Indian Maritime University former vice-chancellor and forme bureaucrat K Ashok Vardhan Shetty on tuesdsy proposed the idea of setting up a university finance commission in every state to rationalize funding for state universities. Similar to the state finance commission for local bodies, a university finance commission is needed in each state to assess the need for various courses, department, the quantum of grants. For example, Annamalai University is getting more grants than the funds given to all state universities put together. This shows there is no reasoning in our funding. There is considerable scope for rationlization of funding and this can be doen once every 10 years. He also suggested giving some additional grants based on performances indictors such as graduation outcomes, research output and students employability. On the ongoing financial crisis in state universities, A situation where pubilcly funded unversities and colleges lack full time faculty members. In some universities teachers were not paid for months at a time, and it shows the very low priority accorded to higher education. It's not only in Tamil Nadu it's the same in other states also. He also said public universities are guilty of creating unnecessary departmnets,starting too many courses and creating too many posts. India cannot become a developed nation if it neglects its public universities. It must emulate China and South Korea in creating more publicly funded institutions. Inadequate funding and neglect of existing universities is a gross disservice to students. To improve access to higher education he suggested measures, including lowering fees in top Institutions such as IITs, IIMs and overhauling the education loan system. The education loan. 
 

The government of Maharashtra has increased ready reckoner (RR) rates, which determines property valuations for stamp duty and taxation, for the financial year 2025-26 across the state after keeping it unchanged for the last two years. Mumbai will witness an average 3.39% hike, while the average hike across the state is 3.89%. Municipal corporation areas across the state, except Mumbai, will witness an average increase of 5.95%, while municipal councils and nagar panchayats will see a 4.97% hike. Urban areas will see a 3.29% rise, and rural regions will witness an average increase of 3.36%, the state government said in a statement. The impact is particularly significant in cities like Navi Mumbai with 6.75%, Thane with 7.72%, Nashik 7.31%, and Solapur 10.17% increase, where the hikes are steeper. Developers and investors are concerned about rising costs, as construction expenses and premiums may put pressure on the market. We appreciate the state government’s move to revise Mumbai ready reckoner rates marginally. With Mumbai’s real estate market witnessing a surge in redevelopment activities, this upward revision in rates will escalate construction costs, as development expenses, additional FSI, and municipal charges are directly linked to it,” said Niranjan Hiranandani, chairman of developers’ body NAREDCO. With Mumbai's property prices already at premium levels, the revised RR rates could make homeownership more expensive. Experts predict that developers may pass on the additional burden to buyers, further driving up costs in Maharashtra’s key real estate markets.
 

Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) has scrapped its earlier plan to build Tambaram metro station on Grand Southern Trunk (GST) Road and will now construct it inside the Tambaram railway junction premises. The move, prompted by the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), aims to ensure better multimodal integration. The new station will take over the parking lot and autorickshaw lanes near the main western entrance of the railway station, allowing smoother transfers between suburban and metro services. With more south-bound trains now originating from Tambaram and major express trains such as Tejas and Vande Bharat halting there, the railway station's footfall is expected to surge. Many of these passengers will carry heavy luggage, so walking distance to the metro should be minimal. The metro entry should ideally be close to the 450-500m foot overbridge currently being built by the railways,' said Dayanand Krishnan, a resident-activist from Tambaram. Meanwhile, CMRL finalised the site for Kilambakkam station as well. A two-level metro station will come up directly opposite the Kalaignar Centenary Bus Terminus (KCBT) on vacant land. These two stations-Tambaram and Kilambakkam-will serve as key transit points on the Airport-Kilambakkam extension of Phase I, aimed at strengthening connectivity to the city's southern suburbs. The 52.94-km proposed Poonamallee-Parandur extension will pass through Chembarambakkam, Thandalam, Irungattukottai, Sriperumbudur, and Sunguvarchatram, ending at the upcoming Greenfield airport. This corridor will have 20 elevated stations and is estimated to cost ?15,906 crore. To optimise timelines and budgets, the first phase from Poonamallee to Sunguvarchatram, covering 27.90 km with 14 stations, will be taken up first at a cost of ?8,779 crore.
 

