Sector 99 flats sold without licence: RTI

Times of India: Gurgaon: Tuesday, 07 October 2014.

Investors who have booked flats in a housing project in Gurgaon's Sector 99, have demanded an investigation into what they claim is a "case of cheating" because the developer had allegedly gone ahead with the sales without acquiring the relevant licence in its own name.

The project, Sovereign Park, was launched by Vatika Limited in 2012. But an RTI reply has revealed that it was not Vatika, but one of its associate companies, Planet Earth Estates Pvt Ltd, which was granted the licence by the Department of Town and Country Planning (DTCP), Haryana, to sell the project.

Moreover, according to the RTI reply (a copy of which is with TOI), the DTCP has not given any sanction to Planet Earth to authorize Vatika to sell the project. Also, according to rules, a company cannot authorize another company to sell the project, without due permission from DTCP. The RTI query was filed by RK Goyal, who had booked a flat in February 2013.

"Even after paying a couple of installments, totalling to Rs 26 lakh, Vatika was refusing to provide us with the sanction plan of the project. So, I took the RTI route and found out that the developer didn't have the license to sell the project," Goyal said.

He added: "The developer kept my money for over a year. When I told them I would file a complaint as they don't possess a licence for the project, Vatika agreed to refund my money without any interest. They also deducted Rs 85,000," Goyal said, adding he had also lodged a complaint with the economic offences wing of Gurgaon Police against the developer in June. He is, however, still waiting for a response from them.

Another investor, a senior citizen, said he has been writing to the developer to inquire about the progress of the project.

"I have been asking for a site visit for the last one year. However, there has been no satisfactory reply from the developer. I was a state government employee. After my retirement, I decided to invest in a housing project so that my children can have their dream home in Gurgaon. Now, after coming to know that the developer does not have the licence, I am suffering from mental agony," he said. "It's a clear case of cheating. I want my money back."

When contacted, Dayanand, an inspector in the economic offences wing of the Gurgaon Police, said: "We have told the developer to provide us the agreement signed between them and their associate company to sell the project. We will receive the agreement soon."

An official spokesperson for Vatika said it wasn't a case of cheating. "Licences in respect of Sovereign Park are duly issued in the name of one group company of Vatika Ltd," he said.