21 FEB 2022

CREDAI Bengal Daily News Update | 21.02.22

WEST BENGAL NEWS

Newspaper/Online ET Realty ( online )

Date February 20, 2022
Link https://realty.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/technology/kolkata-owners-
can-view-all-property-bills-at-a-go-on-updated-portal/89701029

Kolkata: Owners can view all property bills at a go on updated

portal
A KMC assessment department official said previously, there were three tabs to view
different types of assessment bills: outstanding bills, fresh/supplementary bills and periodic
demands (PD) bills.

In a bid to ensure property owners can see all the dues clearly on one page while making
payments, KMC has revamped its portal to offer a one-shot update of three types of bills.

A KMC assessment department official said previously, there were three tabs to view different
types of assessment bills: outstanding bills, fresh/supplementary bills and periodic demands (PD)
bills. Property owners would often pay only the present (fresh) bill and ignored the two other
heads, an official said. Those unpaid amounts inflated over time as they attracted interest and
penalty, he added.

“Outstanding bills or periodic demands usually do not show on the portal when citizens clear
current dues. When they later get to know, it leads to unnecessary confusion as interest and
penalty add to it by then. The taxpayer has to run around to settle the bills,” said the civic official.

The revised portal will ensure property owners can see and print bills, that will include details of
outstanding bills, fresh/supplementary bills and periodic demands. “An owner can visit the KMC
portal and select ‘all bills’ under the online payment tab to view pending as well as current bills.
Then one can select one or all the bills to make payment,” said a KMC revenue official. The
receipt generated on the KMC portal will consist of all the details.

KMC had also introduced a second payment gateway (HDFC) for those who preferred to pay
property bills online, said mayor Firhad Hakim on Saturday. “Since the initiation of online
payment in the KMC, Bill desk gateway was the only gateway used by KMC. Nowadays, people
prefer to pay bills online from the comfort of his home,” said Hakim.

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 OTHER NEWS

Newspaper/Online Money Control ( online )

Date February 20, 2022
https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/real-estate/homebuyers-call-on-
Link govt-to-hold-reras-central-advisory-council-meeting-immediately-
8139541.html

Homebuyers call on govt to hold RERA’s Central Advisory Council

meeting immediately

This is important to discuss at length the issues and concerns regarding functioning of
Regulatory Authorities and implementation of RERA across the country, the homebuyers
say. The last physical meeting was held in 2018.

Noting that RERA regulatory authorities have failed to get their own orders executed against
builders, depriving millions of homebuyers of their due, homebuyers have demanded that the
government convene a meeting of the Central Advisory Council (CAC) soon under the Real
Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 for timely, effective and coordinated
implementation of the legislation.

The last physical CAC meeting was convened in May 2018.

In a letter to Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Puri, homebuyers have said that the
Central Advisory Council (CAC), “headed by you, constituted under RERA by your Ministry has
held its meeting only twice since RERA came into force in 2016. First CAC meeting was held
on 14th May, 2018 at New Delhi and second virtual meeting took place on 29th April, 2020.”

“To ensure that RERA remains on track and the fruits of the RERA reaches the last homebuyer
and also that the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with regard to real estate sector is
achieved, it is necessary that Central Advisory Council (CAC) meets more often and reviews the
working and performance of RERA across India so that necessary and corrective action can be
taken from time to time,” the letter by the Forum for People’s Collective Efforts has said.

It noted that on May 1, 2022, RERA would enter its sixth year.

“…it is also worth pointing out a harsh fact that sting out of this legislation was first taken out
by the states when they notified their Rules diluting them against the provisions of RERA and
then again the efficacy of the Act is being made blunt by the Regulatory Authorities (RA) formed
under RERA who are deviating from their prime responsibilities to protect the interest of the
homebuyers,” the letter written by MS Shankar, general secretary, FPCE said.

Despite RA in place in most of the states, the malpractices prevalent in the sector are still
continuing. Also, no step is being taken by the RA to ensure full transparency in disclosure at the
time of sale and also that no course correction is directed by them while construction is in progress
so that unnecessary litigation can be avoided later when possession is offered by the builders, the
letter dated February 15 said.