Office space leasing in India's top seven cities increased by 15% in Q1 2025, driven by demand from domestic and foreign companies. Despite some regions experiencing declines, the overall market reflects strong growth in Grade A spaces, and a continued trend towards ESG-compliant and tech-integrated workplaces. The office space leasing market in India experienced a 15% surge during the January to March 2025 quarter, reaching a total of 159 lakh sq ft, according to the latest report from real estate consultant Colliers India. This rise is attributed to increasing demand from both domestic and international corporates. Cities like Bengaluru and Chennai led this growth, posting impressive rises of 13% and 93% respectively in gross office leasing. However, areas like Hyderabad and Kolkata saw significant declines in leasing activities. The report highlights a strong preference for Grade A spaces, with corporates from technology, BFSI, and engineering sectors being the primary tenants. Industry leaders express optimism about continued growth, attributing it to economic maturing, strategic expansions of major firms, and the shift towards ESG-compliant, tech-integrated offices. The market is expected to maintain its momentum into 2025, supported by positive domestic growth prospects and policy initiatives in key states.

The new Pamban railway bridge in Tamil Nadu is expected to be inaugurated on April 6,2025, coinciding with Ram Navami. This engineering marvel, India’s first vertical lift sea bridge,will strengthen rail connectivity to Rameswaram, one of the holiest Hindu pilgrimage sites. Significance of the Inauguration Date Ram Navami marks the birth anniversary of Lord Ram, and the bridge holds religiousimportance as Rameswaram is believed to be the site where Ram built a bridge to Lanka, as described in the Ramayana.  Modern Engineering and Enhanced Features The new 2.07 km bridge replaces the 110-year-old Pamban bridge, which was shut down in 2022 due to severe corrosion from saltwater exposure. The bridge features 99 spans and a 72.5-metre vertical lift span, allowing ships to pass seamlessly. Standing three metres taller than the old structure, it ensures better clearance for maritime traffic. The upgraded bridge is designed for higher durability, increased traffic capacity, and improved navigation efficiency, offering a smooth travel experience for pilgrims and tourists. The foundation stone was laid in November 2019, and construction commenced in early 2020.  Preparations for the Grand Inauguration Senior railway officials, including Southern Railway’s Additional General Manager Kaushal Kishore and Madurai Divisional Railway Manager Sharad Srivastava, recently inspected the bridge and Rameswaram railway station to oversee final preparations. While there has been no official confirmation from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), authorities have tentatively scheduled the inauguration for the second week of April. The old bridge will remain in place for now, with decisions regarding its future yet to be finalised. Boost to Tourism and Pilgrimage With over 25 lakh pilgrims visiting Rameswaram annually, the new Pamban Bridge is expected to enhance religious tourism, strengthen economic activity, and improve accessibility for both travellers and locals.

 BirlaNu (previously known as HIL) plans to invest $150 million to achieve their goal of becoming $1 billion dollar company by 2028. 
Akshat Seth, managing director and CEO of the company said, “Our focus has always been on delivering high-quality, sustainable building materials. We’ve introduced Organic Based Stabilizers (OBS) in UPVC pipe manufacturing: an industry first in India, eliminating heavy metals. We’ve doubled our AAC block capacity in Chennai to four lakh cubic meters per year, making it one of the country’s largest facilities. And marking our expansion into the home and interiors space, we intend to bring our global premium flooring brand Parador to India." The company, part of CK Birla Group, recently went under the re-branding exercise. It has 32 manufacturing facilities across India and Europe.
 

Brookfield Group subsidiary Moon Holdings (DIFC) has entered a multifaceted transaction with Supreme Infrastructure India promoter group companies BSS Property Ventures and Rajeshwar Property Ventures, said persons with direct knowledge of the development. The deal will allow the global alternative investment major to expand its commercial real estate portfolio in India that currently stands at 55 million sq ft, of which around 9 million sq ft is in the country’s financial capital. This specific transaction includes two principal components, the acquisition of majority shareholding in these Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) that have entered into a pact to get control of around 6 acres of prime land in Mumbai’s Powai locality,” said one of the persons mentioned above. This deal also includes permissible floor space index (FSI) of more than 1 lakh sq ft in favour of the SPVs. Brookfield has already invested over Rs 600 crore and is expected to invest more to build grade A office properties. Landowner Bhawanishankar Sharma has already registered two separate agreements for sale of land and the free-sale component with his two SPVs--BSS Property and Rajeshwar Property. Brookfield has been expanding its commercial real estate portfolio in Mumbai. In January, the company signed a pact with the MMRDA to invest $12 billion in various infrastructure projects across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. In February, the company emerged as the sole bidder for a plot in the Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) during an auction conducted by MMRDA. It recently acquired an 8% stake in Nirlon Ltd, the owner of Nirlon Knowledge Park further solidifying its presence in the city's office space market. 
 

