Union Housing Ministry steps in over lack of amenities in Greater Faridabad area

The Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has directed the relevant authorities to resolve issues concerning basic civic amenities in a 1200-acre residential area developed by a private developer in Greater Faridabad. Residents’ welfare associations from sectors 75 to 89 have raised concerns about incomplete amenities and the failure to issue the Completion Certificate (CC), despite a decade-long wait.

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“Though a meeting was held in compliance with the directions of the Haryana ULB Minister on February 5, on the issues, the issuance of the letter by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has revived the issue that had been a cause of concern for the residents of the sectors developed by M/s Countrywide Promoters Pvt. Limited, a leading private developer,” says Sumer Chand Khatri, one of the complainants. He added that the matter had been raised with the authorities repeatedly since 2020, with residents enduring poor civic amenities, causing delays in the issuance of the CC even after 14 years.

The CC, which is required to be issued within five years of the licence’s issuance, has yet to be granted, leaving residents facing substandard infrastructure. The Haryana ULB Minister had also directed authorities and the developer to resolve the issues at a meeting held in Chandigarh on January 7 this year.

“I am directed to forward the grievance on the subject mentioned above, it is requested that this matter be looked into and remedial action may be taken to redress the grievance and a suitable response sent to the applicant,” reads a letter written by the Housing Section authorities, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, on February 6 to the Town and Country Planning Department of Haryana.

Residents have raised multiple concerns, including poor internal roads, unfinished footpaths, absence of community centres and clubs, incomplete sewage and storm water drains, inadequate water supply, poorly maintained parks, non-functional street lighting, and missing green belts—all of which violate the norms and approval of the layout plan. Despite applications for CC in 2011 and 2014, approval has not been granted, possibly due to non-compliance with the norms. The Town and Country Planning department has been urged to issue a notice to the developer for license renewal and to transfer the sectors to the Municipal Corporation of Faridabad.

However, Rohit Mohan, vice president of M/s Countrywide Promoters Pvt. Limited, denied the allegations and asserted that the required infrastructure had already been developed and provided. While the CC has been applied for, he explained that the only issue was the maintenance of the amenities, for which residents had failed to make necessary payments. He added that the company was ready to hand over the project to the civic agencies.