Residents of Jaypee Wish Town protest over hike in maintenance charges

Noida: Residents of Jaypee Wish Town staged a protest on Thursday, December 9, 2021, against the builder for increasing the maintenance charges.  Residents of 10 housing societies of Jaypee Wish Town took part in the protest, including Pavilion court, Pavilion height, KOSMOS, Aman, Klassic, Kalypso Court, Imperial Court, and more.

As per the residents, they received a mail from the builder a few days ago where it was mentioned that the maintenance charges have been increased. The residents allege this decision was taken suddenly by the builder without any consultation with the AOAs and RWAs.

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Residents protested outside the Sales and marketing office of Jaypee builder, Sector 128, Noida. During the protest, residents blocked the entry of the builder’s main office. Police officials were also present to manage the crowd.

Residents raised their voices with the help of mics and speakers. Be it villas owners or small flats owners, everyone shared similar grievances and joined the protest.
As gathered by placards raised at the protests, residents said that their flats are inflicted with a host of civic issues. These include falling plaster, malfunctioning lifts, ill-maintained parks, and other such poor basic facilities.

The crowd included senior citizens and housewives who came with their children. The protest continued with mid snacks where residents distributed peanuts, bananas, and biscuits among themselves to keep the energy and spirits high.

Preeti Singh, a middle-aged woman, who owns a villa in Jaypee Kensington Park Plot Phase 2 informed that the builder handed over a balance sheet to them without giving them a valid reason for increased maintenance charges. Says Singh, “We have an active RWA. But the builder’s team didn’t discuss anything with the RWA. Increasing charges in this manner is arbitrary and illegal." Singh further informed that the only explanation given by the builder's team is that they are undergoing losses. She suggested that the maintenance work must be handed over to the RWAs.
"Why will we pay more charges for no additional facilities?", she said.

Vandana Agarwal, a resident of Jaypee KOSMOS, who came in to protest with her children, says, “When it comes to fulfilling the basic requirements of the residents, the builder has never shown up. However, for increasing the maintenance the builder directly sends letters which is completely wrong. I am here today with my daughter and son to protest against the builder’s unlawful activities”.

Pranesh Sinha, President AOA Pavilion Court and Pavilion Height, Sector 128, Noida, says, “We received a mail on November 30, 2021, which mentioned that the maintenance charges have been increased, that is, from 3.40 to Rs 5 per square feet. Why are being asked to pay these charges when all over Noida, the maintenance charges are not more than Rs 3. It’s not as though we are getting some extraordinary facilities from the builder."

Prithul Goel, a resident of Jaypee KOSMOS, said, “This is our second protest. We did our first protest 3 days back. After our first protest, we gave time to the builder till the evening of December 7, 2021. But then we received mail again from the builder that they will not take their extra charges back. It’s not a small amount that they have increased. In about 25% amount has been increased. After the pandemic, most of us are not in a good financial condition to pay such heavy maintenance charges. They have shown us fictitious figures to show that they are going into losses."