Bengaluru homebuyers stage protest, petition RERA against developer

Scores of homebuyers staged a demonstration on Saturday afternoon and later submitted a memorandum to the Karnataka Real Estate Regulatory Authority (K-RERA), requesting penal actions be invoked against an RT Nagar-based real-estate firm for disregarding around 30 judgements delivered by the regulatory body.

The builder, they said, has abandoned the apartment’s construction since 2016.

As per the memorandum submitted to Kishore Chandra H S, chairman of K-RERA, the promoter had launched a project in 2013 in Anekal comprising 1,800 apartments. The company had sought an extension of delivery dates with RERA for 1,278 flats (Phase I) by December 2018 and 650 flats (Phase II) by December 2019.

Seeking K-RERA’s help, the homebuyers pointed out that the promoter has not honoured the orders passed by the regulatory authority, including recovery of investments, compensation for delay in construction and pre-EMI reimbursements, among others.

Some of the requests made to K-RERA by homebuyers include stopping the registration of sale deeds of under-construction flats, stopping issuing khata and directing the Anekal Town Planning Authority to inspect, audit and investigate all violations.

“As I could not afford expensive apartments in the city, I had bought a flat in Anekal, which was sold for Rs 30 lakh, including a bank interest of Rs 8 lakh. The builder cheated us by abandoning the construction work. I am now living in a rented house and paying the EMI, too,” a homebuyer said.

Raghunathan K C, president, Buyers Association, asked K-RERA to treat non-compliance of orders as an economic offence and initiate steps to arrest the builder and directors of the company as well as impose penalties as per the Central RERA Act, 2016 and Karnataka RERA Rules, 2017.

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