Irked residents of sectors 27 and 28 are doubtful whether Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) at all intends to release an amount, termed enhancement money — at Rs 2,000 per square yard — as refund for the inflated rates it extracted from them. The directions for issuing this refund came from the Punjab and Haryana high court last year.
HUDA had acquired land from farmers at Rs 3,000 per square yard, which it sold to plot owners — now residents — at Rs 5,000 per square yard. The villagers had thus moved court, claiming that going by the prevailing market rates at the time, they were paid less than what they were entitled to.
This money — the increased amount demanded by farmers — was to be paid by the residents, and not HUDA.
The Punjab and Haryana high court ruled in favour of the villagers and directed HUDA to enhance the compensation. Thereafter, the authority issued two enhancement notices to residents over a period of 10 years.
After working in the market rates, the enhancement sum was revised to Rs 11,000 per square yard by HUDA.
Harish Ahuja, general secretary of the Sector 27 RWA, said, “Though some allottees paid up, some of us moved court in 2014, claiming HUDA had overcharged us. This time again, the court ruled in our favour.”
HUDA conceded to overcharging and promised to release a refund at Rs 2,000 per square yard.
But the authority is yet to release the refund.
Yogender Bhati, president of Sector 27, who had moved court for both sectors, said, “HUDA sent RWAs a notice about the revised enhancement in January this year, but it has not released the amount yet. We ask for the refund amount with interest from the date of allotment in 2002. If HUDA does not pay us the refund amount with interest, we will move court again.”
HUDA administrator Yashpal Yadav said, “We have written to the chief finance officer at HUDA Panchkula to release the money to us. We are running short of funds. Once we get the funds, the refund will be released.”
