Chennai’s third master plan has been developed using insights from over 25 studies covering economic growth, urban housing, transport, environmental sustainability, and technology, according to AIIMS Additional Director Anshul Mishra, who previously served as CMDA Member-Secretary. Speaking at the inauguration of Tamil Nadu Land Use 2025, the state’s first international land use conference organized by the State Planning Commission, Mishra said that master plans must go beyond traditional land-use mapping. They should include economic strategies, identify industrial clusters, and align labour markets to drive balanced urban growth. He emphasized that the plan should promote transit-oriented development, enabling people to live and work along metro, road, and suburban corridors — reducing commute times and carbon emissions. Additionally, blue-green assets such as water bodies and open spaces must be mapped and protected. “It’s not urbanisation itself that damages the environment,” Mishra said. “It’s the absence of proper planning and unchecked urban sprawl that cause harm.” Within the Chennai Metropolitan Area, home to 1.15 crore people, commute times have risen by 12% since 2019, while public transport use remains below 30%. Mishra cited examples from Ahmedabad and Pune, where integrated development along transit corridors cut per-capita energy use by 22% and greenhouse gas emissions by 26%. He added that rationalising the Floor Space Index (FSI) for industries can boost productivity per hectare and limit sprawl. Inaugurating the two-day event, State Industries Minister T.R.B. Rajaa said the government aims to transform Tamil Nadu into a leading national hub for research and development.

The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) is expected to finalise the redrawing of boundaries for its proposed expansion from 200 to 300 wards — including areas like Vanagaram and Adayalampattu village panchayats — by December, a senior official has said. However, the actual merger will take effect only in February 2027, aligning with the end of the current term of the elected bodies of both the GCC and the village panchayats. This timeline will allow local body elections to be held simultaneously across all 300 wards, the Revenue Department official explained. Since the tenure of the existing representatives must be completed, no changes can be implemented before February 2027, helping to avoid administrative hurdles and enabling a streamlined election process, the official added.

A proposed ?1,400-crore cement manufacturing plant by an Adani Group subsidiary in Ambivli, Kalyan, has sparked widespread opposition. The project has not only raised concerns among Ambivli locals but has also united residents from neighboring villages like Mohone, Manda, and Atali. Fearing serious health risks and potential pollution of nearby rivers, locals have launched poster campaigns and signature drives to oppose the plant. The proposed 26.1-hectare site lies just 10 meters from Ambivli railway station and is close to the Kalu and Ulhas rivers. Nearly 5 lakh people reside within a 2-kilometer radius of the site. Environmental activist Nitin Nikam highlighted that the project violates existing environmental regulations, which require such industrial units to be located at least 500 meters away from residential areas. According to sources, the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) has received over 300 objections following its public notice inviting feedback on the proposed plant by Ambuja Cements. A public hearing regarding the matter is scheduled for Tuesday.Prakash Bhoir, head of the Manda Gramstha Mandal, criticized the apparent change in plans by the Adani Group. “When they acquired the land, they had promised to set up a warehouse that would   local employment. Now, they are jeopardizing our health. We plan to step up our protests in the coming days,” he said.While Ambuja Cements has declined to comment officially, sources say the company insists that the land falls within a designated industrial zone.

The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has collected ?910 crore in property tax during the first half of the 2025–26 financial year, against its target of ?1,100 crore for the April to September period. Officials said they are stepping up collection efforts to meet the goal before the September 30 deadline. To improve compliance, the Corporation has rolled out a range of online and offline payment options and is sending regular reminders to defaulters. While special tax collection camps were held in previous years, they were skipped this year as more taxpayers have shifted to online payment methods. Officials credit the rise in collections to digital initiatives such as reminders via WhatsApp, complete with QR codes for instant payments. “We are confident of meeting the target within the next two days. Revenue officials are also preparing a list of defaulters from both the last financial year and the current period, and follow-ups will be done zone-wise,” said K Magesh, City Revenue Officer. In addition to WhatsApp messages, GCC has also been using pamphlets and newspaper advertisements to remind property owners to pay on time and avoid penalties. GCC has also collected ?143 crore in professional tax so far. To further enhance tax collection, the QR code payment option has recently been extended to commercial tax. A common QR code has been displayed in shopping complexes, while individual commercial units have been given separate codes. This system reduces the need for direct interaction and enables faster, more efficient payments with instant acknowledgments. In the 2024–25 financial year, many property owners paid their taxes early to take advantage of incentives, particularly in the second half (October to March), pushing collections past ?2,000 crore – the highest recorded by the civic body.

