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Dream turns nightmare

Affordability and proximity to Chandigarh were the two main attractions of the apartments coming up on the periphery.

Quality housing on Chandigarh’s periphery had seemed possible till a few years ago but the promise was short-lived

Affordability and proximity to Chandigarh were the two main attractions of the apartments coming up on the periphery. Quality housing for the burgeoning service class had seemed possible in areas like Zirakpur and Dera Bassi. But the dream has been plagued by nightmares.

Soon after people moved in,complaints started pouring in.

“Power is a major problem in these apartments. We were promised individual meters by the builders but they have not been provided till now,” Chitra,who moved with her family in a spacious apartment in Zirakpur in January 2009,said. “The load on the common meter is enormous and there are frequent disruptions.”

“When we moved in,we made payment for power backup but scheduled and unscheduled power cuts still take place,” another resident said.

Residents in some societies say they are paying as high as Rs 12 per unit for power.

Water is another major complaint of residents in these areas,with many still waiting for a direct water line.

Despite an international airport is coming up near Zirakpur,infrastructure around it remains poor. Bad roads are a common site,which flood every year during the monsoon.

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Also,despite many housing societies in the area,transport remains a constant complaint of residents.

Further,many areas are still doing without adequate sewage lines,and bad condition of streetlights ensures that crime festers here.

“I admit that the area lacks civic amenities. We held a meeting with the Chief Minister only yesterday. Rs 80 crore has been approved and will be spent in four area in my constituency for better civic amenities,” Banur MLA Jasjit Singh said.

Complaints reach consumer forum

Allottees have started to approach consumer forums to get refunds of their deposits or seek compensation from private builders for a ‘bad deal’.

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In the last two months alone,four complainants against leading developers were filed in the district consumer forum,which decided the case in favour of the complainants.

Most of these complaints are about delay in construction or absence of facilities promised when selling the flat,a lawyer said.

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