Noida homebuyers storm stage at Jan Sunwai, seek end to woes

Half an hour into the programme, a section of people, reportedly aggrieved homebuyers, created a ruckus. They stormed the stage and demanded that their problems be heard before other issues are discussed.

Aggrieved homebuyers in Noida and Greater Noida created a ruckus at the ‘Jan Sunwai’ that was held at Amity University in Noida’s Sector 125 on Sunday.

Buyers also objected to the recent diktat by the director general of police (DGP) Sulkhan Singh that the police should not lodge an FIR in cases of breach of the agreement between buyers and builders. (Sunil Ghosh/HT Photo)

The event was organised by union cultural and tourism minister Mahesh Sharma to discuss problems of Noida and Greater Noida residents and brainstorm solutions for them. The event was attended by all senior administration, police and authority officials along with MPs and MLAs from the district.

However, half an hour into the programme, a section of people, reportedly aggrieved homebuyers, created a ruckus. They stormed the stage and demanded that their problems be heard before other issues are discussed.

The homebuyers were protesting against alleged malpractices of builders’ groups in the district and demanded the administration’s intervention. “Homebuyers are not supported by the administration, who instead prefer to take the side of builders. We have tried to contact the Noida and Greater Noida authority officials through phone calls, letters, e-mails and other means, but we seldom get a response,” said Brajesh Gupta, a member of NCR Homebuyers’ Association.

Buyers also objected to the recent diktat by the director general of police (DGP) Sulkhan Singh that the police should not lodge an FIR in cases of breach of the agreement between buyers and builders.

“Breach of an agreement also results in forgery, which is punishable under the Indian Penal Code. Therefore, the police must register an FIR in such cases or it is a grave injustice to homebuyers who were promised the moon and received peanuts in return. We also want a Real Estate Regulation and Development Act (RERA) office in Noida,” said Rajesh Purohit, a member of NCR Homebuyers’ Association.

Homebuyers stepped off the stage and allowed the programme to resume only after repeated interventions by MP Sharma.

“We also belong to middle-class families and we understand the pain of homebuyers. A separate meeting will be held in the near future between buyers and authority officials,” said Sharma.

Authority officials also assured buyers that all efforts will be taken to ensure that they are not cheated. “Discussion and dialogue is the way forward. Buyers, builders and authority officials must sit together and find a solution that will benefit all,” said Debasish Panda, chief executive officer, Greater Noida authority.