‘No registry, no votes’: Homebuyers in Noida & Greater Noida put up posters to vent ire
Officials said only a maximum of 500 flats have registered so far, while there are around 32,000 stalled flats covered under the package in Noida.
5 min read
'No Registry, No Vote', Some Noida Residents Are Refusing To Vote, (Express Photo by Gajendra Yadav)At several housing societies in Noida and Greater Noida, a curious sight greets one as they enter the premises. Strung across many a balcony are red banners, sporting the words ‘No Registry-No Vote’.
Registry here refers to registration of flats across hundreds of stalled real estate projects in the areas. While a report by a committee chaired by former NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant, to provide solutions for such projects, was approved by the Uttar Pradesh government in December 2023, the number of homebuyers who have received relief under it is far from target.
Hence, frustrated residents put up these posters for politicians — mainly from the BJP — visiting societies in the Gautam Buddha Nagar constituency for Lok Sabha poll campaigning with the pitch that builder-buyer issues have been resolved.
According to data available with the Noida, Greater Noida and Yamuna authorities, The Indian Express has learnt, of around 1.15 lakh stalled flats awaiting registry under the Kant relief package, only around 3,350 flats have been registered so far.
The registration of flats under the scheme started on March 1 in the district.
While the posters were removed by authorities concerned later citing poll-code violations, many residents decided to put them up in their balconies. Flat buyers also modified their call — if ‘no vote’ is a violation of the poll code, they will use ‘NOTA’ (‘none of the above’ voting option) to mark their protest.
The latest in this campaign is unfolding at Gaur Saundaryam society in Techzone 4, Greater Noida, where these posters came up on balconies this week.
R K Gupta, president of the Apartment Owners Association (AOA) of Gaur Saundaryam, said more than 300 units are awaiting registration. “The matter grew complicated after the builder moved court, which is pending in the high court. There is a dispute over dues between the authority and builder. Unless the authority issues requisite approval such as occupancy certificate, the registry will not be done,” said Gupta, adding that the society has a total of 2,068 units.
Similar posters were also put up in different Noida societies like Gardenia Glory in Sector 46 and Futec Gateway in Sector 75 among others.
Durgesh Singh, AOA president of Gardenia Glory, said that even though posters were put up, people would not boycott the Lok Sabha election. “… People are definitely angry, but will not boycott elections… we also have the option of NOTA. The reason for the protest is there are around 1,450 units in our society, but not a single registry has been done to date,” said Singh, adding that the builder had not given its consent for the Kant relief package owing to issues over dues with the Noida Authority.
Similar is the situation of Futec Gateway, among the earliest housing projects of Noida. Commissioned in 2010-11 with a delivery period of 2014-15, let alone the registry, residents are awaiting even a basic NOC (no-objection certificate) for the project.
Dipanjan Jana, secretary of the Flat Buyers Association of the society, said: “Our society is still incomplete. Registry is a distant dream for us. We are fighting for a completion certificate; after that, the authority will give the occupancy certificate…”
He claimed that the builder owes around Rs 100 crore to the Noida Authority and has not consented to the Kant package. “We went to the RERA (Real Estate Regulatory Authority) and many politicians, but we did not get relief. There are a total of 567 units in the society and around 450 of them are occupied,” he added.
Telling numbers
The Kant relief package provides several waivers to builders including a two-year zero-period relief — taking into account the Covid period — which translates into a 20% waiver of total outstanding land dues.
Under the zero-period clause, interest and penal interest will not be levied on the builder for two years, and installments will be shifted beyond it. However, there is a proviso that registration of flats could begin after the builder pays 25% of the outstanding amount (land dues) within 60 days.
In Noida, the authority roped in a total of 57 builders — this does not include projects in NCLT/courts — under the plan. Of these, developers of 35 projects have given consent for the scheme. However, only 14 builders have paid the required 25% of the dues so far.
Officials said only a maximum of 500 flats have registered so far, while there are around 32,000 stalled flats covered under the package in Noida.
“The time limit of 60 days to pay 25% of the outstanding dues will expire by April 12 in most cases. If the builders do not respond by this day, as a next step, we will proceed according to the plan which involves the provision of penal action,” said a senior Noida Authority official.
Similarly, around 1,550 flats have been registered by the Greater Noida Authority after the implementation of the plan. Data with the authority shows that a total of 99 projects, with a total of 1.02 lakh units, have been roped in by the authority — 68,563 units are awaiting sub-lease deed (registry) execution.
Under the Yamuna Authority, there are a total of 13 projects with 24,396 flats. Data shows that out of 14,358 flats roped in for registration, the registry has been done only for 1,283.
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