E-Paper
Housing rules flouted with élan
Planning to buy a flat/floor in Ghaziabad? Check out the legality of its ownership.
Planning to buy a flat/floor in Ghaziabad? Check out the legality of its ownership.
In a reply received under the Right to Information (RTI) Act from Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA), floors/flats developed on a single-unit plot residential property cannot be sold to different people. RTI activist Sachin Soni had sought this reply.
But officials admit there are numerous instances when builders construct several units on their plots and sell them to different people.
“Such properties are illegal and their subsequent owners have no legal right to ownership (barring a few exceptions),” GDA outgoing secretary Raj Kumar Sachaan said.
However, it’s difficult to strictly adhere to the rule. Additional district magistrate (Finance) Sarvjeet Ram: “More than 50 per cent of the city would have to be demolished if action is initiated against such properties.”
“The Master Plan is fractured on a large scale as corrupt officials are hand-in-glove with such builders,” said S.P. Singh, a Rajnagar resident.
“In most cases, the original builders run away after registering and selling such properties. To check such constructions, we take affidavits from the original owner that he will not sell the property to multiple people after construction. It is the responsibility of the registry department to check these details before registration,” Sachaan said.
“We are only concerned with collecting revenue through registries and stamp duty,” Ram countered.
