JOIN USReal Estate Act enforcement in Karnataka will take time
Home buyers and activists fear the Karnataka government is delaying the enforcement of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act (RERA), 2016, so as to “dilute” the path-breaking legislation.
M S Shankar, convener, Fight for RERA, Karnataka chapter, said many bureaucrats and ministers were “hand in glove” with real estate developers and were working to “dilute” the legislation which was aimed at protecting home buyers. “They want Karnataka to follow the Uttar Pradesh model whereby ongoing construction projects are excluded from the ambit of the Act,” he said.
RERA, billed as a consumer-centric legislation, came into force on May 1, but the state government has not yet made rules for it. Shankar suggested that the government was delaying framing the rules just to “buy some time”.
“The additional and principal secretaries of the Housing Department have conducted several meetings. Public suggestions and objections were sent to the state’s draft, but the rules have not been formulated yet. Once the Act is enforced, both the state government and builders will have to follow the Central guidelines,” Shankar said. “But they are adding changes to the legislation. That explains a lot.”
On Sunday, nearly 400 people, including citizens and members of Fight For RERA, Karnataka chapter, staged a protest outside the Town Hall, urging the state government to not indulge in politics over the Act but think about consumer interests. Abhilash K, who is planning to buy a flat in Bengaluru, was one of the participants.
Housing Minister M Krishnappa promised that the Act would be enforced soon. “The legislation has been formulated in such a way that it will benefit consumers and builders alike. The Department of Law and Parliamentary Affairs has cleared it and it is now before the Urban Development Department for approval. Final approval will come at the next Cabinet meeting,” he added.
Krishnappa insisted that Karnataka was not following any state but creating its “own model”. “We are not late. Only a few states have rolled out their model and we will have our own,” he said.
DH News Service