Jaypee Wish Town residents protest upkeep fees hike

NOIDA: Around 150 residents of Jaypee Wish Town staged a protest on Thursday against the developer for frequently hiking the maintenance charges of the society. One resident had to be taken to Jaypee hospital for a check-up after he complained of breathing difficulties when the guards tried to remove the protesters. The residents demanded immediate rollback of the increased upkeep fees levied from December 2021 as well as additional charges levied on the services of electrician, plumber and sweeper during each visit. They also demanded periodic maintenance of all the towers of the society. “About 150 residents staged a dharna at the Jaypee FMG office in Sector 128 against the frequent increase in the upkeep fees of the society. This is becausewe get no facility in lieu of these increased charges,” said Prashant Arora, , a resident of Kosmos complex.

“In February 2021, the maintenance charges were hiked. Again from December, there has been an increase — from Rs 1.65 per sq ft to Rs 2 per sq ft. So within eight months, they have increased the maintenance charges twice,” he added. The residents held a similar protest on Saturday and Monday, where local MLA Tejpal Nagar came and gave the builder time till Wednesday to reverse the charges. “But they have refused to do so,” Arora claimed. In an email to the residents, the facility management group of developer Jaiprakash Associates Limited, however, made it clear that there would be no rollback of the charges, attributing it to increased expenditure on maintenance in the past two years “which had to be recovered as per agreement with the buyers”. Residents decried the move and demanded a forensic audit of the books of accounts of the developer.

“The entire Wish Town is about a 1,200-acre land with about 15 societies such as Kosmos, Classic, Pavilion Heights and Pavillion Court, where most towers are incomplete. Only 30-40% are occupied in Wishtown, besides the already dilapidating condition of many towers under occupancy,” said Arora. When contacted, Anuj Jain, the interim resolution professional, told TOI, “We are not part of the maintenance charges resolution of the homebuyers of Jaypee projects. That bit is looked after by Jaiprakash Associates Limited. We have no control over the maintenance charges between the builder and buyers.”