BHUBANESWAR: In a landmark decision, the Odisha Real Estate Regulatory Authority (ORERA) has removed a real estate firm from the project it was undertaking in Puri and asked the State Government to take it over. In its order issued on November 10, ORERA asked authorities concerned to freeze the project-related account of Seven Hills Estates Private Limited, the property promoter, for violation of RERA norms.
Disposing of an ‘execution case’ pending against the real estate firm since 2019, ORERA directed the State government to delegate the remaining development work of the project - Seven Hills Sands at Sipasarubali Mouza in Puri, to a competent authority such as OBCC or NBCC to protect the interest of the buyers.
It also barred the form from accessing the ORERA website to promote its project. The Seven Hills Flat Owners Association which had filed the petition said they moved ORERA with an ‘execution case’ in 2018 seeking handover of the property to the association as the real estate firm failed to complete the pending infrastructure work and develop common area on time. The project which started in 2006-07 was supposed to be completed in phases by 2014.
Considering the Association members’ grievance, the ORERA in 2019 asked the firm to get its project registered with it, complete pending work and issue occupancy certificates to the buyers by September 2019. “The project does not even have a proper approach road,” a member of the association said and added that approval of Puri Konark Development Authority given for three years lapsed in July 2014.
RERA activists welcomed the order but stated that ORERA should hand over the sale deed registration power to the competent authority which will execute the pending work as the ownership of the project is still available with the promoter.
“The project land is still in the name of the builder and if it does not cooperate in signing the deed, buyers may have to wait further to get possession of the flats,” said RERA activist Bimalendu Pradhan. The developer could not be contacted for response.