Mahira homebuyers stage protest against delay in flat delivery

Around 200 buyers of Mahira Homes project in Sector 68 gathered at the developer’s office on Golf Course on Friday and carried out a protest against the delay in delivery of flats and lack of construction activities on the site.The buyers alleged that while the project was to be completed in August 2022, there has been no construction activity for the last 15 months after the authorities suspended the project licence of the developer for allegedly submitting forged documents in May 2022.

The buyers, including senior citizens and women, carried placards and shouted slogans against the developer, the department of town and country planning (DTCP) and the Haryana government.The protesters, who went to meet the promoters of the realty firm, alleged that none of them were present.Dhruv Kapoor, a homebuyer, said the project was launched in 2018 and was to be completed by August 2022. “The flat buyers have paid almost the full amount to the developer, but they are caught in legal trouble as the DTCP has charged the developer with irregularities and suspended the licence last year. It later gave the developer six months to complete the project, but there has been no progress,” he said.

The protesters said they are inconvenienced due to the indifference of the developer as well as the authorities and will further intensify their agitation to get their flats delivered. “We had been running from pillar to post to get out flats. We also went to the state capital Chandigarh to meet Haryana Real Estate Regulatory Authority (H-Rera) officials there,” said another buyer, who requested anonymity.Around 1,500 homebuyers have invested their money in the Sector 68 project undertaken by Mahira Developers, which got stuck after the DTCP cancelled the licence on May 9, 2022, due to discrepancies in the documents submitted by the developer while obtaining the licence for the project.

However, on September 5, 2022, the cancellation was revoked after the developer assured that the project will be completed in six months, said DTCP officials, adding that action was initiated again as the developer did not comply with the order.The homebuyers also said that they have held multiple protests at the DTCP office, H-Rera office, and even at the Jantar Mantar in the national Capital, but to no avail. They alleged that despite all their efforts, the developer is yet to resume construction work.

When asked about the concerns of the homebuyers, senior town planner Renuka Singh said that the matter is being monitored at the DTCP headquarters in Chandigarh. “We are providing all details and construction status and updates to the headquarters in Chandigarh. All efforts will be made to ensure that the project is completed in a time-bound manner,” she said.Meanwhile, DTCP officials privy to the matter said that the department will look into the violations of licence agreements by the developer. The issues between the builder and homebuyers will be primarily handled by the H-Rera, they added.

Meanwhile, Sikander Chokkar, the managing director of Mahira Developers said H-Rera has frozen the escrow accounts of Mahira Homes since May 2022.“Our accounts are still blocked even after repeated requests. We have sought six months from the town planning authorities and requested them to remove the restrictions so that the work can be completed. A plan on the project completion has also been submitted. I have scheduled a meeting with the allottees at 11:30 am on Sunday. We will definitely deliver the flats soon,” Chokkar added.