Homebuyers Complain About Long Delay In Maharera Second Hearings, ET RealEstate
PUNE: Homebuyers have raised serious concerns over the significant delays in second MahaRERA hearings, with duration in some cases stretching beyond a year, raising questions on the authority’s efficacy in delivering timely justice to the aggrieved parties.
The aggrieved homebuyers had raised the concerns in a representation to the Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority (MahaRERA) last month.
The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016, was introduced to ensure speedy resolution of disputes in the real estate sector. The homebuyers, however, said the current delays defeat the very purpose of the Act. “We waited over a year and a half for our second hearing. This extended timeline goes against the spirit of RERA,” a homebuyer said.
Advocate Anil D’Souza, representing several homebuyers, told TOI, “We have already approached MahaRERA chairman regarding the delays. Timely redressal is crucial for maintaining faith in the system.”
He said there were several cases that were not listed for the second hearing. “This goes on for 2-3 years under adjudicating members. Several writ petitions have already been filed by many individual advocates in the high court over this anomaly, where many complaints are stuck, almost adjourned sine-die for 2-3 years just for lack of an immediate next date,” he said.
A complainant from Satara said it took two years for MahaRERA to deliver a verdict that had no effect whatsoever on the builder. “First, there was a delay in hearing, and the verdict came after two years as there was no compensation,” the complainant said.
Lawyer and activist Manjunath Kakkalameli said the delay in hearing complaints had become a norm, which defied the very intent of RERA. “Unfortunately, the current functioning of MahaRERA is becoming very slow. First hearings are being scheduled in time, but for the second hearing, there is a delay in hearing,” he said.
Another activist under the Watchdog Foundation, Godfrey Pimenta, said the mandate under RERA was the disposal of complaints within 60 days from their filing. “However, the hearings and disposal of cases are stretching to three years now, thereby defeating the very purpose of RERA. Had more members been appointed, this situation would not have come to this,” Pimenta said, adding that in a case, it took more than three years, and now the matter was pending before the appellate tribunal.
