Semi-nude homebuyer protests outside Greater Noida office over late delivery
Upset over the delay in delivery of a one-storey house in an authority scheme, a semi-nude homebuyer staged a protest outside the Greater Noida authority’s office on Thursday.
The police detained him to end the protest. The Greater Noida authority assured him that his house would be finished in a week.
The Greater Noida authority had launched a scheme in 2009 offering around 1,000 single-storey houses in Sector Zu-II with a promise to deliver them in 2012. However, the authority is yet to finish construction and deliver the properties. A majority of the houses are under construction and only a few of the thousand units have been delivered so far.
“I invested Rs45.5 lakh in a 120 square metre one-storey house in a scheme launched by the Greater Noida authority in 2009. Even after eight years of delay, the authority staff is not telling me when they will finish the house and deliver it,” Rajeev Sharma, a corporate lawyer who lives in Delhi, the buyer, said.
He approached the Greater Noida authority’s Knowledge Park-IV area wearing shorts and a placard hanging from his neck. “The Greater Noida authority failed to give me possession of my house in the last four years, despite the fact I have paid Rs45.5 lakh. The corruption-ridden staff of the Greater Noida authority is not addressing my grievances,” the placard read.
The Greater Noida authority called the police to deal with the protester and the police detained him for a while. However, the protester left only after the authority staff promised to finish his house in a week.
“I purchased the house in 2012 from an original allottee as the Greater Noida authority had assured to deliver it by 2012-end but then the staff kept postponing the date of delivery. In 2014, then authority chief executive officer had promised delivery by the year-end but nothing happened. Upset over the false promises, I decided to protest half-naked so that the insensitive officials pay attention to my grievances,” Sharma said.
Krishan Kumar, an additional chief executive officer of the Greater Noida authority, said, “I have assured him that we will finish the work on his flat soon and hand over the property. The flat delivery has been delayed because the contractor didn’t finish the work on time.”
