Gurgaon Police has registered a criminal case against realty giant Emaar MGF and thirteen of its top officials. The case was registered on Thursday, when flat buyers accused the company of breach of trust and fraud for failing to hand over their flats at the Emaar MGF Emerald Hills project.
The homebuyers of Emaar MGF's Emerald Hills in Sector 65 have been complaining against the builder for a delay in delivery of flats for quite some time now. The flat owners had earlier also written to the Deputy Commissioner of Gurgaon, TL Satya Prakash, and have staged protests in the past to raise their voice against the builder.
The builder had promised to hand over the apartment by January 2013. More than two years of the proposed deadline, the construction of the high-rise luxury apartment buildings is still far from over. The buyers allege that they got no response from the builder even after submitting a memorandum. Repeated requests to meet senior officials from Emaar MGF have fallen on deaf ears.
There are 1,400 buyers based in Gurgaon who invested in the Emaar MGF’s Emerald Hills project - a 200-acre gated community in Sector 65 that ‘boasts’ upscale apartments named Emerald Floors, Emerald Estate Apartments and Emerald Premium Floors.
All allottees who had paid the initial premium had signed the buyer’s agreement with Emaar MGF three months after the project launch. The agreement clearly mentions that the possession of units along with all other facilities like power backup, piped gas connection, clubhouse with mini theatre, swimming pool, and gym shall be handed over to owners by January 2013.
“We continued to plead with the authorities," said Rama Chawla, president of the Emerald Hills Owners Welfare Association. "We kept our faith in the system and the government. All we asked from the builder was to deliver our apartments and compensate us for the financial losses. The police complaint was the last resort. We had to get our voices heard.”
When contacted by City Spidey, the Emaar MGF's spokesperson said, “We have already shared the construction schedule with the flat owners association. The company has not done any criminal offence and the case has been lodged without any investigation.”
He added that the project will be completed and handed over in phases to ensure seamless delivery. As a matter of fact, the company had already started offering possession for the first phase, the spokesperson added.
Hawa Singh, CPRO of Gurgaon Police, told City Spidey that a case had been filed against the Managing Director and 12 other senior officials of Emaar MGF at the DLF Phase I Police Station. The police have already started investigating the matter, he added.
