BENGALURU: Nearly 1300 families in the posh residential complex, 'Nikoo Homes', in Bhartiya City on Thannisandra Road are upset after the contractor responsible for managing their apartment sent them a notice on Thursday night asking them to pay up three months worth of maintenance charges in advance.
With banks deferring EMIs and companies affecting a cut in pay due to the economic devastation, caused by the impact of the coronavirus, this move at such a juncture has upset them no end.
Many residents who spoke to The New Indian Express said the notice issued by the contractor Intelligent Community Management Pvt Ltd (ICM) on behalf of Bhartiya City asked them to pay up the maintenance amount in advance for the first quarter of this financial year within 10 days. Failure to pay up within the fixed time will invite an interest of 18% on the amount to be paid by each family, the notice states. The sums to be paid as maintenance ranges between Rs 3,000 and Rs 10,000 depending on the dimension of the apartment at Rs 4 per square foot.
Software employee, Niranjan Gowda (all names changed) a resident here, points out that the non-formation of a resident welfare association during the last two years has ensured that an external agency of the builder has taken in charge of activities related to maintenance. “They have been charging us GST every month on the maintenance amount collected and they have done it with this 3-month bill too given for my family for Rs 13,600” he said.
Another resident, Varun Patil who highlighted this issue on Twitter got a response from the Bangalore City Police asking him to register an FIR with the local police station over the issue. “It is so unfair to be doing this at this particular time when everyone is cash crunched. Also, this is a period when none of us are using any of the facilities like gym, play area, swimming pool and so on due to the lockdown in place,” he said.
Abhinaya K, who has been asked to pay up Rs 15,000 as maintenance charges, adds, “I usually get a monthly bill. It is the first time I have been told to pay up for three months at one go.”