Jigar Rawal feels helpless. He has been going to the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) office in Gandhinagar for over three years, but his issues remain unsolved. The entrepreneur from Bhavnagar is fighting against heavyweight builders Hasmukh Mer and Babubhai Babaiya.
Three years ago, Rawal booked a 2 BHK flat in Rudra Residency, Krishna Nagar, Bhavnagar from these builders. When he shifted to Rudra Residency, he found that 52 flats and four wings (A, B, C and D) did not even have basic amenities like a lift, water facility, and electric metre.
In 2015, properties were sold under the Rudra Residency scheme. Later, more than 23 people from the residency filed a written complaint to RERA. Since then, they been fighting to get justice.
Rawal told the Vibes of India, “The building is constructed so badly that on most days patches peel off walls and ceilings. It is risky to stay in this building. Be it a water facility or installing a meter, we had to pay for everything. The builder started ignoring us once we paid him Rs 21 lakh for a 2 BHK flat.”
He added, “Rudra Residency was their first elaborate project. We did not know their history and trusted them. Now, we are helpless, and no authorities are coming forward to support us.”
Another resident Malay Barot said, “Our money is stuck in this risky project. We can’t even resale this property as the building does not have BU permission and we have no support from the Bhavnagar Municipal Corporation (BMC).”
Even though the builders are blacklisted and their Building Usage Permission (BU) is cancelled, they have announced their latest residential and commercial project, Shivam Tenament. One of their business partners for Shivam Tenament, Anil Dabhi, said, “I’m not aware of issues concerning Rudra Residency. I’m associated with them only for their latest project.”
According to a RERA judgment for this project, which was announced on July 7, 2021, the builders must install lifts, make construction work foolproof, obtain BU permission, and pay interest on the amount till the date of obtaining BU permission.
The builders were asked to obtain BU permission within 30 days of the July 7 judgment, but the directions have not been complied with.
“Even the judgment in our favour did not compel the builders to do anything in our residency. We still have no support. We have been coming from Bhavnagar from Gandhinagar for the past three years with hope that as middle-class people we will get justice.” adds Barot.
The Vibes of India also contacted the builders, Mer and Baraiya, but they were yet to respond.
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