State sets up appellate tribunal for homebuyers

LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh became the third state on Wednesday after Maharashtra and Karnataka to set up an appellate tribunal for hearing appeals of homebuyers and developers under the Real Estate (Development and Regulation) Act 2016.

UP governor Ram Naik, through a notification issued by additional chief secretary Mukul Singhal, has designated Uttar Pradesh State Transport Appellate Tribunal to hear appeals till such time UP Real Estate Regulatory Authority (UPRERA) has a full-fledged appellate tribunal of its own.

With the setting up of the tribunal, UP along with Maharashtra with Karnataka becomes the third state to have implemented all four stages of RERA – notifying RERA rules, setting up a permanent regulatory authority, launching an online portal where developers can register and home buyers can see full project information, and setting up the RERA appellate tribunal.

Singhal is also the officiating chairman of UPRERA. Ever since its inception in July last year, the regulatory body has registered 2,275 real estate projects with it so far, out of which 2012 are old and 263 new projects.

The fledgling real estate watchdog body, which has a skeleton workforce, has received 1,678 complaints from homebuyers, out of which maximum (around 1200) were from NOIDA alone, an official said adding that the authority had already delivered its verdict in more than 200 such cases.

The UP government had set the appointment process of UPRERA chief and its members rolling in May last year.

Several top bureaucrats, both serving and retired, had applied for the position but the appointment process has been put on hold.

In a stop-gap arrangement, the government has authorized vice chairmen of development authorities to oversee the day-today functioning of the authority and for disposal of complaints in their respective area of jurisdiction from home-buyers within two months.

For prompt disposal of complaints and better management, the entire state was divided into 16 divisions. Under the existing arrangement, any aggrieved person can file a complaint against any developer/promoter/coloniser either online on UPRERA portal or through post and the same would be decided within two months.

WITH THE SETTING UP OF THE TRIBUNAL, UP ALONG WITH MAHARASHTRA WITH KARNATAKA BECOMES THE THIRD STATE TO HAVE IMPLEMENTED ALL FOUR STAGES OF RERA