Nearly 1,000 aggrieved homebuyers from GB Nagar, waiting for their homes for the past several years, carried out a protest march from the Central Secretariat metro station to Jantar Mantar on Friday.
Buyers from Amrapali, Unitech, Jaypee, Supertech, Rudra, Premia, Subhkamna, Airwill, Today Homes, AVJ Heights, Rajput Builders, Sampada Livia and several others joined the protests. Their main plank: state government and the Centre should take solid steps to start construction of stalled projects and banks should stop taking EMIs and immediately waive off interest on outstanding loans till buyers get possession.
Flat buyers alleged that the UP government paid no real heed to their grievances despite several meetings with different ministers and local political representatives. Protesters shouted slogans against UP chief minister, Yogi Adityanath, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and threatened to choose NOTA [None of the Above] if the government (state and Centre) failed to take concrete steps to provide the stalled flats before the general elections scheduled for next year.
“We are in trouble because of the unholy nexus between the politicians and the builders. The government has given free rein to the builders. Most of us have paid up 90 percent of the total value of flats, and the builders either have run away with our money, or diverted the funds elsewhere. We have waited long enough — the government has to listen to us,” demanded Shweta Bharti, general secretary of NEFOWA [Noida Extension Flat Owners Welfare Association].
Flats buyers assembled outside the Central Secretariat metro station at around 11 am and had initially planned to march towards the Parliament, however, Delhi police diverted them from Parliament Street to Jantar Mantar.
The flat buyers later decided to hold indefinite protest on DND from December 25. “We are going to sit on dharna at DND, and it will end only after the government assures us to provide our homes. More than 1.5 lakh people are duped by these builders,” lashed out Abhisek Kumar, president of NEFOWA.
