologies through artificial intelligence and analytics – leveraging deep-tech research and development that both companies are known for.

NXTDIGITAL also announced that Yugal Kishore Sharma, Chief Executive Officer of its broadband subsidiary OneOTT Intertainment Limited (OIL) and the entertainment subsidiary IN Entertainment; has chosen to move on after a successful six-year assignment; to pursue new ventures in the field of sports and e-sports and nurturing Hindustan FC, a football club he has been associated with for several years. Yugal is credited with having led and built up the broadband business of the media group into India’s fourth largest private ISP, with over 1 million subscribers. A telecom industry veteran, Yugal has been instrumental in driving OIL and building up the various verticals, especially the innovative and highly successful ISP Strategic Partnership Aggregator model.

Said AK Das, Chairman of OneOTT Intertainment Ltd. and IN Entertainment “Yugal has played a pivotal role in the significant growth of OIL through his radical thinking, innovative strategies and evolving business models over the years. Today, OIL is a highly respected brand across 150 cities and towns with a very high quality of service, with customer centricity at its core. Much of that credit is attributed to Yugal’s leadership from the front, propelling ONE Broadband into India’s top 4 private ISPs. We take this opportunity to thank him for his contribution to the growth of the company and wish him all the very best as he pursues his new ventures.”