Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Gaps in RTI replies, flat owners file appeals

Times of India: Noida: Wednesday, 17 September 2014.
Noida Extension Flat Owners Association (NEFOWA) filed 35 "first appeals" with the Greater Noida Authority on Tuesday, claiming that replies to most of the 100 RTIs they had filed in August seeking information from builders on several issues were "unsatisfactory".
A letter highlighting the issue was also sent to the Prime Minister.
"We filed 100 RTIs on August 8, asking GNIDA to share information on maps of various housing projects, their layout plans, deeds of declaration, true disclosure forms, etc. But we didn't get any of these in their responses," said NEFOWA general secretary Shweta Bharti. The body had also asked queries about the quality of building materials being used at various projects.
"We're surprised true disclosure forms and deeds of declaration were not submitted, as, according to the UP apartment act, 2010, these two documents are the most important information on a project, which builders need to submit with the authority," Bharti said.
"Realtors who haven't submitted true disclosures with GNIDA but are selling flats are violating section 4(1) of the UP apartment act. Those who haven't submitted deeds of declaration are violating section 12 of the act. We've been forced to file the first appeal as GNIDA hasn't been able to furnish these," said NEFOWA co-founder Indrish Gupta.
"When an RTI response is incomplete, "first appeal" is the next bonafide action an appelant can take. They also carry a monetary penalty for the respondent if they fail to respond within the allotted time," said Gupta.
"The authority said they don't have a system to check quality of materials used. This is a potential danger. How can we be sure flats are going to be safe in future?" Gupta added.