Pay maintenance or face disruption of services, Amrapali Group tells residents

Realty firm Amrapali Group has issued notice to residents of its Sapphire housing society warning them to either pay the common maintenance charges or face disruption of services.

Realty firm Amrapali Group has issued notice to residents of its Sapphire housing society warning them to either pay the common maintenance charges or face disruption of services. According to the realty firm, around 850 residents living in the incomplete Sapphire society have not paid over Rs14 crore maintenance charges for the last three years.

Residents said that they are not paying common maintenance charges because the realty firm failed to complete the project within the 2011 deadline (HT File)

Residents said that they are not paying common maintenance charges because the realty firm failed to complete the project within the 2011 deadline.

“In 2014, Amrapali Group CMD Anil Sharma signed an agreement with us that residents will not pay maintenance charges until pending work is completed,” Sanjiv Arora, a buyer, said.

The realty firm said it is spending Rs 30-40 lakh per month on sanitation, lift, power backup, security and other common facilities.

“We are levying Rs 2 per sqft as common maintenance charge. If residents do not pay, security, housekeeping and other agencies will stop services. We are amicably trying to convince them to cooperate and pay as it will help the realtor complete remaining work. We need funds to run our services,” Nishant Mukul, director (technical) with Amrapali Group, said.

Residents said that the realty firm had promised to charge them only when lifts and common facilities become operational. “How can a realtor levy common maintenance charges on residents before occupancy certificate is obtained?,” RK Batra, a homebuyer, said.

“Maintenance issue should be decided by the builder and buyer,” SC Gaur, chief architect and town planner of Noida, said.