It's been three months since the first meeting in Ghaziabad between builders, buyers, GDA and the ministerial committee appointed by the UP government, but there has been nothing tangible that has come of it.
Ever since the meeting in August, flatbuyers have been questioning the result of these meetings. The ministerial committee, which included Suresh Khanna, urban development minister, and cabinet ministers Satish Mahana and Suresh Rana, had made a lot of promises including severe action against builders and expediting delivery of flats. However, despite there being a number of such meetings with Noida, Greater Noida and Yamuna Expressway authorities, there is yet to be a second meeting in Ghaziabad.
So three months after the first meeting, City Spidey caught up with officials of GDA to track the progress since. Ishtiyak Ahmed, chief town planner of GDA, said that immediately after the meeting, an internal committee of top city officials was formed, which included the secretary of GDA, the district magistrate, the additional district magistrate, the senior superintendant of police, the officer on special duty of GDA, the chief town planner, the assistant town planner and a legal officer of GDA.
Ahmed said that the internal committee had a set of 29 earmarked issues that needed dealing with in the coming months. According to him, GDA has held a host of joint meetings since August between buyers and builders. “Four such meetings were held in September and five more in October,” he said. “The meetings were stopped in November because of the municipal elections. But there will be another on December 6 between buyers and the builder of SVP Gulmohar Residency, in Indirapuram.”
Ahmed further said that the meetings involved a host of issues, ranging from delay in delivery of flats and issuing of completion certificates to violation of building plans and use of inferior quality of material for construction. “The problems are deep-rooted and will take a while to solve,” he said. “GDA is trying its best to expedite the processes. In some cases, the builders are absconding, leaving projects incomplete, while others have huge dues in the form of purchasable FAR, external development charges, etc. All of these contribute to the delay in delivery of flats.”
Some of the projects taken up for discussion at the meetings included Amrapali Village, Amrapali Royal, Meadows Vista, Parsvnath Regalia and Parsvnath Exotica.
However, speaking to City Spidey, flat owners expressed discontent at the outcome of the meetings. Sayaji Hande, a resident of Amrapali Royal, said the meetings had borne little fruit and that the problems would take long time to solve. “Our builder has made structural changes to the society that cannot be solved. While we are compromising with it, the builder should pay a hefty compensation,” Hande added.
Madhu Kesri, a resident of Parsvnath Regalia, had similar views. She is living in a rented flat in the very society in which she has purchased a flat, since it is still incomplete. Kesri had raised this issue in front of the ministerial committee. “I heard that the RWA was having meetings with GDA officials, but I am yet to see any change in construction status of my flat. I am putting in my own money to get it done. So what was the point of the committee meetings, exactly?” Kesri said.