Failed housing schemes land JIT in legal trouble

Avneet Kaur

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Jalandhar, August 27

The Jalandhar Improvement Trust (JIT) has so far faced 299 cases in the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission for its failed residential schemes. The JIT has miserably failed to handover the possessions of the flats and plots to allottees for which it took lakhs of rupees from them.

As per information, the cases have been filed against the JIT between January 2015 to date for its failed schemes — Bibi Bhani Complex, Indra Puram-Master Gurbanta Singh Enclave and Surya Enclave Extension. Of 299 cases, 140 stands decided, while 159 cases are still pending with the commission. The JIT has complied to the rulings in 70 cases by refunding the principal amount with interest and compensation, and 39 are still pending.

10 yrs on, facilities continue to elude us

Even after the lapse of over 10 years, the JIT has failed to provide even the basic amenities like roads, power connections, streetlights, etc., in Bibi Bhani Complex and Gurbanta Singh Enclave. —Darshan Ahuja, Bibi Bhani scheme allottee

Waiting to get possession of plot since 2011

In 2011, the JIT launched 94.97-acre Surya Enclave Extension Scheme, a housing project. I paid the full amount of Rs 39 lakh for the plot by 2014, but have not received the possession yet. —ML Sehgal, Allottee

While the above data pertains to complaints filed in the district commission, a number of cases have been filed against the Trust directly in the State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission. Recently, the JIT lost two cases of allottees of Surya Enclave Extension in the state commission. The latter had ordered JIT to refund their principal amount with interest and compensation, which is to the tune of Rs 1.20 crore.

Allottees said the JIT had failed to fulfil any of the promises made at the time when these schemes were launched. Therefore, they were left with no other option than to file complaints with the consumer courts. They alleged the JIT had duped them of lakhs of rupees, but still there had been no investigation into these failed schemes.

Darshan Ahuja, an allottee in Bibi Bhani scheme, said even after the lapse of over 10 years, the JIT had failed to provide even the basic amenities like roads, power connections, streetlights, etc., in Bibi Bhani Complex and Gurbanta Singh Enclave. Besides, at Surya Enclave extension, no development has been carried out as the Trust failed to remove the illegal encroachment from the plot and the park, he said.

He stressed in the Surya Enclave Extension Scheme, despite paying Rs 30 or 40 lakh each, allottees had been waiting for the trust to hand over the possession.

Another allottee, ML Sehgal, said during the SAD-BJP government in 2011, the JIT launched a housing project known as ‘94.97-acre Surya Enclave Extension Scheme’. He said it had offered around 431 plots, ranging from 100 sq yards to 500 sq yards, to the public at a reserve price of Rs 17,000 per sq yard.

He said he paid the complete amount of Rs 39 lakh for the plot to the JIT by 2014, but had not received possession to date.

“JIT is reeling under a financial debt and a number of allottees had registered cases with the state and district consumer forums against the Trust for duping them and not fulfilling the promises of giving possession. Recently, while addressing five such cases of Surya Enclave Extension, the District Consumer Commission had ordered JIT to remove the encroachment from the plot and provide basic amenities to the allottees within three months or else it had to pay principal amount with interest and compensation which will be over Rs 1 crore”, Sehgal added. Allottees said a high-level inquiry from the Vigilance Bureau must be conducted to probe why these schemes failed and who was responsible for this.