Builder booked for not handing over upkeep funds

GHAZIABAD: Real estate firm Assotech, its managing director and two officials have been

booked

by Ghaziabad police for not handing over Rs 5 crore interest-free maintenance security charges to the apartment owners association of The Nest, a highrise in Crossings Republik. An FIR was registered following an order by a city court, police said.

Nishant Kumar, AOA secretary, said the association members got elected in 2015 and it took over the maintenance of the society from the

builder

in April last year. At the time, the builder had agreed to return the interest-free maintenance security charges, apart from providing a genset and increasing power load.

“Assotech promised us to give maintenance security charges in several installments and we had agreed on it. We were given the first cheque of Rs 10 lakh as first installment but that bounced. When we met the builder, their officials sounded rude,”he said.

Subsequently, the residents ran from pillar to post to get a complaint lodged against the builder. “We had even met the SSP, but no one helped us. Last month, AOA approached the Ghaziabad court and it had ordered the police to lodge an FIR against the builder and take action,” said Kumar.

“Some 650 families are living here. We need the fund for the upkeep work,” he said.

Shlok Kumar, SP (city) said on Saturday the FIR has been lodged against Assotech MD Sanjeev Srivastava, the firm’s executive Harsh Parashar, and Captain Singh, estate manager of the society, under sections 420 (cheating and dishonesty inducing delivery of property), 467 (forgery of a valuable security, will etc.), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (forging a genuine document), 406 (breach of trust), and 120-B (criminal conspiracy).

When contacted, the Assotech MD refused to comment.


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