“As you grow older, you think of wanting to live in your own house. I sunk my entire retirement fund [₹48.5 lakh] into this flat but have nothing to show for it,” said retired Railways employee Vimal Bakshi on Sunday.
Mr. Bakshi and nearly 500 other homebuyers entered into contract with Shubhkamna Buildtech Pvt Ltd for flats in four different projects in Greater Noida between 2010 and 2013. Despite paying most of the project cost, they said the buildings are still incomplete and the developer has been dodging their calls since last year.
“Even if we manage to talk to him, he calls from different numbers each time. The company does not even operate out of its registered office any more,” complained Vinod Rawat, who purchased a flat in Shubhkamna Epic and was supposed to get possession two years ago.
Mr. Bakshi, Mr. Rawat and several other homebuyers staged a protest at Parliament Street on Sunday against the developer.
“Many of us invested in these projects because the developer claimed there was a scheme for government employees,” said U.S. Rawat, an assistant manager with BSES.
The projects were marketed to homebuyers by the builder along with non-government organisation Government and Private Sector Employees Welfare Housing Organisation (GAPSEWHO). The NGO, run by retired government officials, has shut down since. “It was because of the NGO that so many of us invested in these projects,” he added.
Cases filed
Javed Akhtar, legal adviser to Shubhkamna City Group Housing Welfare Association, a group that has come together to represent buyer’ grievances, said “We recently filed a complaint with the Economic Offences Wing. There is a case pending before the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission too.”
Attempts to reach the developer for a comment were unsuccessful.
