State stops registration of unauthorised buildings, flats violating approved plans

MUMBAI: To curb illegal construction and protect home buyers from being cheated, the state government has decided to stop the registration of sales agreements and documents related to unauthorised buildings and flats built in violation of approved plans

MUMBAI: To curb illegal construction and protect home buyers from being cheated, the state government has decided to stop the registration of sales agreements and documents related to unauthorised buildings and flats built in violation of approved plans.

Workers collect scrap metal near an unfinished residential apartment project by Developer Orbit Corp., which collapsed in 2016, in the Andheri area in Mumbai, India, on Friday, Apr. 5, 2019. A series of economic shocks in the past three years have dented property-market sentiment and caused funding for developers to dry up. Many lack the funds to keep projects aimed at millions of more affluent citizens going. Photographer: Dhiraj Singh/Bloomberg (Bloomberg)

The decision follows complaints about buildings constructed without the necessary permissions, violations of zoning regulations, non-registration under the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (MahaRERA) and the sale of flats with areas exceeding those approved in building plans. Officers said that such irregularities had been reported in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, Thane, Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Haveli, Mulshi, Nagpur and other urban areas.

Taking serious note of such illegalities, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis asked revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule to act against them, and accordingly, a government resolution was issued on Monday, directing all sub-registrars to comply with the new rules.

Under the new rules, first-sale flats in projects requiring MahaRERA registration must include the registration certificate or occupancy certificate and the approved building plan. For projects that do not require MahaRERA registration, developers must submit the commencement certificate issued by the competent authority, the approved building plan, a zoning certificate and a measurement plan.

Revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule said the move would save the common man from being cheated. “Many people buy flats in good faith but later discover that the properties are unauthorised, resulting in substantial financial losses,” he said. “It’s the duty of the government to protect home buyers from this. We have taken this decision to put a permanent stop to such malpractices.”