The roots of this proliferating nexus go back to government regulations like the Urban Land Ceiling Act and other arbitrary amendments in land use policy. From the benefit of hindsight, these indeed were clever sleights of hand by the politician, who charted a new course in money-making. He has succeeded. Consider this. Once urban land ceiling came into force, it meant that property could not be developed or sold easily. Couple it with excessive urbanisation, with more people migrating to towns and cities. The land mafia got into the act as slums began to mushroom and speculation and satta on land went up dramatically. The politician realised the land's worth but needed the bureaucrats to break the already-bended rules. And thus, this unholy nexus was born. Gujarat's story runs on similar lines. As lifestyles improved and more money poured in, people went for individual ownerships in Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, Rajkot and other cities. Since land was limited, vertical expansion, or high-rises became popular. Until the January 26 quake, these were easily the most favoured way to live. In Gujarat's case, add another factor: huge remittances from nris, the Shahs and Patels. Most of them wanted a home in their native town or village and money was no problem. Residential investments were not the only ones in demand. Ahmedabad and Vadodara, for instance, have more resorts than schools and colleges. The building industry expanded like no other and was truly regarded blue chip.