Many non-resident Indians plan to sell Indian properties soon (Representative image)

MUMBAI: A growing wave of non-resident Indians (NRIs) looking to sell residential properties in India is unlikely to dent the country’s housing market.Instead, it could improve choices for homebuyers by increasing the supply of ready-to-move-in homes while reflecting a broader shift in how globally settled Indians manage their wealth, according to a new report and an urban planning expert.The Remittor Annual NRI Wealth Report 2026 found that 46.4% of surveyed NRI property owners want to sell immediately, while another 26.2% plan to exit within six months, signalling a preference for liquidity and portfolio rebalancing rather than distress selling.However, the report says its findings are based on proprietary data from around 150 NRI clients and should be viewed as indicative of behavioural trends rather than representative of the overall Indian property market.The report attributes the trend to a structural shift among overseas Indians who migrated during the past two decades, particularly those who have now settled permanently in countries such as Canada, the US, the UK and Australia.Having established careers, homes and financial commitments abroad, many are reassessing Indian property as a financial asset rather than a legacy holding.Overseas mortgages, currency movements, tax compliance requirements and the desire to diversify investments are increasingly driving decisions to monetise real estate.Urban planner Dikshu C. Kukreja, Managing Principal of CP Kukreja Architects, said the trend should not be misconstrued as a sign of weakening confidence in India.“If a large proportion of NRIs choose to monetise their residential assets over the coming months, it should not necessarily be viewed as a sign of weakening confidence in India’s real estate market,” Kukreja said.“It reflects the natural evolution of a globally mobile investor who is rebalancing assets across geographies as financial priorities change.”For homebuyers, particularly in Mumbai and other major metros, the development could bring a wider selection of resale properties to the market.According to the report, well-located homes in Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, Bengaluru and Hyderabad continue to benefit from robust end-user demand, improving infrastructure and better urban connectivity.Additional resale inventory could enhance market liquidity, provide more ready-to-move-in options and promote more realistic price discovery without necessarily triggering a fall in property prices.Quality housing in established micro-markets is expected to remain resilient.The report identifies Maharashtra as the largest contributor to NRI resale listings, with most properties located in Mumbai, Thane and Pune.While Mumbai’s residential market has seen slower sales and a moderation in launches, it remains among India’s most liquid housing markets.Demand has increasingly shifted towards suburban locations such as Thane, Navi Mumbai and the western suburbs, supported by Metro expansion, the Coastal Road and the upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport.Residential properties account for 88.8% of NRI assets being sold, with apartments making up nearly two-thirds of listings.The report says apartments are easier to transact because they typically have clearer titles, standardised documentation, structured housing society governance and lower management requirements for overseas owners.The study also highlights the growing complexity of owning property across borders.More than half of respondents reported difficulties accessing Indian tax portals, while many face compliance requirements related to tax deduction at source (TDS), FEMA regulations and overseas tax disclosures, factors that increasingly influence decisions to exit Indian real estate.Kukreja said the trend underscores the importance of continued investment in Indian cities rather than signalling a market slowdown.“The stronger our urban ecosystems become, the more Indian real estate will continue to attract both domestic and global capital, regardless of whether investors are buying, holding or monetising their assets,” he said.For developers and investors, the report concludes, the emerging trend is less about capital leaving India and more about the evolution of NRI wealth management, where property is increasingly treated as one component of a globally diversified investment portfolio rather than an asset to be held indefinitely.

Transport commissioner Rajesh Narwekar directed manual processing of affected applications (File photo enhanced with AI)

MUMBAI : Thousands of vehicle owners and transport operators across Maharashtra have received much-needed relief after the Maharashtra transport department stepped in to address a technical issue that had stalled several key Regional Transport Office (RTO) services.The intervention by transport commissioner Shri Rajesh Narwekar, IAS, has ensured the continuation of essential services while efforts are underway to resolve the underlying system-related problem.Over the past several days, transactions relating to Transfer of Ownership, Hire Purchase Agreement (HPA), HP Termination and No Objection Certificate (NOC) had been severely affected due to a technical mismatch between vehicle owners’ names recorded in the Registration Certificate (RC) and those linked with their Aadhaar details.As a result, the online system automatically rejected applications, causing significant inconvenience to vehicle owners, transport operators and members of the public dependent on timely processing of these services.The matter was brought to the attention of the transport commissioner by Shri Bal Malkit Singh, advisor and former president of the All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC), following numerous complaints and representations received from transporters and affected vehicle owners from various parts of the state.Responding swiftly, Shri Rajesh Narwekar directed RTO authorities to process such affected applications manually until the technical issue is fully resolved.The decision has enabled pending cases to move forward and has prevented disruptions that could have adversely impacted vehicle transactions and transport operations.Welcoming the move, Shri Bal Malkit Singh said, “The prompt intervention of the Hon’ble Transport Commissioner has provided immediate relief to thousands of vehicle owners and members of the transport fraternity. We sincerely appreciate the proactive approach of the Maharashtra Transport Department in addressing public grievances and ensuring that essential RTO services continue uninterrupted.”He also urged the authorities to expedite a permanent technical solution so that seamless online processing can resume across Maharashtra at the earliest.Shri Singh further expressed gratitude to the officers and staff of the Maharashtra Transport Department for their cooperation, responsiveness and commitment to public service.

