Noida: 30000 flats face uncertainty as SC upholds National Green Tribunal order

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New Delhi: In worrying news for home owners, 30,000 flats owners in Noida face uncertainty after a Supreme Court ruling on Tuesday. The apex court upheld the stay on construction imposed by the National Green Tribunal in the eco-sensitive zone surrounding the Okhla Bird Sanctuary. Construction around the eco-sensitive Okhla Bird Sanctuary has been halted.

The bone of contention was the identification of an "eco-sensitive zone" surrounding the Okhla bird sanctuary. The National Green Tribunal had directed the MOEF to identify such an area, while directing that all construction in a 10 km radius be halted.

The NGT had restrained the Noida Authority from granting completion certification to any of the projects in the zone. The NGT had also deemed all Environmental Clearances as "inoperational" until a No Objection Certificate is secured from the National Board For Wildlife. Builders appealed against this NGT order in the SC but the apex court on Tuesday dismissed the petition outright.

For cash-strapped builders, this order comes as a huge blow. Other than Jaypee, a total of 53 developers stand to bleed after this order. As per experts, at stake are over 30,000 flats. These are expected to add to the mounting inventories courtesy a sluggish market.

All of this comes even as developers claim losses of Rs 1,000 crore since the order was passed. From a buyer's perspective, with the Noida Authority restrained from granting "completion certificates", possession of flats is likely to see delays.

For the road ahead, the developers are carefully watching two triggers. One, after the NGT interim order halting construction, all eyes are now on the stance that the Tribunal would take in its final order. And two, the UP government's proposal to confine the eco-sensitive areas to 100 m round the sanctuary. The matter is pending before the Centre. However, any such move is also likely to face a challenge by the activists in the apex court.

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/noida-30000- ... 3-242.html

[sendtomanish]

New Delhi/NOIDA: The National Green Tribunal has sought a response from the Centre on depletion of natural conservation zones like forests, water bodies and wastelands in the National Capital Region.

It was hearing a petition by senior advocate Raj Panjwani against "illegal diversion" of land that was a part of these natural conservation zones (NCZ) over the years.

Panjwani, who was appearing for the Legal Aid Committee, National Green Tribunal Bar Association, quoted news re ..

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http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/art ... aign=cppst

[sendtomanish]

NOIDA: Homebuyers in Greater Noida and Noida Extension came together on Friday to file 100 right to information applications on projects of 34 builders.

The common theme in most RTI applications was the date of completion and handover of apartments in the housing projects. The buyers also inquired about the quality of material being used by builders, safety measures undertaken, changes in layout plan, if any and the floor area ratio. The 'mass RTI', as the homebuyers chose to describe it, was filed at the office of the Greater Noida Authority.

"We have expedited the RTI submission and have requested the Authority to give us a speedy response," said Shweta Bhatri, general secretary of the Noida Extension Flat Owners' Welfare Association.

One of the buyers, Arvind Kumar Singh, told TOI, "I own a house in a 21-floor project in Greater Noida. Though people are now residing in the apartments, the project has till date not received a completion certificate from the Authority. There are no safety measures and all our lives are at stake, but because the buyers are scared of not getting their flats, they have moved in. I am one of them."

Aditya, another buyer who participated in the 'mass-RTI' exercise, said, "We are scared that in a rush, the builders are using sub-standard material. We need to know what material is being used. If layouts are being changed, we should be made aware."

Harish Verma, assistant CEO, Noida Authority, said, "We will respond to they buyers' queries, but it is important that the buyers pose their questions to the builders directly at the time of buying their apartments. They should be fully aware of the fine-print before making an investment."

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/City ... 906415.cms

[sendtomanish]

NEW DELHI: The Narendra Modi government seems to be facing a tough task to fulfill its promise of "housing for all by 2022", considering the track record of different government programmes in the recent years. In the past three years, little over 2.2 lakh houses were built in urban areas under different programmes such as Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Revewal Mission (JNNURM), Rajiv AwasYojana (RAY) and Affordable Housing in Partnership.

This is miniscule considering that the government needs to create 25 lakh housing units annually for the next eight years to meet the growing requirement. The present rate of completion of housing projects is only about 70,000 per year.

On Thursday, urban development and housing minister M Venkaiah Naidu told the Rajya Sabha that his ministry is holding consultations with all the stakeholders on housing-for-all scheme.

According to government estimates, the present housing shortage is around 18.7 million dwelling units in urban areas. This is likely to touch 30 million by 2022.

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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 907461.cms