The Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority (MahaRERA) has once again initiated suo motu action against 25 projects across the state that have been advertised without registration. Notices have been issued to the developers, said officials on Thursday. Pune has the second highest number of violations in this regard.
Earlier this month as well, MahaRERA sent out similar notices to 14 such developers statewide. According to the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) Act, developers cannot advertise a project or sell units in it without registering with MahaRERA first. The Act mandates that any new ongoing project of over 500 square metres or eight flats require this registration.
However, it came to the notice of the authority that major advertisements for projects were being published in newspapers without mentioning the MahaRERA registration number. The authority last month declared that it would initiate suo motu action for doing so.
An official, choosing to stay unnamed, shared, “The ads mention ‘MahaRERA-registered project’ but do not give the number. This is an easy way to fleece citizens. The developers have been directed to respond to the notices within seven days. If not, they may be penalised.”
In the latest batch, most getting notices are from Mumbai (16), followed by Pune (8) and Nashik (7); these are followed by Aurangabad (5) and Nagpur (3). “We are continuing our action. The current tally of notices issued since last week is 39 in total,” said another official.
Homebuyers have been advised against investing in projects without MahaRERA registration numbers. But citizens also expressed that while issuing notices may be an administrative rap, there needs to be more severe action if such practices are followed.
According to the MahaRERA website, around 40,000 projects in total have been granted registration in the state and 11,077 projects are finished. The site states that 1,069 projects are yet to be registered.
