Race to occupy UPRERA top positions intensifies

LUCKNOW: With the Allahabad High Court giving six-week time to the state government to complete all appointments in Uttar Pradesh Real Estate Regulatory Authority (UPRERA), the race to occupy the top slot in the authority has intensified among the civil servants.

Billed as a game-changer law to protect the interests of home buyers, the UP Real Estate Regulation Act came into effect on May 1, 2017. The Act became a reality but more than a year after its coming into effect, the state government is yet to get its act together in appointing a full-time chairman and provide necessary regulatory framework and mechanism to ensure its compliance. The government inertia over appointments has now come under judicial scanner after a realtor challenged the decision of the interim RERA chief to delegate

THE GOVERNMENT INERTIA OVER APPOINTMENTS HAS NOW COME UNDER JUDICIAL SCANNER

his powers under the Act to his subordinates for disposal of complaints.

“The court summoned principal secretary, law, and housing officials to know the reason behind the delay in appointing full-time chairman, setting up of a tribunal and adjudicating aut hority. It has given time till July 16 to complete the appointment procedure,” said a senior housing official. The first meeting of the selection panel headed by chief justice to select chairman has already been held, he said.

“In fact, the entire selection procedure was completed in August 2017 but a decision was kept pending at the highest level because of a lack of consensus among the decision-makers over the choice of officers,” he said.

Those in the reckoning for the UPRERA chief’s job include 13 senior IAS officers, both serving and retired and 37 for the post of six members to be appointed on the panel. Prominent front-runners and contenders for the top job include senior IAS officers Shankar Aggarwal, former secretary in Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Development Prabhat Kumar, former chief secretary Alok Ranjan, RP Singh, Aradhana Johri, ex-DGP AL Banerjee. Sources said the selection panel met last week to decide on the name of chairman of UPRERA and six whole time members. The names of shortlisted candidates have been sent to the chief minister but given the delay, the state government was considering a move to invite fresh applications for the posts and include the existing applications also before taking a final call on the appointments.