DLF’s chairman emeritus KP Singh’s advice to real estate developers undertaking redevelopment projects is that evicting tenants is an ‘art of negotiating’ and that they should be able to convince people living in buildings, that they are trying to redevelop, to leave amicably.
“People cannot be forced out of their homes. In my view it is the art of negotiating … your ability to convince so that they leave amicably,” he said in an interview to HT.com.
In his new book ‘Why the heck not?’ DLF’s chairman emeritus recounts the challenges he had to face while evicting tenants from a commercial property in Delhi.
Coffee diplomacy
KP Singh’s book ‘Why the Heck Not’, that was launched in the Capital on November 14, has a chapter titled ‘Coffee Diplomacy’ that describes the challenges he had to face while evicting tenants, three of them who were ‘unyielding’ from Narendra Place, the commercial property owned by DLF in Delhi, now known as the DLF Centre.
“The location was impeccable, nestled as it was next to the historic Jantar Mantar observatory. But there was a catch: thirty tenants had called this place home for half a century. Getting them to leave the building wouldn’t be that easy,” he writes.
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One of them was a dentist and he had to extend a “hand of friendship, so he began offering the good doctor his own teeth (for cavity filling)…” and yet the doctor remained “oblivious to KP’s charm,” the book reads.
Aware of the dentist’s love for Sufi music, “KP would regularly orchestrate private mehfils at his home…As haunting ghazals and thumris echoed through the walls, the Khuranas were mesmerised. After regular invitations to such events, the doctor ‘slowly and inexorably gave in,” the book reads.
The other was a paanwallah, “esconed within a small 6X8 foot fortress….I don’t care! You can go to the District Court, the High Court or the Supreme Court, but I will not move.” He also demanded tenfold compensation, the book says.
The third tenant was a socialite. “I embarked on a coffee table mission with her- it took me almost a year. I told her ‘ I am here to taste your coffee’ but I am not here to ask you to vacate,” Singh said, adding eventually all three agreed to move out.
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“Relationships, your own attitude and flexibility, in my view, is the art of ensuring vacation,” said Singh.
“Diplomacy is a vital lifeline for any entrepreneur aimed to thrive in the business landscape and is not just about pleasantries. It’s easy to mistake politeness for true diplomatic acumen, but don’t be fooled; small talk won’t win you any battles in the boardroom or with the government. Diplomacy is a craft, blending both art and science,” Singh writes in the book.
“…Take the time to understand others’ challenges and collaborate on solutions,” he writes.
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