WBRERA violations: Housing dept takes up field inspections
Kolkata: Since the launch of WBRERA (West Bengal Real Estate Regulatory Authority) website and till the end of 2023-24 FY, the Housing department has made 210 field inspections and has issued show cause notices to 47 real estate projects with penalty being imposed on half a dozen.
The WBRERA website was launched on January 31, 2023. Since 2024 beginning, the department has focused on surveys of real estate advertisements in the city and its fringes to identify whether they prominently mention the registration number.
In March 2024, there were 51 inspections and 14 show causes. Till February 2024, the department made 159 field inspections and issued 33 show cause notices. “Majority of these inspections and notices came up in January and February 2024,” an official said.
The department observed instances where developers either excluded the WBRERA registration numbers from the ads of their real estate projects or the numbers were illegible.
“We have identified these developers and have showcaused and even penalised them for flouting West Bengal Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Rules 2021,” said a Housing department official. Rules were flouted in ads put up at EM Bypass, VIP Road, Baruipur, Joka, Diamond Harbour Road etc.
A promoter has to compulsorily apply for online registration of every real estate project through the WBRERA website (www.rera.wb.gov.in) where the area of land proposed to be developed is more than 200 sq metre or the number of flats/units proposed to be developed are more than six with payment of requisite registration fees. No developer shall advertise, market, book or sell any real estate project without prior registration.
State Housing minister Aroop Biswas instructed his department officials to take up awareness campaigns and hold workshops involving all executive officers and commissioners of the urban local bodies of South 24 Parganas, North 24-Parganas and Howrah. Similar workshops were conducted in East Burdwan, West Burdwan and Hooghly.