“In view of the above mentioned facts and circumstances we appeal to your good-self to kindly
call Central Advisory Council meeting at your convenience soon to discuss at length the issues
and concerns regarding functioning of Regulatory Authorities and implementation of RERA pan
India,” the letter said.

The primary role of the CAC is that of an advisory body which is tasked with the function of
finding more effective means to ensure the efficient implementation of the RERA.

CAC was set up in December 2017. The Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs is the chairperson
of the council. Besides the chairperson, the council has eight other members from the central
government, including Niti Aayog CEO, Secretaries of Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs,
Department of Revenue, Economic Affairs, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion and
Ministry of Corporate Affairs.

To represent homebuyers on this council, the government has inducted president of Forum for
People’s Collective Efforts and Federation of Apartment Owners’ Association’s chairman. The
council also has a representative of real estate brokers and construction workers.

RERA came into effect on May 1, 2017, and Maharashtra was the first state to implement it by
setting up MahaRera. Midwifed by two governments – UPA II and the NDA II – between 2009
and 2016, the legislation was necessitated by the growing misery of tens of thousands of harried
homebuyers.

“We are witnessing several mishaps such as loss of lives, unimaginable financial loss, harassment
and mental trauma of homebuyers. Public perception is that RERA has deviated from its prime
responsibility of protecting the interest of homebuyers and also that the nexus with builders has
increased. Hence, there is urgent need to call for a CAC meeting to assess the performance of
RERA and take corrective measures after five years of its enactment,” said Abhay Upadhyay,
president FPCE and member, Central Advisory Council, RERA, MoHUA.

_______________________________________________________
 Newspaper/Online Financial Express ( online )
Date February 20, 2022
Link https://www.financialexpress.com/industry/puravankara-q3-sales-bookings-
up-17-to-rs-666-cr-9-growth-in-apr-dec/2439397/

Puravankara Q3 sales bookings up 17% to Rs 666 cr; 9% growth

in Apr-Dec
The average sales realisation increased by 7 per cent to Rs 6,727 per square feet from Rs
6,262 per square feet.

Realty firm Puravankara Ltd’s sales bookings rose 17 per cent to Rs 666 crore in the third quarter
of this fiscal year on the back of higher volumes as well as per square feet price realisation.

According to its investors presentation, Puravankara sold 0.99 million square feet area during
October-December 2021-22 as against 0.91 million square feet area in the year-ago period.

The company sold 690 units in the quarter under review as against 661 units in the corresponding
period of the previous year.

In terms of value, the total sales bookings rose 17 per cent to Rs 666 crore in the quarter from Rs
570 crore in the year-ago period.

The average sales realisation increased by 7 per cent to Rs 6,727 per square feet from Rs 6,262
per square feet.

“Market consolidation and general economic development continues to enable strong sales
performance; and the same is expected to continue in the near future,” the company said.

Puravankara said its new launches of projects are on track to capture these favourable market
conditions.

During April-December 2021-22, sales bookings grew 9 per cent to Rs 1,576 crore from Rs 1,449
crore in the corresponding period of the previous year.

Sales bookings in volume terms fell 4 per cent to 2.32 million square feet from 2.42 million square
feet, while the number of units sold dropped 11 per cent to 1,616 from 1,818.

However, the average price realisation increased 13 per cent to Rs 6,795 per square feet during
April-December 2021-22 from Rs 5,989 per square feet in the year-ago period.
“We continue to see improved price realisation across our brands,” Puravankara said.

Last week, housing brokerage firm PropTiger.com reported that housing sales across eight major
cities increased 13 per cent in 2021, to 2,05,936 units from 1,82,639 units in the previous year.

Almost all listed real estate developers reported growth in their sales bookings during the third
quarter of this fiscal year.

Recently, Puravankara announced an investment of over Rs 1,550 crore to construct a 3 million

square feet mixed-use project, mainly housing, at Kochi in Kerala as part of its plan to expand
business amid rise in demand of apartments post the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The company’s subsidiary Provident Housing Ltd will develop 3 million square feet in the
project, which is spread over 18 acres, named ‘Provident Winworth’ at Kochi.