The Karnataka Cabinet has decided to exempt residential buildings built on plots larger than 1,200 square feet within Bengaluru city limits from the requirement of obtaining an Occupancy Certificate (OC). This decision comes after a Supreme Court ruling had made OCs mandatory for electricity connections, which left over 3.3 lakh completed buildings across the state without power due to lack of approved building plans and OCs. To address this issue, the Cabinet has decided to introduce a special law that offers a one-time exemption, allowing such buildings to receive electricity connections. However, the Advocate General clarified that this relief will not apply to all large buildings automatically — the government can grant exemptions only after verifying each case. The new rule builds on an earlier Cabinet decision that waived the OC requirement for buildings up to 1,200 sq ft, and now extends that benefit to larger homes as well. Moving forward, the government plans to impose penalties on those who violate building rules and will introduce new legislation to prevent such irregularities in the future. 

The Supreme Court has upheld the Madras High Court’s decision to strike down the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) probe into the alleged multi-crore sand mining scam in Tamil Nadu. Along with the probe, the ED’s move to attach properties of miners and their associates — on the grounds that they were “proceeds of crime” — has also been set aside. A bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Augustine George Masih dismissed the ED’s appeal against the High Court’s July 16, 2024 order. The Madras High Court had earlier clarified that the core issue was not whether illegal sand mining had taken place in Tamil Nadu, but whether the ED could act under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) without a predicate offence being investigated by another competent agency and without a clear determination of proceeds of crime. The Supreme Court agreed with this reasoning, noting that unless the proceeds of crime are clearly established and linked to a scheduled offence, action under PMLA cannot stand. The court referred to its earlier ruling in the Vijay Madhanlal Choudhary case, stressing that mere possession of unaccounted wealth does not automatically qualify as “proceeds of crime.” In its detailed 66-page order, the Madras High Court bench of Justices M S Ramesh and Sunder Mohan had also observed that while courts normally do not interfere in investigations, they cannot allow citizens to be left vulnerable to arbitrary action by investigating officers. Since the ED’s initiation of proceedings under PMLA lacked proper legal foundation, the bench rejected the agency’s argument that judicial interference was unwarranted.

On September 22, 2025, the GST Council announced a major reform that could significantly impact India’s construction and housing sector. The tax system has been simplified into just two slabs — 5% and 18% — with cement now taxed at 18% instead of 28%. For the first time since GST began in 2017, builders and homeowners will see a real reduction in one of the biggest cost drivers of construction. However, the savings won’t automatically flow into your pocket. To take full advantage, homebuyers, contractors, and self-builders need to understand how the new rules work. This guide explains what exactly has changed, how much you could save on materials, and what precautions to take before finalizing a building contract. The streamlined tax structure not only makes budgeting easier but also brings greater predictability to construction costs. In short, GST 2.0 is more than just a tax cut—it’s an opportunity to build more efficiently and affordably. By identifying where the savings lie and planning smartly, you can make sure your project benefits fully from these reforms. Want to know how much you could save? Try our House Construction Cost Calculator for a personalized breakdown.

Singapore-based Keppel is preparing to sell its office property, One Paramount in Porur, Chennai, to Prime Offices Fund, which is managed by Nuvama Asset Management and Cushman & Wakefield (NCW), for about ?2,750 crore. The deal highlights the growing interest of investors in India’s fast-expanding office market. One Paramount is a Grade-A IT park spread over 2.4 million sq. ft. on a 12.6-acre site. It hosts big multinational tenants like Genpact, Maersk, UPS, VMware, and Hitachi Energy. With high occupancy levels, the asset offers attractive rental yields of about 7–7.5%, which is better than the market average. Keppel had itself purchased the same property in mid-2024 for about ?2,100 crore from RMZ Corporation and Canada’s CPP Investments. For Prime Offices Fund, this is part of a larger expansion strategy. The fund recently bought Prius Platinum (0.3 million sq. ft.) in Delhi’s Saket for about ?750 crore and another nearby 300,000 sq. ft. property for around ?760 crore. Both are fully leased and upgraded to ESG standards, giving steady income. Chennai’s office demand is now spreading beyond OMR to new hubs such as Radial Road, Tambaram, Ambattur, and Madhavaram, helped by better infrastructure. Leasing is coming not only from IT and global capability centres but also from banking, financial services, insurance, and life sciences—with the life sciences sector alone seeing 60% growth in 2024.

