By: Manish Tiwari, Daily Post, Chandigarh
It may well go down as one of the biggest real estate scams in the country. The controversial Commonwealth Games village builder, Emaar MGF, has fraudulently sold off over 560 plots it did not own to unsuspecting buyers in Mohali (Punjab). The land, sold from 2006 on, is still owned by local farmers. The market value of these plots is estimated at Rs.500 crore.
Located in three Greater Mohali sectors — 105, 108 and 109 — just 4 km from the international cricket stadium in Mohali, these plots have been sold to gullible buyers, allegedly in connivance with the Punjab Housing Department officials and the police.
The market value for a 300 sq yard plot is around Rs.75 lakh, while a 500 sq yard plot costs up to Rs.1.5 crore.
Interestingly, the scam has been in the knowledge of some top officials close to both the Capt. Amarinder Singh Government as well as the Badal regime, but no action was taken against the company purportedly due to the developer’s proximity with political leaders.
Although about 90 per cent of the buyers of these plots have paid full amount to Emaar MGF during the past six years, they have yet not been given possession since the title of the land does not exist in the name of the company, revealed documents in possession of Daily Post.
A 7-point questionnaire was mailed to the company’s local representative, Ragini Gulati, on October 27, 2011. Despite repeated calls, no response was received till date.
Punjab’s Chief Town Planner (CTP) Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, when contacted, said the company played mischief in the beginning by not informing the government that large chunks of land shown in the township plan did not belong to it. He said what the company did was illegal and immoral. “No company can sell plots if it does not own it. When it came to my notice, I took a stand against the company on file,” the CTP added.
Suspecting foul play and fraud, some buyers have been running from pillar to post to secure the title, and making frantic calls to Emaar MGF to inquire about the status of the land. Little do they know that they may still not be able to easily get possession of the land they had paid for.
While some buyers have already approached courts, others have filed criminal complaints with the police. But no action has yet been initiated in many cases, apparently due to the influence of the company.
Emaar MGF, which had launched projects in Mohali with much fanfare during the Capt. Amarinder Singh regime, has been in the thick of major controversies after the 2010 CWG scam came to light. The company is facing investigations in connection with the scam for doing a shoddy job in the construction of the Commonwealth Games village in New Delhi. The CBI has, meanwhile, arrested some of the company officials and is now questioning its managing director, Shravan Gupta, in connection with a land scam in Andhra Pradesh.
Investigations made by Daily Post revealed that in the past six years, Emaar MGF allotted over 1,670 plots in Sectors 105, 108 and 109 and took payments from the buyers. The company, however, failed to give possession to buyers of over 560 plots. The land already sold either belongs to the farmers or is ‘revenue rasta’ that is yet to be acquired for the company.
Sources in the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) said Emaar MGF had land for selling more than 1,000 plots in the three sectors but it sold over 1,670 plots. Hence, it is not able to give possession to over 560 buyers. Neither has it shown the will to buy the land on which these plots are located. “Some of the apartments and villas that are currently being sold to buyers do not have land underneath!” sources added.
One buyer, Sandeep Batra, made 100 per cent payment (Rs.52.2 lakh) to Emaar MGF for plot number 124, Central Greens, in Sector 105, Mohali, but kept running from pillar to post to get the possession of the land and had even threatened to take legal action against Emaar MGF, sources said.
Daily Post investigations revealed that the plot that Batra had bought did not belong to Emaar MGF.
In 2006, when Batra bought the plot, the company had reportedly committed to him that he would be handed over the plot in 2008 or latest by mid-2009, it is learnt.
Batra was not the only victim. Emaar MGF has prepared a list of such buyers, including journalists and who’s who of north India, who may not get possession of their plots soon. Those who have been allotted such plots have been put in an “Exception List”.
Courtesy: http://dailypostindia.com/
