MahaRERA directs planning authorities to verify authenticity of occupation certificates for lapsed real estate projects
Amid complaints of forged documents being used for project registrations, the Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority (MahaRERA) has instructed planning authorities to verify the authenticity of occupation certificates for lapsed real estate projects within 10 days. Failure to respond within the timeframe will be treated as approval, and any discrepancies discovered later will hold the respective planning authority accountable, it said in a statement.
“In the wake of fake construction document fraud in Kalyan-Dombivali area, the Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority (MahaRERA) has taken a decision to get OCs of lapsed projects to be verified by the respective Planning Authorities,” the Authority said in a statement.
“MahaRERA is sending letters to all concerned planning authorities asking them to verify Occupancy Certificates’ (OC) authenticity of 3,699 lapsed projects uploaded on the MahaRERA website,” it said.
The housing regulator had served notices to the developers, wherein their projects had lapsed. It received responses from 3,699 project developers stating that the housing project has been completed. As a result, these developers have uploaded OC on MahaRERA’s website, it said in a statement.
“As part of the process, MahaRERA is sending project details to all concerned planning authorities, asking them to verify whether OCs uploaded have indeed been issued by them or not. The authorities have been requested to confirm the factual status within 10 days. In case of absence of response within the stipulated period, MahaRERA will assume that the OCs issued are genuine and will accordingly mark the projects as completed,” it said.
In the letter to the planning authorities across Maharashtra, MahaRERA has clarified that in case of any discrepancies found at a later stage, the entire risk and cost-related responsibility will rest with the concerned planning authority, the statement said.
These 3,699 projects include 1,819 from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, 1,223 from Pune region, 273 from Nashik region, 132 from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar region, 84 from Amravati region and 168 from Nagpur region, the statement said.
Housing projects must be registered with MahaRERA before any sales activity can commence
All housing projects must be registered with MahaRERA before developers can begin selling units, subject to specific conditions. During construction, promoters are required to submit quarterly progress updates and annual audit reports. Once the project is completed, the Occupancy Certificate (OC) issued by the respective planning authority must be uploaded to the MahaRERA website.
Only after MahaRERA accepts the OC can the promoter withdraw the remaining funds from the designated project account. Following this, no further disclosures for the project are required, according to the statement.
An Occupancy Certificate (OC) is an official document granted by the local municipal or planning authority, confirming that a building has been constructed in accordance with the approved plans and is deemed safe and suitable for occupancy.
MahaRERA’s directive comes in the backdrop of a major real estate fraud that was uncovered in the Kalyan-Dombivali area a few years back wherein developers constructed structures using forged documents in order to secure regulatory approvals.
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