‘Completion certificate must before handover’

Kolkata: Mayor of KMC Firhad Hakim on Friday sent a warning to promoters against handing over or sale of newly constructed properties to buyers without obtaining a completion certificate.

Hakim said the KMC is making incessant calls regarding the matter and explained: “It has to come to light that in many cases, promoters are handing over flats without a completion certificate. It is mandatory to obtain the completion certificate before transferring or selling the property to the buyer.”

Commenting on the need for such a certificate, he said: “Without completion certificate, one can never know whether certain mandatory clauses have been fulfilled such as obtaining a fire clearance. In case a fire clearance for a property is absent and if by chance an incident takes place leading to loss of lives and damage to property, who will take the responsibility?”

He further said: “In several cases, promoters delay in handing over flats and then out of pressure from buyers to rush into the new one, hand over the keys although the property is yet to be fully developed with provisions of elevator and other amenities. No completion certificate is obtained. “Registration of a property cannot be done without obtaining the certificate. I have asked the municipal commissioner to write to the Inspector General of registration to look into the matter.”

Further, Hakim maintained that he will also consult the state’s Housing department to see if small-time promoters can be brought under the Real

Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) Act. Such transfer of properties without obtaining a completion certificate is becoming prevalent among small-time promoters, he said.