Amidst allegations from sections of homebuyers of weak implementation of the RERA Act, the Real Estate Regulatory Authority, Karnataka (RERA-K) is preparing to put in place an online system of allocation of cases, which, it says, will result in impartial allotment of cases.
RERA-K Secretary K.S. Latha Kumari told The Hindu , “Some people raise questions about the Chairman allotting cases manually. Now we are developing a software where case allocation will be done online and on rotational basis to benches without any human intervention. This will be allotted as and when cases come to the available benches. This will mean impartial allotment. It has already been developed, but it has to be clubbed with our existing complaint model. It should be put in place in another two to three weeks.”
The authority put out a notification in November about the constitution of four benches, in addition to the existing three-member authority. “Considering the number of pendency of complaints, a decision has been taken to create additional benches under Section 81 to delegate powers of the authority under the RERA Act on the chairman and members separately by creating the benches,” the notification signed by Ms. Latha Kumari said.
There are over 2,000 pending cases with the authority, she said, and disposal of cases under the old arrangement was time-consuming. Creation of additional benches will ensure speedy disposal of cases, she added.
Meanwhile, the Forum for People’s Collective Efforts, an NGO formerly known as the ‘Fight for RERA’ movement, has written to the Chief Secretary of the Karnataka government requesting a meeting to discuss the functioning of RERA-K. In the letter, they have alleged that RERA Act implementation has not been tracked or reviewed since 2017, when it was first implemented.
“The functioning of RERA-K has reached new lows and differences have cropped up among members of the authority, impacting the very purpose of the Act,” they have alleged, adding that there is “no protection for homebuyers.”
However, the RERA-K Secretary has denied all allegations. Ms. Latha Kumari said the authority is functioning as per rules and regulations. “Administratively, RERA-K is one of the best in the country,” she added.
