NOIDA: Realty developers' body Credai 's NCR chapter on Tuesday demanded industry status for real estate as they observed a strike in protest against the "difficulty in doing business".All transactions and constructions came to a standstill as builders gathered at the offices of the Gautam Budh Nagar district magistrate and Noida Authority chairman.Credai-NCR's protest was part of a nationwide token strike against the real estate developers' body to mark solidarity to Suraj Parmar , the president of the Thane chapter of Maharashtra Chamber of Housing Industry (CREDAI-MCHI). Last week, Parmar ended his life due to alleged harassment from various government departments and their repeated demands for bribes."It is high time that real estate is given an industry status. Real estate is not only one of the biggest employing sectors, but we are end users of products created by 350 other industries. The builders need ease of doing business. The suicide of Suraj Parmar highlights the real situation that most builders are facing today in executing their projects," Manoj Gaur , president of Credai-NCR, said."We have been demanding a single-window status for the builders. From environment clearances to all other certifications, it takes months to get the project to the ground after buying land. Until the builders get a single window system, the entire process of approvals and clearances will continue to slow-down their pace," Amit Modi, the vice-president of Credai (Western UP), said."In a country where the film producers are given loans by banks, the builders are not. It is strange that the banks finance home buyers, but builders have to source money from other financial sources," Gaur added.