5,000 homebuyers hit as HRERA revokes registration of 5 Mahira projects

HRERA said it had decided to revoke the registrations as the developer failed to comply with provisions of the RERA Act and did not complete the projects on time

Gurugram: The Gurugram bench of the Haryana Real Estate Regulatory Authority (HRERA) on Tuesday revoked the registration of five realty projects launched by Mahira Infratech and its sister concern Czar Buildtech in Gurugram in which nearly 5,000 homebuyers have invested their money. HRERA said it has decided to revoke the registrations as the developer failed to comply with provisions of the RERA Act and did not complete the projects.

A senior HRERA official said that directions have been issued that the promoters should not be allowed to access the website of the authority in relation to these projects and the promoters be listed as defaulters on the HRERA website. (HT File Photo)

The five affordable housing projects of Mahira Infratech Private Limited and its sister concern Czar Buildtech Pvt Ltd whose registration has been revoked include Mahira Homes Sector 68, Mahira Homes Sector 104, Mahira Homes Sector 103, Mahira Homes Sector 63A and Mahira Homes Sector 95, the authority said.

“The authority deems it fit to revoke the registrations of the affordable housing projects registered by this authority under the provisions of section 7(1)(a), (b) and (d) of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act 2016, Haryana Real Estates (Regulation and Development) Rules, 2017 and Regulations of the Haryana Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA), Gurugram,” said HRERA in a statement issued on Tuesday.

HRERA chairman, Arun Kumar, had earlier on February 14 inspected the construction progress of all these five projects and visited the sites. The authority has also got a criminal case registered against the developer for violating norms and for transaction of funds in violations of rules.

“Mahira Homes promoter has defaulted on various accounts, and since we are custodians of the RERA Act, we must safeguard allottees’ rights. We have been left with no choice but to revoke the registration of all five projects and look forward to a viable option for completing these projects,” said Arun Kumar, HRERA Gurugram chairman.

A senior HRERA official said that directions have been issued that the promoters should not be allowed to access the website of the authority in relation to these projects and the promoters be listed as defaulters on HRERA website. “It is further directed under Section 7(4) (c) of the Act that the concerned banks holding the projects’ bank accounts shall keep the accounts of the projects frozen till further orders,” the authority said.

According to legal experts the cancellation of project registration will now enable HRERA Gurugram to freeze the accounts of the developer, and take control of the projects. “The authority can now devise a plan for the completion of the project in consultation with the competent authority and the state government to get these projects done. The first right of refusal is to allottees, who can offer to complete the project. Otherwise, the authority can bring in another government agency or developer to complete the project. But this situation is complicated and it will take a lot of time and persuasion to complete these pending projects,” said advocate Venket Rao, founder, Intygrat Law.

The problems for Mahira Developers began on May 9, 2022 when the department of town and country planning had cancelled the licence of a Sector 68 project and blacklisted the other four projects for violating the terms of the licence. The blacklisting order and licence revocation were taken back later by the department but these projects could not be brought back on track and have remained stuck since then.

Nitin Khurana, president, Mahira Sector 68 Buyers’ Association, when asked about the matter said that they support the action taken by HRERA, Gurugram but want the authority to expedite the completion of the projects. “We have requested a meeting with the RERA Chairman to discuss an action plan. We wholeheartedly thank RERA for taking action against the builder. We request RERA to get the construction started at the earliest so that all the homebuyers can get their homes as its already delayed by two years,” Khurana said.

Another buyer said that they have held over 50 protests seeking action against the developer and pressing for early construction of their flats.

Sikander Chhoker, chairman, Mahira Group did not respond to phone calls and messages seeking comments on the matter.