Amrapali told to pay land dues or face legal action

The Noida authority on Thursday issued notice to Amrapali Sapphire developers pvt ltd over non payment of `86.7 crore in land dues for the project.

The Noida authority on Thursday issued notice to Amrapali Sapphire developers pvt ltd over non payment of Rs86.7 crore in land dues for the project.

Around 850 homebuyers living in the Sapphire complex are suffering because the builder has failed to obtain occupancy certificate for the project. (Sunil Ghosh/HT)

“Realty firm Amrapali Group has not paid any instalment towards the land for the Sapphire complex in Sector 45, since 2014. The realty firm has a default of Rs86.7 crore till June 30, 2016. Non payment has affected Noida’s financial liquidity and developmental projects,” a senior official of the Noida authority said.

According to the notice, realty firm’s instalment of Rs5.57 crore has been rescheduled for the sixth time and is to be paid by July 31.

On June 15, the chief executive officer (CEO) of the Noida authority gave the realty group one month to clear the dues. “This is the last chance; if the realty firm does not pay the due amount, then the authority will have to take administrative and legal action against the defaulter,” Manmohan Mishra, financial controller, Noida authority, said.

A spokesperson for Amrapali Group said, “We are arranging funds to clear all dues. We will do it very soon. We are also facing problems because homebuyers are not paying us maintenance fee for services provided in the Sapphire complex.”

Around 850 homebuyers living in the Sapphire complex are suffering because the builder has failed to obtain occupancy certificate for the project. The authority said the builder has to pay land dues and also obtain fire safety certificate, besides other necessary clearances, for complex to be eligible for an occupancy certificate. Without OC, homebuyers are unable to register their property.

“We have complained to chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and other top officials on the issue of incomplete housing society. We have been suffering for the last 2-3 years but the sad part is that no government official is able to solve our problem despite the fact that we have paid 100% of the flat cost,” Amit Tyagi, a homebuyer, said.

Residents of Amrapali Sapphire are not alone. Around 50,000 homebuyers are facing similar problems, according to the authority’s estimates.

“We are in the process of sending notice to realtors who are failing to pay the land dues,” Mishra said.

Land dues to the tune of `7,200 crore, for around 80 realty projects, are to be paid to the authority. Realtors are unable to pay dues due to a dip in sales, amid slowdown in the market.