Hundreds of buyers of apartments in the Patra Chawl redevelopment project, in Mumbai’s Goregaon area, are going to conduct a peaceful protest on September 14 outside the head office of the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA).
The buyers allege that MHADA is not giving permission to the developers to hand over possession. They say that MHADA wants the three real estate firms involved to clear the liabilities of an earlier developer who was involved in the project. Recently, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut was arrested for his alleged involvement in the misappropriation of funds from the project.
Also Read: What's Patra chawl land scam case that led to Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut's arrest? What is Patra Chawl redevelopment?
Patra Chawl, in the Siddarth Nagar area of Goregaon, a western suburb of Mumbai, went for redevelopment in 2008. It had over 670 tenants, and the housing units were spread across 47 acres.
Patra Chawl was originally a barrack constructed by the British during the Second World War, and was used as a military camp.
In 2008, MHADA took up the redevelopment project and appointed Guru Ashish Construction Private Limited (GACPL), a sister concern of real estate company Housing Development and Infrastructure Ltd (HDIL), to rehabilitate over 670 tenants and redevelop the locality.
A tripartite agreement was signed between GACPL, the tenants’ society and MHADA. Following this, the tenants moved out from the chawl by 2010 but 14 years down the line, they are yet to get their promised homes.
Additionally, per the free sale component of the agreement, developers sold apartments to about 1,700 families. The real estate firms who have been involved in this for over 10 years and have built these projects are unable to hand over possession.
The home buyers allege it is because of administrative delays and a dispute between the developers and MHADA over pending liabilities of around Rs 3,100 crore.
Also Read: India's Most Delayed Residential Projects
Peaceful protest
In the sale component, there are three projects under the banners of Kalpataru Radiance, Ekta Tripolis and Sangam Lifespaces.
In a letter to MHADA, the home buyers stated, "We 1,700-plus home buyers are an integral part of the Patra Chawl project. Most of us have booked our homes in 2012. We are middle-income families, who have paid almost Rs 500 crore of GST and Rs 200 crore in stamp duty. It has been eight years we have been waiting for possession of our homes, and are left in lurch for no fault of ours."
The letter adds, "Our dreams have been shattered, our kids lost their childhood, some have lost their loved ones. Most of us stay on rent and pay EMIs, and it is getting unbearable for us. We, the aggrieved buyers, would like to assemble for a peaceful protest on September 14, 2022, to highlight our plight and seek your help for an immediate resolution of this issue and to pave the way for an occupation certificate (OC) of our homes."
Buyers speak up
Forty One-year-old Vinny Shroff said they sold their 1-BHK apartment and purchased a 2-BHK in 2017. Almost six years have passed but they have still not got possession.
Vinny told Moneycontrol, "We sold our flat, put in the lifetime earnings of my parents, and additionally took out a home loan to purchase the flat. We are paying EMIs and staying on rent for five years now. At the time of purchase, we were told possession will be given in a year's time. As per the agreement, we were to get possession in 2020. But till date we do not have the possession. There are more than 500 buyers in three towers being constructed by Ekta Developers, and there are 500 different stories of people like me."
Vinny added, "Our plea to both the developer and MHADA is to settle their disputes and ensure possession to the buyers. The project is almost completed and we want MHADA to issue the occupation certificate. MHADA has various ways to recover their dues from the builder, why penalise legitimate buyers."
Read: Not interested in politics, only concerned about our homes and unpaid rent, say tenants of Patra Chawl
Tanmay Khanolkar, who owns another flat nearby, said that many buyers have been struggling since 2015-16. He said, "I purchased a 3-BHK for ₹ 2.70 crore in 2018 and was promised possession in June 2020. But even today there is no sign of it. The work is almost done, but the developer is struggling to get the OC. If MHADA approves, we can get possession in one or two months."
Khanolkar added: "However, we are told that MHADA is expecting the existing three builders to clear the liability of the developer who was appointed earlier. Our only plea is that authorities should give the OC and recover the dues (if any) in parallel —not at the cost of our possession. What is the point of troubling over 1,700 families."
Forty-eight-year-old Nagesh Burla, another buyer, said, "There are four towers in Kalpataru Radiance with around 700 buyers. The project started in 2012. I booked in February 2019 and was promised possession in December 2019. I took a home loan and made 93 percent of the payment. I am paying EMIs, but there is no sign of possession.
"The developer is saying possession will be given very soon, but nothing is happening on the ground. This is a huge concern for us buyers. MHADA has given all the approvals, and the project got RERA registration too. MHADA's vision is to provide housing to all sections. They should walk the talk by agreeing to the consent terms with builders and pave the way for our OC."
An email query sent to the developers of the above three projects did not get any response. A query sent to Yogesh Mhase, Chief Officer of MHADA's Mumbai Division did not get any response either.
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