The Real Estate Regulatory Authority (Rera) in the state has decided to play a more proactive role in mediating between realtors and development authorities.
The regulatory authority will open a microsite in its official window where aggrieved builders can register complaints against the authorities concerned. The most common complaints, Rera has found, are about delays in approval of maps, incomplete roads or underdeveloped civic infrastructure around societies that are otherwise ready to be handed over. These procedural delays often affect the timely completion of projects and in the end, it is the homebuyers who bear the brunt.
Just like it handles disputes between builders and buyers, Rera will also mediate with the authorities concerned when it gets complaints from developers on the microsite, officials said. The role of the regulatory authority has often been questioned by promoters when it comes to taking action against industrial or development authorities, which are largely responsible for issuing completion certificates or developing civic infrastructure around projects. Although the Rera Act clearly defines the role of promoters and buyers, it is silent on what is expected from the authorities, officials agreed.
“Promoters often complain that matters related to their project are pending with the local development authority. This often hampers the overall progress of the project. In some cases, it has been found that roads are incomplete, maps have not been approved or civic infrastructure is in a mess,” said Rajive Kumar, the UP-Rera chairperson.
“So, we have decided to create a platform on the main website of UP-Rera for promoters to lodge complaints about cases pending with any development or industrial authority in the state. We can take up each case and mediate between the promoter and the authority concerned,” he added.
The Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Associations of India (Credai) said the move was long due. “As of now, Rera can’t issue directives to any industrial or development authority or goad them to take action. Procedural delays often become a hindrance in the timely completion of a project. For long, we have been demanding that the development authorities be included under the purview of the Rera Act,” said Manoj Gaur, the Credai national vice-president.
“What I understand is that a microsite will be created in the official window of UP-Rera, where promoters can lodge complaints,” Gaur said. According to him, the move will partly solve the issues. “Unless the Rera Act is amended to give it the right to take action against the authorities concerned, the move will serve only a limited purpose,” he added.
Referring to some of the problems faced by developers, Gaur said there were several projects in Noida and Greater Noida that had been constructed but lacked link roads, sewer lines or electricity connections. “It is the responsibility of the development authorities to develop basic civic amenities. In the absence of these, projects remain incomplete for long and developers are fined. In the end, it is the homebuyers who suffer the most,” Gaur said.