Puravankara is expecting a sales realisation of about Rs 3,000 crore from this project over the
next 6-7 years.

The Bengaluru-based developer is one of the leading real estate enterprises providing diversified
premium and affordable residential housing and commercial spaces.

In the last four decades, the company has completed 75 projects measuring over 43.07 million
square feet area.

It has a land bank of 58.34 million square feet and ongoing projects of 24.28 million square feet.

The company has projects in Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune, Mumbai, Kochi, Goa,
Kolkata, Coimbatore and Mangalore.

It sells properties mainly under two brands — Puravankara and Provident.

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Don’t let pay
Newspaper/Online Business Today/ Twitter ( online )
Date February 21, 2022

____________________________________________
 Newspaper/Online The Economic Times ( online )
Date February 20, 2022
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/services/property-/-
Link cstruction/corporates-are-lending-a-helping-hand-to-restoration-architects-to-
conserveabandoned-places-and-monuments/articleshow/89692241.cms

Corporates are lending a helping hand to restoration architects to

conserve abandoned places and monuments

The Kuldhara project was done in consultation with Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)
and funded by the JSW Foundation. This is just one of many public-private
conservation/restoration projects taken up across the country over the past seven years.

Abha Narain Lambah knows when to leave a stone unturned. That is a rare quality amongst
restoration architects. Six years ago, she received a commission from the Rajasthan government
to restore the abandoned and in ruins Kuldhara, the 13th century village near Jaisalmer.
Lambah's restoration brief had a line written in bold: Do NOT reconstruct the village.

The plan was to just conserve the ruins, undertake periphery development of the main village
square and build facilities for tourists visiting the place. But what makes Kuldhara a tourist
attraction? Over the years, Kuldhara has acquired the reputation of an abandoned haunted village
- with many people claiming to have seen moving shadows, voices and other paranormal activities
at night. One may or may not believe the folklore, but the tag of being a haunted place brings
tourists to this desert village from far and wide.

"Many a time, conservation means letting a place be as authentic as possible. Kuldhara is still an
abandoned ruin... the peripheral work was completed using materials sourced locally and by
traditional artisans residing in the region," says Lambah.

The Kuldhara project was done in consultation with Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and
funded by the JSW Foundation. This is just one of many public-private conservation/restoration
projects taken up across the country over the past seven years.
"It is heartening to see corporates stepping in to support heritage conservation projects. Earlier,
they only funded causes like healthcare or education; now they are even using their CSR funds to
restore or conserve historical monuments and heritage sites," says Lambah.

Data from the National CSR Portal showed corporate funding for 'heritage art & culture' has
steadily risen from ₹117 crore in 2014-15 to ₹395 crore in 2017-18 and ₹931 crore in 2019-20.
The allocation dropped to ₹65 crore in 2020-21, as corporate CSR spends gravitated to covid and
migrant crisis relief work. Large and mid-sized companies such as the JSW Group, Tatas, RPG,
Dalmia Bharat, Yatra Online, Apeejay Surrendra Park Hotels, Interglobe Foundation (Indigo
Airlines), American Express and Reliance Industries, among others, are taking the lead in heritage
restoration projects.

“We’ve developed a long-term preservation and restoration strategy to protect heritage for future
generations. These projects are taken up across the country in a very non-partisan manner,” says
Sangita Jindal, chairperson of JSW Foundation, which has also taken up projects like the
restoration of Chandramoleshwara Temple Complex in Hampi, the Kedarpuri Samadhi, the
Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue and David Sassoon Library in Mumbai.

We lead the restoration and then hand over the monument back to the owner or user-agency. We
do not have any commercial linkages to our restoration strategy and we also do not intend to
rebuild or operate such facilities,” she adds

Heritage conservation projects can often get tricky as these sites (monuments) are clustered
around local communities. In 2018, when Dalmia Bharat won the bid to restore the historic Red
Fort, it raised a nasty narrative that cashrich private parties were taking over national heritage
treasures. This stalled the government’s ‘Adopt-a-heritage’ scheme for a while.

