Hoping to prove to prospective buyers that they have no connection with the tainted Prasoon Mukherjee, builder of the Kolkata West International City (KWIC) in West Howrah, Shapoorji Pallonji, promoter of the multi-crore Joyville, has approached the state Urban Development department to construct an approach road connecting the housing complex to Kona Expressway.
The department, however, is not in favour of acquiring private land to set up the road for a private builder, as land owners might go to court asking the state government to pay heavy compensation.
The erstwhile Left Front government had given a 390- acre plot to Mukherjee for Rs 99 crore, thereby affecting state coffers badly.
The present government also lost financially when Mukherjee sub-let 30 acre of land to Drashti Developers Private Limited on November 27, 2013 for a fixed consideration of Rs 150 crore.
Of the 390-acre land which Mukherjee got from Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) in 2005, he is still in possession of more than 250 acre. Of the remaining land, 82 acre has been reserved for the row houses of KWIC, another 6 acre for Kolkata Heights and 30 acre has been sub-let for the housing complex. Mukherjee has amassed more than Rs 400 crore so far from his pet KWIC project.
Joyville will come up on a 30- acre land, at a starting price of Rs 21 lakh. There will be facilities like clubhouse, restaurant, café, amphitheatre, senior citizens’ park, netted pitch and gymnasium. Big hoardings have come up all over the city to entice prospective buyers.
The big question now is how the flats will be registered in the names of the buyers, as they will be sub- lessees of sub lessees. Also, if the state government does not construct the connecting road, the prospective Joyville residents will find it difficult to enter the housing complex as KWIC residents might not allow them to use the common path.
A senior member of the KWIC Buyers’ Welfare Association cautioned those interested in buying flats at Joyville that they should carefully study the project before investing as they were still dealing with Prasoon Mukherjee indirectly, who has a dubious track record. More than a decade has lapsed and Mukherjee is yet to construct 400 row houses at KWIC.
Interestingly, the scheduled completion for the row houses was 2008. The buyers of the unfinished 400 row houses have so far paid Rs 30 lakh on an average. “We have been duped and we do not want any such case in future,” said a member of the buyers association.