On the eve of a high-level meeting to resolve the Harita project stalemate at Hyderabad, representatives of VUDA Harita Victims’ Forum met Vice-Chairman N. Yuvaraj and opposed any cost escalation as the same was not mentioned in the allotment letter. Stating that VUDA was wholly responsible for the delay, they asked why they should be made responsible for it.
Stating that VUDA had been sitting on the Rs.100 crore paid by them in instalments towards the cost of flats, association convener G.A.N. Bhukta urged that the project be completed within six months.
Former Vice-Chancellor of Acharya Nagarjuna University V. Balamohan Das said that VUDA should pay 14 per cent interest to the allottees from November, 2011, (when the project was originally scheduled to be completed) as the same was collected from them for any delay in payment of instalments. The forum representatives said they had borrowed from banks and financial institutions for purchase of flats and were paying EMIs for it.
However, they could neither move into the flats and were still staying paying rent or avail themselves of income tax benefits. “It’s a double whammy for us,” they said. They also sought a testing of the structure for stability and durability as work had come to a halt a long time back.
