Razing illegality

An earnest hope is that the tremors felt by the spectacular demolition of the Supertech twin towers in Noida would shake up the real estate sector — a cesspool of illegalities by builders and corruption by government officials, leaving the gullible homebuyers cheated of their money and dreamhouses. As the tall buildings came crashing down, the message being sent out in crystal-clear terms was that there would be consequences that had been, till now, inconceivable if regulations were flouted. What should rise out of the rubble, one would expect, is due caution and vigilance — to be exercised at all levels by the developer, the builder, the officials giving the go-ahead to the plans, and even the buyers. But has justice been served to the residents who fought this exhaustive legal battle?

How the structures in Sector 93A came into being in the first place in complete contravention of rules calls for investigation and fixing of accountability of officials for their acts of omission and commission. That has been the missing link. Who actually got punished for approving the plans, for offering and accepting bribes, for laying of every brick that had illegality stamped on it? For the nefarious complicity, as the Supreme Court put it? A chargesheet named 26 officials for allegedly indulging in corruption, while an FIR was registered against three fire department officials. None from the realty major, Noida Authority or the fire department is in jail.

The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act or RERA, introduced in 2016, was aimed at bringing fair practices that would protect the interests of buyers and also impose penalties on errant builders. The legislation has brought in a measure of regulatory control. For the investors in residential projects who have been duped of their savings, penal action is the only deterrent to stop the malpractices. So, while the demolition does set a precedent, it would take much more to restore the customers’ faith.