Two flat allottees win cases against Trust

Jalandhar, August 24

The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has directed the Jalandhar Improvement Trust (JIT) to refund Rs 26 lakh to two allottees of the Indrapuram Master Gurbanta Singh Enclave. This sum includes the principal amount, nine per cent interest and additional compensation and litigation expenses.

“The refund must be processed within 45 days, failing which the JIT will incur an additional interest charge of three per cent per annum,” the commission orders read.

The complaints were lodged by Urmil Tandon and Asha Rani in 2023 and 2019, respectively, who alleged that they each paid over Rs 4 lakh in 2006 for flats in the Indrapuram scheme’s 13.97-acre development project. Their grievances centered around the fact that the JIT forcibly handed over flats to them in 2013 without essential facilities such as electricity or water connections. The judgement in both the cases was delivered in the second week of August.

Sunil Kumar, Asha Rani’s son, who took over the case after his mother’s death in 2020, highlighted that his mother had invested her life savings into the project, only to find it incomplete and riddled with issues. Despite repeated appeals to the JIT office for justice, the problems remained unresolved, prompting the allottees to seek intervention from the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission.

The JIT’s counsel argued that the complainants had accepted possession of the flats after inspecting the construction, thus negating their claims. However, the commission’s president stated that the possession was partial and did not include the required amenities as outlined in the allotment agreement. The commission instructed the JIT to return the deposited amount along with nine per cent interest, Rs 30,000 in compensation and Rs 8,000 for litigation expenses, to the complainants. Failure to comply within the specified period would result in an additional three per cent annual interest charge on the principal amount, the commission stated.