On November 18, thousands of buyers of different residential projects in Noida and Greater Noida will stage a protest outside the BJP office in New Delhi under the banner of Noida Extension Flat Owners’ Welfare Association (NEFOWA).
During elections, BJP candidates had promised homebuyers of Gautam Budh Nagar that they would give them all possible assistance in securing possession once they came to power. However, the government has practically done nothing about it. “We have met the state and central minister several times and returned with verbal assurances that have never manifested in deed. They have never cared to give us anything in writing,” a buyer rues.
Abhishek Kumar, president of NEFOWA, told City Spidey that the primary grouse of buyers was the change in the definition of ongoing projects in the UP RERA. “The Central RERA says that a project is to be considered 'ongoing' until possession of flats in it starts. However, the state RERA differs, saying that if a builder has applied for a completion or an occupancy certificate, the project will cease to be considered 'ongoing'. Noida and Greater Noida authorities have even issued both certificates to some projects without proper inspection.”
More than 2.5 lakh buyers in Noida and Greater Noida are still waiting for possession of flats, despite it being three to four years overdue.
These are the specific demands that buyers plan to highlight at the protest outside the BJP office:
1. If construction work of any builder is delayed or stopped, the local government body should step in to complete it.
2. When complaints are lodged against builders, action should be taken by the authorities. Further, if the authorities slacken on this mandate, the government should take action on the officiating authorities.
3. The government should order the police to lodge complaints against developers.
4. Flatbuyers have not got any benefits from RERA. On the other hand, many developers have posted wrong details about their projects on the UP RERA website. The government should check these details and take action.
5. A RERA office should be opened in Gautam Budh Nagar, as there are a higher number of builder-buyer cases in the district than in other parts of the state.
6. Banks should be instructed by the central or the state government to stall EMI collections until buyers get possession of their flats.