“Involving private parties and corporates in heritage conservation projects is a great idea, but the
government and local communities should be at the centre of it all the time,” says Radha Goenka,
a director at RPG Foundation, which recently restored the 11th century Banganga Tank in
Mumbai.

“It is better to revive or conserve a site, and not go for complete restoration. Respect the ruin -
and only take steps to prevent further destruction (of the site) or encroachments. A good
restoration project will also bring out the story or experiences of a particular heritage site,” she
adds.

According to Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), there are over one
crore heritage monuments or sites strewn across the country. Of this, just over 10,000 sites are
under some sort of protection – provided by the government, private parties or local communities.
There are several monuments of heritage value under private custody as well, and a good many
of them are poorly maintained

Corporates stepping in to conserve places of heritage is a good sign, and it has made a positive
impact,” says Divay Gupta, principal director (architectural heritage division), INTACH.

“Restoration of heritage sites comes with its own set of challenges. Nonavailability of skilled
workmen, inadequate knowledge of traditional construction methods, wrongful contestation by
communities living around these sites and difficulties in getting the right raw material (such as
stones or wood) can cause project delays,” he adds.
In 2017, the tourism ministry launched the ‘Adopt-a-heritage’ scheme that invited corporates to
develop selected monuments and heritage sites across India. The project failed to attract interest
from corporates in the aftermath of Dalmia Bharat – Red Fort fiasco. As per ministry, only 27
restoration / conservation MoUs have been signed under this project so far.

“It’s a great idea, but it needs tighter regulations. You cannot expect corporations to be custodians
of heritage sites or monuments; such arrangements can raise serious allegations later. We can
only fund restoration… upkeep and maintenance of the place post restoration should be done by
the government,” says the CSR head of a large business.

Despite repeated attempts, ET could not get comments from the tourism ministry or the ASI.
Emails to key ministry officials remain unanswered at the time of going to press.

Cost of heritage restoration projects range between Rs 5 to Rs 15 crore – depending on the scope
of the work. Apart from funds, these projects require a lot of archival research and fact check.

“If it is a monument, the premise of restoration would be to keep it as original as possible. A lot
of detailing is required when it comes to structural designs and patterns. We even ensure
authenticity of materials used – the stones, woodwork, dyes and tiles,” says Lambah.
That, perhaps, is the best way to stay true to your heritage.

____________________________________________________________________________________
 Newspaper/Online ET Realty ( online )
Date February 20, 2022
Link https://realty.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/industry/greater-noida-
authority-forms-committee-to-assess-structural-safety-of-high-rises/89688009

Greater Noida authority forms committee to assess structural

safety of high-rises

The committee formed by the authority will take help of IIT Delhi or a similar institute to
study the current provision of structural safety certificate.

Greater Noida authority has formed a committee to assess the structural safety of high-rises after
two residents died in the roof collapse at Chintels Paradiso Society of Sector-109, Gurugram and
concerns were raised by homebuyers of other societies as well.

“The authority will prepare a format in the next 15 days and builder will have to provide the
details of structural safety in the same format following which completion or occupancy
certificate will be issued. The structural safety certificate will be uploaded on the website so that
homebuyers can invest in the correct property,” the authority said.

The committee formed by the authority will take help of IIT Delhi or a similar ate institute to
study the current provision of structural safety certificate.

The proposal will be put in the next board meeting of the authority and will be implemented after
the approval.

Haryana Chief Minister, Manohar Lal Khattar has also recently directed the Town and Country
Planning Department to identify dangerous buildings based on complaints received from the
Resident Welfare Associations or any other agency and conduct structural audit.

The Chief Minister said that he has come to know that some other group housing societies in the
vicinity have also shown signs of structural damage at an early stage.

“The department has also been directed to conduct a structural audit at the cost of the colonizer
to avoid any harm to the residents of these residential societies,” Khattar said.

The state government has decided that apart from the structural engineers appointed by the
builders, the Town and Country Planning Department will also conduct structural audit by the
reputed government institutions or by the Structural Engineer empanelled by them before giving
the occupation certificate to any society.
Gurgaon administration has also directed the residents of NBCC’s Green View in Sector-37D to
vacate the building by March 1 as it is unsafe to live. Gurgaon’s Deputy Commissioner Nishant
Kumar Yadav has directed the NBCC to bear the cost of shifting and if any resident want to live
in the house of his choice, the rent will be paid by NBCC.

