GNIDA washes its hands off illegal properties in Shahberi

Greater Noida: Since it has been over two years when nine people were killed in a twin building collapse incident in Shahberi area of Greater Noida, homebuyers still wait for their grievances to be addressed while not much seems to have changed on the ground. Over a thousand new properties have been registered by the Stamp and Registration Department even after the Allahabad High Court's orders to maintain the status quo in the area.

In a fresh development, the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority (GNIDA), which has denotified the area, has advised people to refrain themselves from buying flats that are built in such illegal colonies and also made it clear that those buying or living in these illegal colonies will be responsible for any mishap that might lead to fatalities, essentially absolving itself of responsibility in case anything happens to these structures.

As per a senior GNIDA officer, around 434 illegal buildings were identified by the authority in Shahberi area and an audit of all these buildings was conducted by an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT). In the reports submitted by IIT, only three of these buildings were found safe, rest all were highlighted as illegal and unsafe to

live in.

"People should avoid investing their life savings into the properties which are built illegally. The authority cannot take responsibility for the safety of buildings that are not authorised by it. The area was denotified in 2011 and three years later, the high court had ordered a status quo," said Narendra Bhooshan, CEO, GNIDA.

The residents of the area, while citing government records, have claimed that around 1,500 registries have been done in Shahberi since the twin-building collapse in 2018 and the property registrations still continue. They demand a probe by a central agency like CBI or Enforcement Directorate into illegal constructions in the area and registries of new properties that have continued unabated since the incident.

"Despite court's order, the construction and registry of properties continued illegally in the area. The builders lured buyers saying that when registries are getting done, how can the property be declared illegal. We pay lakhs in terms of registry charges while the banks also approve home loans without checking property documents properly. Later the administration and authority swing into action and start sealing the area marking it as illegal. This is clear cheating with thousands of innocent homebuyers who have invested their life savings to fulfill their dream of owning a house," said Pritam Kumar, a resident of Shahberi area.