Homebuyers left in lurch in Gurugram

GURUGRAM: Having already faced a lot of trouble over the years due to long and undefined delays in getting possession of their homes, the COVID-19 pandemic has only prolonged the agony of thousands of homebuyers in Gurugram.

There are over 3,000 complaints that are still pending at the Haryana Real Estate Regulatory Act (HARERA), most of which pertain to the homes of consumers not being delivered on time by the builders. Some of the cases date back to more than 10 years.

Most of the residential projects are located at Dwarka Expressway, Golf Course Extension Road and Sohna Road. Along with HARERA, complaints against builders have also been registered at the Department of Town and Country Planning (DTCP).

As cases get prolonged for 1500 families who have invested 95 percent of their money in the Greenopolis project, the hope of getting their home continues to fade as the pandemic extends their limbo. With construction having begun in 2012, the project was to be delivered in 2015. However, it continues to get delayed and till date there has been no construction.

The case of Greenopolis was one of the last cases to be heard by HARERA after the lockdown. During the hearing, it was decided that the land bank of the builder would be auctioned to collect the amount of Rs 400 to begin construction, failing which the builders would be at the risk of imprisonment.

Work at the Greenopo

lis project has still not begun. Besides the Greenopolis project, home buyers from ILD Green, Universal Aura and UNITECH Sunbreeze have also expressed the anger of their homes not being delivered on time. Most of the aggrieved homebuyers have also approached various courts so that punitive action can be taken against erring builders.

Besides non-delivery of homes, other complaints include illegal registration by the developers and lack of proper maintenance by the builder.

The delays in these projects have also resulted in the Haryana Government not managing to earn enough revenue, which was anticipated from them once they were completed.

As per officials, dues of at

least Rs 10,160 crore are pending from builders who have not been able to complete their projects on time. To prevent a situation where defaulting builders abscond, the DTCP planning has begun the process of making a note of these defaulters. Significant information that includes details of Aadhar and PAN card, passport has been obtained from the builders to prevent them from leaving the country.