___________________________________________________________________________________
 Newspaper/Online Money Control ( online )
Date February 20, 2022
https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/real-estate/after-spending-
Link millions-of-rupees-200-gurugram-flat-owners-find-themselves-homeless-
8137221.html

After spending millions of rupees, 200 Gurugram flat owners find

themselves homeless

The collapse of an apartment block at Chintels Paradiso that killed two people has forced
36 families out of their homes. In another housing complex, 140 families have to move out
as their apartments are unsafe to live in. The families are desperate and angry—these flats
are barely five years old

Even after spending between Rs 70 lakh and more than a crore, around 200 families in Gurugram
suddenly find themselves homeless. The homes they poured their life’s savings in and moved in
barely five years ago are no longer liveable. The families are angry and desperate.

Days after two women were killed when one of the apartment blocks in Chintels Paradiso in
Gurugram’s Sector 109 collapsed, 36 families have been forced to live in alternative
accommodation in the housing complex.

Another 140 families have 12 days to vacate their homes in the state-run NBCC-built Green View
project in Sector 39-D. A safety audit found their home unsafe to live in.

To compound their misery, Chintels and Green View homebuyers have to continue paying EMIs
and also the maintenance bills for the homes they cannot live in.

While Chintels was built by a private company, Green View was constructed by a state-run firm
but the problems faced by the homebuyers are the same.

Shoddy work, cheap construction material, structural damage and builder-authorities nexus—the
list of complaints is long.

“Builders have been flouting all norms, including quality of construction. What is most
unfortunate is that even a government entity has been found to have compromised on quality.

“Repeated incidents such as these have exposed the authorities who have not done their job. This
would not have been possible without the nexus of all concerned authorities,” said Abhay
Upadhyay, Forum For People's Collective Efforts (FPCE).
Gurugram is a big residential real estate market that has attracted homebuyers as the city emerged
as an IT hub. Several multinationals have their offices in the Delhi suburb and demand for housing
has only grown.

But incidents like Chintels Paradiso and Green View have once again put the spotlight on the
goings-on in this busy real estate market.

Early warnings ignored

Following the February 10 Chintels Paradiso collapse that left several homes damaged, two first
information reports were registered. One against Chintels’ chairman Ashok Solomon and the
other against the builder, Chintels India Private Ltd, a contractor and five others engaged in the
housing project.

Solomon has been accused of death by negligence. The second FIR accuses the builder of fraud,
dishonestly inducing delivery of property, forgery and criminal conspiracy.

“The mishap has proved that the certificate of structure engineer and proof consultant and work
of the contractor is not creditworthy and rather fraudulent…,” says the FIR.

Manoj Singh, who moved into the complex in 2018, told Moneycontrol that he chose the project
because it was around 6 km from his workplace. Singh is devastated. His life’s savings went down
with the building that crashed like a pack of cards.

“The builder has deliberately put our lives at risk. We demand immediate arrest of the builder
and all the other people who were part of the nexus—contractors, officials who granted the
occupation certificate to the project, and police officials who did not act on several of our
complaints filed in the past,” he said.

Around 500 buyers are planning to take legal action and seek a refund from the builder at the
current market rate of Rs 8,000 per sq ft, cost of interior design and interest at the rate of 18
percent, which the builder charges from homebuyers in case of default, as compensation, Singh
said.

The signs were there but were ignored.

A ceiling in front of the lift lobby collapsed in July 2021. It should have been a wake-up call for
authorities.

Nothing came of a structural audit, Singh said, adding a group of homebuyers got together for a
private third-party audit but that effort was nixed.

“We demand that if a structural audit of the buildings is conducted this time around, it should be
monitored by the court,” Singh said.

Around 36 families that lived in the damaged tower have been moved to the other eight towers.
“The builder and the DTCP officials have arranged for temporary accommodation,” he said.
“It was a coincidence that the incident took place in one tower. Right now we all fear for our lives
and the fact that other towers may meet the same fate. We pray to the court to punish the guilty
and fully compensate us for the mental agony that we are going through,” Singh added.

