‘The trend of community-specific housing is on its way out’: Sunil Mantri (Naredco): Hindustan Times

MUMBAI: Sunil Mantri, president of the National Real Estate Development Council, says while the slowdown in the realty sector is causing builders to welcome all comers, the profile of the average buyer has also changed, with younger customers more interested in amenities than the religion or diet of their neighbour.

There are reports that discrimination in housing, especially against Muslims and Maharashtrians, is on the rise?

The very concept of community-specific buildings is becoming passé, and many builders do not discriminate now. We are interested in selling our flats and that is our primary focus.

Is that because the realty sector is facing a slowdown?

It is true that we are facing a slowdown, but in any case, exclusive buildings will no longer work. The reason for this is that the profile of the average buyer has changed. Most home buyers these days are under the age of 35. Earlier, most of our clients were over 50. They were more orthodox and interested in things like the backgrounds and dietary preferences of their neighbours. The current young crop is more openminded, and more interested in the kind of amenities we offer than the religion of their neighbours.

What are your views on denying flats on the basis of religion or eating habits?

No one can discriminate on these grounds. This is enshrined in our l aw s , including the Maharashtra Ownership Flat Act. Anyone who persists with these regressive practices should be penalised.

What steps do you take when you receive complaints about discrimination?

Naredco has made it very clear to all its members that they cannot discriminate on the basis of religion, caste or creed. We have no powers to enforce this, but unofficially, when we receive any such complaints, we ask our members to take corrective action. However it is up to the aggrieved parties to take legal action. After we build houses, societies take o ve r. Unfortunately, over the years, managing committee members have become a law un to themselves, imposing restrictions based not only on religion, caste and language, but even marital status and job profile. Singles, lawyers and journalists all suffer. We need to put measures in place to prevent this from happening.