No flat, no vote in Maha polls, say HDIL homebuyers

Aggrieved homebuyers of the bankrupt developer, Housing Development and Infrastructure Limited (HDIL), have decided not to vote in the upcoming Assembly elections,

Aggrieved homebuyers of the bankrupt developer, Housing Development and Infrastructure Limited (HDIL), have decided not to vote in the upcoming Assembly elections, if they are not promised concrete steps against the housing projects that are stuck for nine years. Voters feel stranded with the developer’s involvement in the Punjab and Maharashtra Co-operative (PMC) Bank debt case.

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A housing project, Whispering Towers, was launched in 2010, with 450 buyers paying at least 70% (₹350 crore) of the flat cost. While 18 of the 46 floors have been completed in phase-1 consisting of four wings, no work has been done on phase-2, which consists of three wings. The association had registered an FIR with the economic offences wing in 2018. They also approached the Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) and the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC).

The members, who have formed an association named Whispering Towers Flat Owners’ Association, have also written to PM Narendra Modi seeking his intervention in the case.

Khushbu Davda, a buyer and member of the association, said, “All members agree that no flat means no vote.” Dr Haresh Manglani, another buyer, said, “We are paying EMIs for a flat we are not getting.”

Manoj Nankani, another member said, “We have approached every legal authority but there has been no resolution yet. We feel stranded now, with no one to guide us. We don’t know where to go.” The buyers have also staged protests at the site in September.

Sitting MLA Sardar Tara Singh’s name has surfaced in the PMC crises as his son Rajneet Singh has been a director in the bank.