Bank accounts ordered to be frozen; proceedings initiated to attach movable and immovable properties of defaulters
Gurugram : In a major enforcement action to expedite the recovery of outstanding dues awarded by the Haryana Real Estate Regulatory Authority (HRERA), Gurugram, the Gurugram District Administration has initiated recovery proceedings against 71 builders and promoters who have failed to deposit penalties and refund amounts ordered by the Authority.
According to the district administration, recovery certificates amounting to ₹446 crore are pending against these builders, with several cases remaining unresolved for more than four years.
Under Section 40(1) of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 (RERA), amounts ordered by the Authority are recoverable as arrears of land revenue. Acting under the provision, the District Administration has ordered the freezing of bank accounts of all 71 defaulting builders with immediate effect.
Simultaneously, proceedings have been initiated for the attachment of their movable and immovable properties under the applicable provisions of the Punjab Land Revenue Act, as extended to Haryana.
If the outstanding dues cannot be recovered through the frozen bank accounts or attached properties, the administration may initiate further recovery measures available under the land revenue law, including arrest and detention of defaulters. Notices have been issued to the concerned builders directing them to deposit the outstanding amounts immediately.
Major Defaulters
The major builders and the outstanding amounts listed by the administration include:
- Ansal Housing / Ansal Construction Housing: ₹91 crore
- Raheja: ₹90 crore
- Vatika: ₹80 crore
- Parsvnath: ₹74 crore
- Ramprastha: ₹57 crore
- IREO: ₹24 crore
- ILD Millennium: ₹8.59 crore
DC: Recovery Must Ultimately Reach Homebuyers
Deputy Commissioner Uttam Singh said that while HRERA passes orders and imposes penalties, effective execution of those orders is essential to ensure that the money ultimately reaches the affected homebuyers.
“The money will be recovered from the frozen bank accounts or the attached properties. If that fails, further steps under the Act would be taken, which may also lead to arrests. No builder will be allowed to sit over amounts that lawfully belong to the homebuyers,” he said.
The Deputy Commissioner said recovery of HRERA dues in the district had remained stalled in the past and that the latest action followed a comprehensive review of all pending recovery certificates.
He added that progress would be reviewed by the DC on a weekly basis, while SDMs and Tehsildars have been directed to execute the recovery proceedings in a time-bound manner.
Homebuyers in whose favour recovery certificates have been issued can contact the District Revenue Officer (DRO) or the concerned SDM/Tehsildar to obtain the status of their recovery.
The latest action follows an earlier move by the Gurugram administration to freeze bank accounts of builders with pending HRERA recovery dues, underlining its focus on making execution of RERA recovery orders more time-bound. (tribuneindia.com)