K-RERA finally publishes list of default and lapsed projects, includes BDA’s Kempegowda Layout

The list has been a longstanding demand of home buyers, who say it will help them make an informed choice

After many years of insistence by activists fighting for home buyers, Real Estate Regulatory Authority - Karnataka (K-RERA) has for the first time published the list of lapsed and default projects on its website. The list carries a message to home buyers: “The proposed project completion date for this project is expired. The buyers may take an informed decision accordingly.”

Those projects that have not renewed their registration before the deadline when they were to be completed, are designated as lapsed projects. “As on date, there are 2,404 of them. These projects should have got an extension before their deadline for completion,” said Rakesh Singh, Chairman, K-RERA.

The authority has been issuing notices to lapsed projects summoning the promoters to explain the delay and seek an extension. However, promoters of five projects, including Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) for Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Layout, haven’t even replied to these notices nor uploaded quarterly reports of the ongoing works to the authority. They are categorised as default projects, Mr. Singh explained.

Welcoming K-RERA’s move to publish the list of lapsed and default projects on its website, M. S. Shankar, Convenor, Forum for People’s Collective Efforts, said the number of lapsed and default projects accounts for nearly 35% of the total registered projects (6,990), which he argued showed lax implementation of RERA law and rules in Karnataka.

“Essentially, this shows that K-RERA authorities do not have effective control over even registered projects to ensure their completion within the deadline. K-RERA must go a step ahead, conduct site inspections of all these projects, probe them and publish action taken reports. As per RERA Act, 2016, the Authority can recommend to the government to revoke the project’s registration, and let the competent authority or association of allottees complete the remaining work. Either K-RERA has not taken any such action on lapsed and default projects till date, or there has been no transparency over the same,” he said.

Kempegowda Layout a ‘default project’

Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Layout developed by BDA has been listed as a “default project” on K-RERA website. According to K-RERA website, BDA applied for registration of the project on September 28, 2017 and the project was approved on May 18, 2018 with a deadline for completion of December 31, 2021.

Not only has BDA not yet completed civil works in the layout, it has neither applied for an extension with K-RERA nor uploaded quarterly progress reports on the K-RERA website.

A. S. Surya Kiran, Joint Secretary, Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Layout Open Forum, an association of allottees, said that the forum had written to BDA in March 2024 flagging the issue of BDA officials not filing quarterly reports to K-RERA.

“It has been nearly three years since the deadline for the development of the Layout ended as per K-RERA. But even as BDA often claims that 80% of the civil works have been completed, the ground reality is that the civic amenities are not to the level that any of the allottees can go and build a house there. None of the roads are asphalted. Even the drainage system is not up to the mark. Only a handful of allottees have shifted to the Layout,” he said.

H. R. Shantharajanna, Member (Engineering), BDA, said that the civil works in the layout were on in full swing. “In private projects, developers usually have possession of the land before they start the project. But all BDA Layouts, including Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Layout, are plagued by litigation over land acquisition, which is a major hurdle to carry out civil works,” he said, explaining the delay in civil works. He blamed technical glitches in the K-RERA website for not filing quarterly reports.

Published - September 21, 2024 04:07 pm IST