On February 18, the Gurugram authorities offered to facilitate a refund to 64 flat-owners of tower
D. Gurugram District Commissioner Nishant Yadav said the details for the refund would be
worked out soon.

The builder would pay the moving charge and the rent for the residents who wanted to move out,
Yadav said. An inquiry report would soon be sent to police, he said.

A group of Chintel Paradiso residents also met police commissioner Kala Ramachandaran
demanding the arrest of the builder and others accused.

In an official statement, Chintels said, “This is an extremely unfortunate incident and we have
taken it very seriously as the safety of our residents is our utmost concern. Upon preliminary
investigations, we have come to know that the mishap occurred during renovation work by a
contractor being carried out by a resident in his apartment.”

The statement said a structural audit was conducted last year when complaints first came in. A
second audit would be done at the earliest and if structural damage is found, buyers would be
compensated or accommodated “while necessary repair work is completed”.

The housing project was contracted to the “reputed Bhayana Builders” after a stringent due
diligence process, it said.

The company said affected residents were being accommodated in sister projects and it was
monitoring the situation.

RS Bhath, district town planner, enforcement, has been quoted by the media as saying that they
were trying to address the issues residents were facing and a team of 60 people had started repairs
in towers A, B, C, and J.

“All the work is taking place under my supervision and we will ensure the residents get all basic
facilities before shifting,” he said.

The department had requested the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi to conduct safety audits
of the towers that were occupied, Bhath said.

Unsafe houses

Another such audit by an IIT-D team has left several families in a lurch 11 km away. On February
16, deputy commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav asked the residents of the Green View complex
in Sector 37 D to vacate the premises after an IIT-D team declared the structure unsafe.

He also ordered the developer NBCC to provide alternative accommodation to the residents for
the duration and bear the cost of transportation, shifting and rentals.
NBCC was also asked to refund the money, with interest, to the homebuyers who do not wish to
live in the society.

At present, 140 families live in the residential complex—100 families in the flats allotted to the
economically weaker sections and 40 in the other apartments.

NBCC has offered apartments in other projects and agreed to pay rent till houses are safe to move
in again.

The buyers want the amount they paid for their units to be refunded along with interest at the rate
of 15 percent, interior costs as well as registration charges.

“We are not happy with the suggestion to vacate our flats by March 1 as it will be difficult to find
rented flats in such a short period,” said G Mohanty, president, Association of Apartment Owners
(AOAO), NBCC Green View.

The district administration should obtain a legally binding assurance from the builder to refund
the amount at 15 percent interest, cost of registration and interior work as well as Rs 25 lakh for
the harassment and agony endured in the last four years, said Mohanty.

According to homebuyers, the work on 786 flats started in 2012 and these were to be delivered
by May 2015. Out of the total, NBCC could sell only 263 units. The remaining 523 units remain
unsold.

Shoddy work

Residents said NBCC issued a notice on October 3, 2021, asking them to vacate within 15 days
for “comprehensive repair” works on all the buildings, without offering alternative
accommodation.

The notice, a copy of which has been reviewed by Moneycontrol, said repairs would necessitate
shutting down of essential services.

NBCC didn’t say why “comprehensive repairs” were needed nor did it elaborate on the safety
concerns, Mohanty said.

A second notice on October 13, 2021, said considering the condition of the structures, vacating
the premises was “inevitable in view of safety aspects”. The notice, which came after IIT-D
submitted a follow-up report, asked residents to move out by November 10, 2021.

Moneycontrol has a copy of the report that IIT-D submitted in October after an inspection in
September.

It said a significant amount of additional deterioration appeared to have occurred in the buildings
since the last visit. New cracks were observed in the slabs of buildings that were unoccupied. The
pattern of the cracks was seen to be consistent with the sagging of the slabs.

At another location, the reinforcement was found to have been broken due to corrosion.
“At many other locations as well, the bars were seen to have been reduced to a diameter of 2 to 3
mm. Excessive corrosion was observed at all locations where the reinforcement was exposed in
the slabs,” the report said.

