Hindustan Times ST (Mumbai)

BUILDER DOES NOT GIVE HOMES, 2,500 BUYERS LAUNCH PROTEST

- HT Correspond­ent

MUMBAI: An agitation has been launched by around 2,500 homebuyers against Jaycee Homes and JVPD Properties Limited, the real estate company owned by Bhagtani builders, for neither giving them homes nor refunding their money in four real estate projects.

The buyers have approached the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) and an first informatio­n report (FIR) has been filed against Bhagtani builders.

Till the time of going to press, the builder had not responded to SMSES sent by Hindustan Times, seeking a response .

According to the homebuyers, Bhagtani builders lured them with huge discounts on the properties and assured them of returning their money, with 15% interest, if they failed to launch the projects.

AK Khanna, 63, invested his entire Provident Fund (PF) of ₹23 lakh in a 2BKH flat in one of the projects at Kanjurmarg in 2015. “At this old age, I am struggling to get back my hardearned money. I had earned it after 38 years of service,” he said.

“We spend more than ₹ 55,000 per month just to pay off the loans taken to buy the property and this has affected our household expenses very badly,” said Subiya Shaikh, a private school teacher. She had booked an apartment in the Powai project, Bhagtani Serenity.

The Maharashtr­a Real Estate Regulatory Authority (MAHARERA) had last month ordered JVPD Properties Private Limited to refund ₹7.10 crore along with 15% interest to 21 homebuyers, who purchased flats in the Bhagtani Serenity project.

However, the buyers claim that the whole process is taking longer and hurting them financiall­y. MUMBAI:SENIOR Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and rural developmen­t minister Pankaja Munde managed to win the Marathwada legislativ­e council seat for her party on Tuesday, scoring a win over her cousin and Nationalis­t Congress Party (NCP) leader Dhananjay Munde.

The Osmanabad-beed-latur self-government constituen­cy poll, just like other local polls in the region, had turned into a battle of prestige between Pankaja and Dhananjay. BJP candidate Suresh Dhas got 76 votes more than the Ncp-congress-backed independen­t candidate, Ashok Jagdale.

A former NCP minister and protégé of Pankaja’s father and Union minister the late Gopinath Munde, Dhas came back to the BJP in 2017. He was Pankaja’s pick for the council seat.

Of the 1,006 local representa­tives in the three districts, Congress and NCP together had 527 votes, the BJP and Sena together had 385 votes, while 94 votes were

of independen­ts. Dhas’ victory comes despite the saffron coalition having nearly 100 votes less than the Congress-ncp, pointing to cross-voting by the Opposition.

The NCP had given a seat to Ramesh Karad, a former BJP worker considered to be close to the late Munde, who joined the party ahead of the polls. However,

Karad withdrew his nomination on the last day, leaving the party with no choice, but to support independen­t candidate Jagdale.

Karad’s withdrawal was seen as part of Pankaja’s strategy to weaken the NCP’S bid.

After Munde’s sudden demise in 2014, Pankaja inherited her

father’s political legacy as well as his large base of OBC followers. Her battle with Dhananjay is over this legacy and following.

“BJP leaders in Marathwada worked together for the polls, whereas the Opposition could not even ensure their candidate stayed with them. We reached out to every single voter in this election

and that’s how we instilled confidence in them,” said Pankaja. “More than being happy about a win over Dhananjay, I am happy about contributi­ng to my party’s win.”

While Dhananjay said that he took “full responsibi­lity of the results”, Jagdale alleged the Congress had betrayed him.

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