315Work Avenue, a co-working space provider, plans to expand to two million sq ft of workspace over the next one year with an investment of around Rs 400 crore. Manas Mehrotra, founder of the company said, "The demand has gained greater traction with corporates and MNCs continuing to make a beeline to co-working spaces that have emerged as strong centres of growth." The company currently manages three million sq ft space totalling around 60,000 seats across 45 locations in Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Pune. It wants to be present in about 10-12 cities over the next two years and touch five million sq ft in 2025.
 

Madurai corporation has collected 80% of its targeted ?310 crore in property tax for the 2024-25 financial year as of March 18. Though a total of ?251 crore collected is an improvement over last year's 77% collection, the city has slipped to the 10th position from 9th last year, among Tamil Nadu's 20 municipal corporations. However, it is the third highest in total assessments in the state, with nearly 3.48 lakh properties registered, behind Coimbatore and Greater Chennai Corporation. The 15th Central Finance Commission mandates city corporations to  achieve at least 13% growth in tax collection to get central govt grants. Corporation commissioner Chitra Vijayan told TOI that Madurai had met this target last week. The corporation had not yet resorted to cutting water supply of errant taxpayers as a coercive measure. She attributed arrears to multiple factors, primarily litigation. "Our legal team is arrears to multiple factors, primarily litigation. "Our legal team is actively pursuing these cases, but the volume remains actively pursuing these cases, but the volume remains overwhelming. We are scheduling tax appellate tribunal hearings and implementing a systematic follow-up process," However, AIADMK ward 64 councillor M Solai Raja claimed the increase in tax collection is purely due to the (2022) tax revision and not because of better enforcement. He also criticized the lack of transparency in how funds are spent. "We have been demanding a white because of better enforcement. He also criticized the lack of transparency in how funds are spent. "We have been demanding a white paper for the last two years on how the general fund is utilized, but the  mayor and corporation commissioner are yet to submit such details to the council," he said. Despite higher tax collection, he argued, civic infrastructure spending remains low.

The CBI has registered three cases related to alleged irregularities in the allotment, development and sanction of Sports City projects in Noida between 2011 and 2014 which turned into a Rs 9000-crore 'scam'.  Acting on the orders of the Allahabad High Court, the agency registered the FIRs against real estate firms Logix Infra Developers Pvt Ltd, Xanadu Estates Pvt Ltd and Lotus Green Constructions Pvt Ltd, their directors and some unnamed officials of Noida Authority, following it up with a search operation, they said. No immediate reactions were available from the companies. According to an official, the Noida Sport City Project was aimed to develop world class sport facilities with residential and commercial areas in the sector 78, 79 and 150 of Noida. It was alleged that... after the allotment of projects, the related conditions were allegedly breached multiple times by the allotees/sub-leasees, in connivance with Noida Authority officials causing suspected financial loss to the State exchequer at approximately Rs 9000 crore and undue advantage to certain developers at the State expense. The CBI has alleged the authorities took no remedial measures even after the CAG report pointed out irregularities in the massive project. In this connection, CBI conducted searches at several locations in Delhi In this connection, CBI conducted searches at several locations in Delhi evidences, etc
 

Billionaire Gautam Adani's group is in advanced talks to acquire real estate company Emaar India for an enterprise value of around USD 1.4-1.5 billion as it looks to expand its property business, according to sources. Dubai-based Emaar Properties entered to sources. Dubai-based Emaar Properties entered the Indian real estate market in 2005 in partnership with India's MGF Development and invested Rs 8,500 crore through the joint venture firm Emaar MGF Land. In April 2016, Emaar Properties decided to end the joint venture through a demerger process. Emaar India has a large portfolio of residential and commercial spaces across Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Mohali, Lucknow, Indore and Jaipur. According to sources, the talks between Dubai-based Emaar Properties and Adani Group are in an advanced stage. Adani Group and Emaar India declined to comment. In January this year, Emaar Properties said, "The company would like to confirm that it is currently in discussion with a few groups in India, including Adani Group, for a potential sale of a stake in Emaar India. The valuation and the other terms of a potential transaction are not finalised". Sources said that Emaar Properties is looking to sell stake in the Indian entity but the extent of dilution in shareholding is not decided yet. Adani Group is active in the Indian real estate market through its unlisted entities Adani Realty and Adani Properties. Adani Realty has been developing many projects across major cities in India. One of the world's largest real estate companies, Emaar has a land bank of around 1.7 billion sq ft in the UAE and key international markets. Burj Khalifa and Dubai Mall are among the major projects developed by Emaar Properties.