A follow-up visual inspection of the buildings indicated continued deterioration at an accelerated

pace.

“It is recommended that the buildings must be evacuated at most within two months in the interest
of the safety of the residents and that the client must reconsider the feasibility of the repair work,”
it said.

After the first notice on October 3, 2021, homebuyers asked NBCC for a refund.

“A detailed proposal of the refund was presented by AOA (association of apartment owners)
along with interest and other components to NBCC. This included registration charges, the
interest of 15 percent on our investment, interior costs, etc. If they were really concerned, they
should have reached a settlement with the residents then. After four months, we could have come
to a settlement but nothing was done,” Mohanty said

As many as 73 buyers have since approached the NCDRC, demanding a refund.

On December 27, the court asked NBCC to file a reply and details of the refund plan within four
weeks. The case is to be heard on February 22.

“There has been no response by NBCC so far. They are clear about the eviction plan but not about
the refund,” Mohanty told Moneycontrol.

Responding to Moneycontrol’s queries, NBCC said, "NBCC had got structural audit of NBCC
Green View at 37 D, Gurugram conducted by IIT-Delhi. As per the report of IIT Delhi, it was
declared that these flats are unsafe and recommended for vacation. As far as the issue of refund
to Homebuyers of NBCC Green View is concerned, the same is under consideration by NBCC."

‘Crack the whip, now’

Not just the builders even authorities, including those from the Real Estate Regulatory Authority
(RERA), should be held accountable.

Harassment of homebuyers needs to be stopped with exemplary punishment and a strict action
against the builders and the authorities would act as a deterrent, Upadhyay of FPCE said.

Rajiva Singh, President, NOFAA, said the responsibility had to be of the developers and the
administration, not the apartment owners. “Just because no proper monitoring has been done by
regulatory bodies during the construction phase, we cannot shift the responsibility to AOA or the
residents”, he said.
_______________________________________________________
 Newspaper/Online ET Realty ( online )
Date February 21, 2022
Link https://realty.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/industry/for-four-years-114-
buildings-unsafe-but-noida-authority-yet-to-take-any-action/89715339

For four years, 114 buildings 'unsafe', but Noida authority yet to
take any action
In July 2018, nine persons died when two buildings — a new one and another being
constructed — collapsed in Shahberi village of Dadri.

At a time the demand for structural audit of highrises is rising in the wake of the vertical collapse
at Chintels Paradiso in Gurugram, the Noida Authority is yet to take any action to demolish 114
buildings in the city that were declared “unsafe” for living four years ago and needed to be brought
down “immediately”. Demolition, things made little headway in the past four years after some
initial crackdown against a few

According to the survey report, there were 56 dilapidated buildings, 114 built on notified land
and 261 on acquired land, among others.

Although some buildings were demolished in Garhi Chaukhandi as part of the crackdown, many
still stand tall and have “unsafe” written on the walls in red.

The crackdown, however, was short-lived and lost steam in a few weeks. In the past four years,
many officials have been transferred and those who have replaced them have little clue about it.

This correspondent spoke to three senior officials in the Authority, including those from the
planning wing that was part of the 2018 survey, but none could comment on what they intended
to do about demolishing the “unsafe” and illegal buildings. Ishtiyaq Ahmed, the GM (planning),
said, “I joined much after the twin building collapse in Shahberi. I don’t have much information
about the survey that was carried out then.”

A visit to Garhi Chaukhandi, Harola and Nithari villages revealed that left unchecked,
construction of buildings were going on in full swing. People living in the old apartments — some
of which are up to six-seven storeys high — in narrow bylanes were reluctant to speak to the
media, fearing action by the Authority.

Ritesh Kumar, a Harola resident, told TOI, “What sort of action do you want to be taken here?
Houses were allowed to be built here over decades, but no action was taken then. Now, hundreds
of people would come on the road if they are forced to leave or their buildings are sealed.”
As far as the illegal buildings — more than three-storey high — are concerned, the Authority was
to verify whether they were built on notified land or not.

This process is also yet to be completed.

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#CBsocialWall
 #Architechture

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