Gurgaon: Residents rue Huda not releasing refund for inflated enhancement charge - Hindustan Times
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Gurgaon: Residents rue Huda not releasing refund for inflated enhancement charge

Hindustan Times | By, Gurgaon
May 25, 2017 10:41 PM IST

Residents of sectors 27 and 28 have threatened to move court if the Huda doesn’t release refund as it promised after a revision of the amount charged as enhancement rate

The residents of sectors 27 and 28 have voiced misgivings over the Haryana urban development authority (Huda) allegedly dragging its feet with regard to releasing 2,000 per square yard as refund for inflated enhancement money as directed by the Punjab and Haryana high court last year.

Residents are mandated to pay enhancement money to Huda if the original owners of the plots allotted to them claim inadequate compensation from the agency and demand more in accordance with prevailing market rates.(Parveen Kumar/HT)
Residents are mandated to pay enhancement money to Huda if the original owners of the plots allotted to them claim inadequate compensation from the agency and demand more in accordance with prevailing market rates.(Parveen Kumar/HT)

Residents are mandated to pay enhancement money to Huda if the original owners of the plots allotted to them claim inadequate compensation from the agency and demand more in accordance with prevailing market rates.

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While the two sectors were being developed in 2001-’02, Huda sold plots to allottees at 5,000 per square yard. However, the villagers from whom the authority had allegedly bought the plots at 3,000 per square yard, moved court claiming they were paid less than what they were entitled to as per the prevailing land rates at the time.

The Punjab and Haryana high court ruled in favour of the villagers and directed the Huda to enhance their compensation in accordance with market rates. On the court’s direction, the authority issued two enhancement notices to the plot buyers over a period of 10 years. The enhancement money, revised after factoring in the prevailing market rates, worked out to 11,000 per square yard.

Though some of the allottees paid the enhanced amount, they moved court in 2014 claiming the Huda had charged them more under that head. The court directed the authority to settle the issue to the satisfaction of residents. Following the court’s direction, the Huda conceded to charging an inflated amount as enhancement money and promised to release refund at 2,000 per square yard.

Harish Ahuja, general secretary, residents’ welfare association (RWA), Sector 27, said, “If we include the two plot enhancement notices, the net amount charged by the Huda comes to 16,000 per square yard as on this date. While some residents paid the enhanced money as charged fearing action by Huda, the majority didn’t and moved court , instead, in 2014.”

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“The RWAs of both sectors challenged the Huda rates and sought a revision. The court directed the authority to settle the issue to the satisfaction of the allottees,” Satpal, a resident of Sector 28, said.

Fearing legal hassles, the Huda set up a committee to work out a revision in the enhancement rate and settled on a compensation amount after factoring in the reduction of 2,000 per square yard.

“Though the Huda sent RWAs a notice on revised enhancement rate in January, it is yet to release the promised amount. We have demanded a refund with interest from the date of allotment in 2002. If the Huda doesn’t pay us the promised amount with interest, we’ll move court again,” Yogender Bhati, president, RWA, Sector 27, said. He had earlier moved court on behalf of both sectors.

Yashpal Yadav, Huda administrator, said, “We have written to the chief finance officer, Huda, Panchkula, to release the amount. We are running short of funds to meet the refund promise. Once the funds arrive, the amount will be released.”

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  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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    Dhananjay Jha writes on development authorities, transport, industries, power and other developmental issues in Gurgaon. A journalist for over a decade, he has worked in Delhi and in HT’s Noida bureau.

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