BENGALURU: The need to post a person full-time as the Secretary of Real Estate Authority of India-Karnataka (RERA-K) is fast gaining momentum. A forum representing property buyers plans to write to the State Chief Secretary on Monday demanding the same.
The present Secretary Nagendraprasad K, an IAS officer, holds Additional Charge as Director of Horticulture.
Speaking to The New Indian Express, M S Shankar, General Secretary of the Forum for People’s Collective Efforts which fights for the rights of home buyers said that this was for the first time since its inception that an individual holding concurrent charge was being posted as the Secretary.
“It is of utmost importance to have a Secretary dedicated only to RERA work. The Secretary coordinates with various government departments and plays a critical role in enforcement of the RERA Act in the State,” he said. Due to the dual roles performed by the present Secretary, he was not able to do justice to RERA issues, Shankar said.
Many RERA orders were not being adhered to by promoters, Shankar pointed out. The Adjudicating Officer of RERA has issued many orders to the promoters asking them to pay the compensations to the complainants (Homebuyers) under Sections 12, 14, 18 and 19 of RERA Act and they are not honoured by the promoters, the General Secretary said. A separate Revenue Recovery Wing needs to be constituted with revenue officials and RERA officials to ensure RERA was implemented in its letter and spirit, he added.
It has been learnt that RERA Chairman Kishore Chandra had also apprised the Housing Secretary about the need to have a full-time Secretary here. When asked about it, the Chairman was not forthcoming with any details about it. Housing Secretary Ravishankar could not be reached for his response on the issue.