Bombay high court on Wednesday granted urgent interim relief to Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari

MUMBAI: Observing that some of the content was “vile’’ “abusive’’ and “certainly defamatory’’, Bombay high court on Wednesday granted urgent interim relief to Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari and directed Social Media intermediaries to remove posts including videos that linked him to the ethanol-blended fuel (EBP) controversy.Gadkari had sought judicial intervention against Meta Platforms, X Corp, Google LLC, and others to delete online content he alleged was “false, fabricated, and defamatory”, AI-generated deepfake videos and other manipulated digital content linking him incorrectly to EBP programme.Justice Arif Doctor sitting singly who heard the matter and passed the order, said the online platforms ought to have or prepare a framework to take down such content without necessitating a court intervention each time.The posts went beyond acceptable political criticism or satire, said his suit and transgressed on his personal rights, his public persona, his personality rights with “profane and abusive’’ content, Gadkari’s suit contended.He sought ₹11 crore in damages from John Doe (the unnamed and unidentified persons or entities) that posted content he submitted was “malicious, false…’’Gadkari’s counsel Sandeep Ladda submitted that the ‘defamatory and deepfake contents’ ought to be taken down, as they were harming the Minister’s reputation and goodwill, as well his personality rights and public standing.“I can only say that the same is absolutely vile and abusive,’’ Justice Doctor said on seeing the content Ladda cited. The HC Judge added, “Such material should have no place on a public platform, which is accessible to everyone, including young.’’The HC asked the counsel for Meta and others, if the intermediaries had any measures in place for taking down defamatory content.Justice Doctor directed the platforms to give the “basic customer information’’ of content creators and granted liberty to Gadkari to add them as parties to the suit.There is a rising pushback against the blended fuel programme introduced to curb crude oil imports. Motorists and critics said it corrodes fuel tanks in older or non-compliant cars.Gadkari’s suit said the Centre had way back in 2003 introduced Ethanol Blending Programme (EBP) as a national policy initiative to blend ethanol with petrol in a phased manner. Gadkari has been serving as the Minister of Road Transport since 2014.The implementation and progress details of EBP policy are handled by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, his suit added.In 2025-26 the Centre achieved 20%blending of ethanol with petrol or E20 as it is called. His suit claims though he has no role in the programme, some content circulated online in July falsely associates him with the EBP and E20 initiative.His suit stressed that he has “no role or nexus whatsoever with EBP or the E20 initiative which is administered exclusively by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas’’ and the content online “falls out of the ambit of legitimate political criticism or satire.”Gadkari’s suit says it is not intended to prevent public discussion or criticism of his public duty actions or government policies.It said he “does not seek to stifle or restrain fair criticism, dissent, debate or bona fide expression of opinion concerning his public life, governmental policies or official functions.”The HC granted Gadkari the liberty to convey to the online platforms any future abusive content and to approach the court in case of any “grey area’’.The HC will hear the matter next after 4 weeks.

Mumbai: Following allegations of donation theft at the Siddhivinayak temple, deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde has ordered a probe into the temple donations and accounts. Shinde has asked additional chief secretary (ACS) Aseem Gupta to conduct an inquiry and submit a report.Shinde’s order comes just days after the Siddhivinayak Temple Trust called for an audit into the increase in the donation amount collected by the temple in the last two years. The temple trust is regulated by the state law and judiciary department headed by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.“Dy CM Eknath Shinde has ordered a probe and asked ACS Aseem Gupta to conduct the probe and submit a report on the allegations of the donations deficit. The probe is likely to be carried out by a joint committee of law and judiciary and urban development department officials,” an official said.“We examined the donation box collections over the last four years. The collections were Rs 106 crore in 2022–23, Rs 114 crore in 2023–24, Rs 135 crore in 2024–25, and Rs 182 crore in 2025–26. This means that since we took charge, the amount collected in the donation boxes has increased by nearly 35%. One of our trustees wrote to the justice department asking that if the collections in the first three years were at this level, why were they only Rs 106 crore earlier? This should be thoroughly investigated. Dy CM has ordered a probe into the matter,” trust chairman Sada Sarvankar said.BJP functionary Pawan Tripathi is the temple trust’s treasurer. Sarvankar is a former MLA from the Shiv SenaLast week, amid the Ram Mandir donation controversy involving allegations of embezzled cash and valuables from donation boxes, MNS chief Raj Thackeray alleged that donations worth Rs 18 crore were being siphoned off every year at the famous Siddhivinayak temple. The temple is run by a trust with state govt appointees.Thackeray took a dig at PM Narendra Modi, asking why the prime minister had not spoken about the theft in the Ram temple in Ayodhya. At an MNS gathering, he read out a letter reportedly from the temple’s trustees to Dy CM Eknath Shinde requesting a high-level inquiry into the theft from the donation box at the Siddhivinayak temple.Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut backed Thackeray’s claim of the donation theft at Siddhivinayak temple. Raut said such instances had increased since the temple’s reins went into the hands of people close to Shinde.“BJP people are involved in the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. All temples in the country are witnessing theft and they are under the control of the BJP. A serious truth lies in the allegations made by Raj Thackeray. The instances of theft of donations at Siddhivinayak Temple have increased ever since its reins went into the hands of Shinde’s people,” Raut said.