Noida builder told to return money for not completing flat

The Capital’s apex consumer court has ordered a builder, who failed to complete his project in Greater Noida on time, to pay a compensation of R3 lakh to the buyer and also to refund over Rs 49 lakh, the cost of the flat, reports Harish V Nair.

The Capital’s apex consumer court has ordered a builder, who failed to complete his project in Greater Noida on time, to pay a compensation of Rs 3 lakh to the buyer and also to refund over Rs 49 lakh, the cost of the flat.

HT Image

The Delhi State Consumer Redressal Commission also sent a strong message to all builders that they will have to pay heavily if they do not complete their projects on time and if the aggrieved public approaches the court.

In this case, the commission held R S Builtwell and its director guilty of deficiency in service and gave them time till April 30 to refund R49,92,200 — the entire cost of the 1,248.05 sq ft flat — with interest, and compensation to complainant Arun Patwal, a resident of Janakpuri in west Delhi.

“The complainant had a dream of having his own house, but it was completely shattered by the builder causing mental agony and suffering..it appears that the builder has adopted a method of collecting money from poor customers and dragging such customers into litigation and refusing to refund the payment made by such customers,” said a bench of judges Salma Noor and VK Gupta

Patwal booked the flat in 2007 was promised possession in March 2010. When the deadline was not met, he carried out enquiries and to his dismay found that the project, related to Leaf Tower, Singapore Residency at Greater Noida, had not even been started.

The builder, based in Vasundhara Enclave in east Delhi, denied allegations of any delay in handing over possession of the flat and claimed that no confirmed deadline for delivering the flat was given to Patwal. However, the commission was not impressed.