The GST Council has announced major tax cuts on key construction materials such as cement, granite, and marble, aiming to reduce project expenses for developers and ease the burden on homebuyers. With GST 2.0, cement and ready-mix concrete will now be taxed at 18% instead of 28%, while bricks, tiles, and sand fall to 5% from 18%. Paints and varnishes will also come under 18% instead of 28%. These reforms take effect from September 22, the first day of Navratri, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi described as a “GST bachat utsav” during his address on September 21. The new GST structure has been simplified to mainly two slabs—5% and 18%—while luxury goods continue to attract a 40% levy. Earlier, GST was spread across four slabs: 5%, 12%, 18%, and 28%, with an additional cess on certain items. Industry experts say the reduction in GST on construction inputs could lower overall building costs by 3–5%, translating into about ?1,000 savings per square meter of construction. This benefit is expected to improve project economics for developers and make homes more affordable for buyers. G Hari Babu, national president of NAREDCO, welcomed the move and stressed that the gains from cheaper cement must be passed on to real estate projects. If the cement industry absorbs the tax benefit without passing it along, he warned that developers may seek government intervention. But if the benefit flows through, it could directly cut project costs, allowing developers to price homes more competitively, boost affordability, and build buyer confidence. Realtors’ body CREDAI added that the GST cuts will enhance consumer purchasing power and stimulate demand for housing during the festive season, giving the sector fresh momentum.

The central government has told states and RERA authorities to crack down on misleading real estate ads where builders and agents use “government-like terms” to make private projects look like official housing schemes. This is to prevent homebuyers from being misled. States and regulators must also submit reports to ensure buyers’ interests are protected. At a recent meeting of the Central Advisory Council (CAC) of RERA, chaired by Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, members discussed this issue in detail. Officials even shared examples of such misleading advertisements, noting that the problem has been ongoing and needs urgent attention. The ministry highlighted that in some ads, promoters’ or publishers’ names were missing, which allowed builders and agents to bypass legal requirements like giving full project details. Many such ads, it said, appear to be circulated by real estate agents. The Forum for People’s Collective Efforts (FPCE) also flagged inconsistencies between project details on RERA websites, developers’ own sites, and approved plans, and urged the government to set up a system to remove such mismatches.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin visited the Ungaludan Stalin grievance redressal camp in T. Nagar (Ward 133) on Friday. He instructed officials to give priority to petitions related to patta transfers, property tax, drinking water connections, ration card address changes, and farmers’ issues. He also told them to handle petitions from persons with disabilities with extra care and quickly resolve applications under the Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thittam (KMUT) scheme. Stalin added that even if residents came after the scheduled hours, their applications should still be accepted and settled on time. During the camp review, he pointed out that services like issuing birth certificates, registering employment cards, and helping people open bank accounts were happening on the spot. He praised the initiative for bringing many government services together in one place. Residents said the camp was useful as they could easily access services and get problems solved faster. Most petitions were for enrollment in the KMUT scheme. Later, Stalin inaugurated the Kalaignar Centenary Building at the Highway Research Station campus in Kotturpuram, built at a cost of ?29 crore. He also launched the Tamil Nadu State Highways Authority and unveiled its emblem. Officials explained that the new authority will work to connect state highways with local roads, and improve safety and accessibility.

Banks are leaning on luxury homes to revive mortgage growth, creating bespoke loan products to tap into rising demand for premium housing in big cities or their outlying elite suburbs. "The premium segment is defying gravity and that is where the growth is," said Manu Singh, business head of housing finance, Kotak Mahindra Bank. "Buyers want luxurious and larger homes; they want their second or third homes in Alibaug or Gurgaon. For us, home loans are a relationship product-we want to be a banking partner for the affluent segment through this journey." Luxury homes are typically defined as those priced above ?2 crore in Mumbai and Delhi, and ?1.5 crore in other metros. According to ICRA, luxury homes made up 34% of sales in Q1 FY26, up from 30% in FY24. A CBRE report showed the segment grew 85% year-on-year in the first half of 2025, with nearly 7,000 high-end residential units sold across the top seven cities. "Premium apartments remain dominant, with 3-4 BHK units now constituting 70% of value sold," said Puneet Gulati, analyst, Property & Infra, HSBC India. "In value terms, premium apartments accounted for 67% of sales in Q1, up from 59% in FY25. Even by area, they now make up 51% of the market." Crisil Ratings expects premium homes to account for 38-40% of new launches in 2025 and 2026. In contrast, affordable and mid-segments are likely to shrink to 10-12% and 19-20%, respectively, down sharply from 30% and 40% in 2020. Rising land and raw material costs have made these segments less viable for developers, tilting the market further toward luxury.