New Delhi: Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep S Puri on Tuesday said that more than lakh real estate projects and around 72,000 real estate agents have been registered under Real Estate Act, 2016 (RERA) across the country. “These are phenomenal figures and are highly appreciated and show the labour put in by the Regulatory Authorities. But, registration of projects is not enough. Teething problems are always there when we have structures as large as RERA being introduced in the ecosystem. However, it has been seven years since the law was enacted and that excuse is not available to us anymore,” said Puri while addressing the fourth meeting of the Central Advisory Council (CAC).
Also read:Effective implementation of RERA can restore trust between buyer and seller: Hardeep S Puri
Puri also appealed to West Bengal and Telangana, which are yet to implement RERA. “I am not surprised that despite a Supreme Court decision in May 2021, West Bengal is still to fully implement RERA. Telangana also is yet to do the same. I can only urge the two states through this body to expedite implementation in the interest of homebuyers of their respective states,” said Puri.
He said that about 1,07,146 complaints have been disposed of by authorities. “I have also received hundreds of requests from people from various walks of life requesting my intervention. Most tell me that we have ordered, but these orders are not being executed, and remain ‘paper orders’. This is not a happy situation. If you put yourself in the shoes of a homebuyer you would be disgruntled about RERA. As I mentioned there seems to be a reverse drift to consumer forums,” Puri said.
Referring to the stalled real estate projects, Puri said that a committee has been constituted to examine the issues holistically and recommend ways to complete these stalled projects. “I would recommend that this committee expeditiously make their recommendations and all stakeholders should carry out their share of responsibilities without delay so that these projects can be completed soon and homes handed over to buyers, who have been waiting for a very long time. We have to ensure projects are completed on time, as per specifications and standards promised to the homebuyers. We have to ensure project information is updated on the website as prescribed under the law so that a buyer can make informed decisions," Puri said.
