Noida buyers may pay less as registry likely on carpet area
NOIDA: In a move that will benefit lakhs of homebuyers, the Gautam Budh Nagar stamp and registration department may allow registry of flats for the ‘carpet area’ instead of ‘super area’.
“It means that a flat buyer will have to pay less stamp duty for execution of registry and the builder will not be able to cheat a buyer in the name of ‘super area’. But we will start registry on the basis of carpet area only after the Uttar Pradesh government adopts the real estate regulatory act (RERA) that was put into effect from May 1, 2016,” said GP Singh, deputy inspector general (DIG), stamp and registration department, Gautam Budh Nagar district.
Carpet area is the space between the inner faces of the walls. The super area includes outer parts such as balcony, club, shafts, etc. The UP stamp and registration department has decided to discuss the matter with top officials in Lucknow because RERA clearly states that the size of a flat will have to be calculated on the basis of carpet area instead of super area.
“I discussed the matter with the UP stamp and registration department that now they should execute flat registry for only carpet area. They should stop charging stamp duty for super area as RERA has removed all confusions on how a flat size should be measured,” said Santosh Kumar, officer on special duty, Noida authority. If implemented, the move will benefit around three lakh flat buyers in Noida and around two lakh flat buyers in Greater Noida.
“Because RERA is a Central act, we will have to adhere to it. But let the state government form RERA and start implementation,” said the DIG.
“Builders cheat buyers by asking for extra money for increase in the ‘super area’ of the flat — the space reserved for lifts, balcony, passageways and clubs in a building. For example, if one buys a 1,200 square feet (sqft) apartment at the rate of ₹5,000 per sqft (₹60 lakh), the actual covered area or the size of the apartment would be just 900 sqft, with no exact specification of the ‘super area,’ for which one paid ₹15 lakh. As per RERA, a builder cannot use the term super area now,” said Rajiv Singh, a flat buyer.
Builders said the move would reduce revenue for the government but it will certainly benefit buyers.
“If the registry is executed on super area basis, the government earns more revenue in stamp duty. As per RERA, there will be no ambiguity with regard to calculating the flat size. Now, the builder will have to declare as to how he has calculated carpet area of the flat. The builders that increase flat size on completion of a project will not be able to do so and buyers will benefit,” said Amit Modi, vice-president , CREDAI, western UP. Meanwhile, all three members of legislative assembly (MLAs) of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) ally, kept sitting in the House as Akali MLAs staged a walkout.
They had made their stand clear on Monday, saying there might be a difference of opinion over Gill’s style of functioning, but he deserves an obituary for bringing peace to Punjab.
IT ALL BEGAN WITH HANDSHAKES, SMILES Before the arrival of the speaker in the House, the CM walked to the opposition benches and shook hands with former deputy CM Sukhbir Badal.
Then some SAD and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs also got up and moved towards the CM for a handshake.
Sukhbir also walked to the treasury benches to meet Congress MLAs, particularly power minister Rana Gurjit Singh, who is in the thick of a controversy after some of his former employees bagged sand mine contracts.
Before the speaker started reading out the obituary references, AAP MLA Balwinder Kaur suggested that homage be paid to 70 farmers who committed suicide in three months in Punjab since the Congress took over the government. Amarinder agreed to her demand and tributes were paid to the farmers.
VINOD KHANNA AMONG OTHERS PAID TRIBUTES The House paid tributes to actorturned-politician and four-time BJP MP from Gurdaspur Vinod Khanna; freedom fighters Nishan Singh, Gurdev Singh and Banta Singh; martyrs Lovepreet Singh, Paramjeet Singh and Raghubir Singh, agriculture scientist Dilbagh Singh Athwal and Akali leader Kirpal Singh Khirnia, who was referred to as an eminent personality.
The House was then adjourned for the day.