Rera seeks court intervention to complete stalled housing project

Panaji: Goa Real Estate Regulatory Authority (Rera) has moved the North Goa principal district and sessions court to enforce its 2020 order directing Hrija Construction to complete an unfinished housing project and hand over flats to home buyers.The move follows representations submitted by aggrieved home buyers in July and Aug, more than six years after the authority ordered the developer to complete the project and give possession.On Sept 9, Rera secretary Dattaraj Gauns Desai re-initiated the execution proceedings, pointing out that the district court had considered only the portion of the authority’s order relating to possession, while overlooking its direction to complete the project.In Feb 2020, Goa Rera had imposed a Rs 15 lakh penalty on Hrija Construction for failing to register the ongoing project and deliver possession. It had directed the developer to complete the project and hand over the flats by April 30, 2020.After the developer failed to comply, Rera initiated criminal proceedings before the judicial magistrate first class (JMFC) for non-registration and forwarded the penalty recovery to the Revenue department. It also sent the order on completion and possession to the district court for execution.However, on June 23 this year, the ad hoc district court in Panaji closed the execution proceedings, observing that physical possession could not be handed over as the building was incomplete and did not have a final occupancy certificate (OC).Rera has now argued that obtaining an OC is an inherent part of completing the construction and that the execution proceedings should not have been closed merely because possession could not yet be handed over.The authority told the court that it has no power to review its order once it has been issued and urged the executing court to use its powers under the Code of Civil Procedure (CPC). It said the court could appoint an independent agency or third party to complete the construction at the defaulting builder’s expense.Rera has sought the court’s intervention to ensure full implementation of its 2020 order and provide relief to the affected home buyers.You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Goa | Silver Rate in Goa | Bank Holidays in Goa | Public Holidays in Goa | Petrol Price in GoaStay updated with the latest Goa news. Download the TOI App.