Realty firms told to file copy of ad

After making it mandatory in May for private developers to mention project details in advertisements, the Haryana government has gone a step further asking builders to also file a copy of the ad at the town and country planning department. Sanjeev K Ahuja reports.

After making it mandatory in May for private developers to mention project details in advertisements, the Haryana government has gone a step further asking builders to also file a copy of the ad at the town and country planning department.

HT Image

“The directive was already part of rules but was not being followed. Hence, we have sent notices to all developers asking them to file a copy of project advertisements,” said TC Gupta, director general of the town and country planning department.

Introduced to safeguard gullible buyers from tall claims made by realty advertisements amid rising number of property-related fraud, the directive has, however, irked private developers. Developers, who are not happy with the requirement of mentioning project details (licence number, building plans and number of housing units to be constructed) in ads, feel the new directive would not really help buyers but simply add to their woes.

“Already, a good amount of space is wasted in newspapers, magazines and other journals with details about projects every time an ad is printed. Ideally, it should have been for the first advertisement only. With the new directive, we may have to wait for clearance from the department before issuing ads,” said a developer on the condition of anonymity.

“Instead of filing copies of ads, developers should be allowed to post the same on the official website. In this way, buyers can access the same and file complaint, if any,” Raheja added.