Risky deals for Ghaziabad homebuyers

GHAZIABAD: Homebuyers seem to have once against been left to fend for themselves in the real estate wilderness of Ghaziabad and risk investing their hard-earned money in projects where building plans might have been violated.
In April, the Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) had issued an advisory to the revenue department which made completion certificates - a document that ensures there has been no violation of building plans in a group housing project - mandatory.
However, homebuyers have alleged that the decision is being violated and sale deeds are being given without the completion certificate.
Previously, hundreds of homebuyers purchased and registered unauthorized flats under the impression that the registration ensured the legality of a property. This essentially meant that even if a developer sells an apartment, he couldn't get the deal registered at the sub-registrar office until he provides a complete certificate. GDA vice chairman, Santosh Yadav had said that the move would help plug problems of coordination between the GDA and the revenue department. But things seem to have returned to their original form with sale deeds being executed by the sub-registrar Ghaziabad without obtaining and attaching the competition certificate, as deemed necessary by the GDA in their order to the revenue department on 27 April 2013.
Moreover, the Uttar Pradesh Apartment (Promotion of Construction, Ownership & Maintenance) Act, 2010 has a provision outlining that 'an apartment may be transferred by the promoter to any person only after obtaining the completion certificate from the prescribed sanctioned authority concerned as per building by-laws.' The issue was brought up by Alok Kumar - who represents the federation of apartment owner's association of Ghaziabad (FAAO) - when he filed a PIL in the Allahabad high court. "We have written a letter to the district magistrate reporting the gross violation of the order by the GDA in clear violation of the law. A number of cases have come to us where homeowners have been given possession of incomplete homes," he said.
In the letter, Kumar alleged that the sub registrar has begun issuing 'sale deed/sub deed without attaching a copy of the completion certificate and declaration of the project in question'.
When asked about the issue, officials said that they will investigate the allegations but sources in the Ghaziabad administration said that the order has been 'unofficially' abandoned due to a severe dip in revenue following the order by the GDA.