Noida authority to issue occupancy papers for ready flats in Amrapali projects

The Supreme Court Tuesday directed the Noida authority to issue occupancy certificates (OC) to all of Amrapali’s ready housing projects. In the absence of an OC, the buyers were unable to get the flats transferred to their names.

As per rules, without an occupancy certificate, a buyer and builder cannot execute a lease deed. After the apex court ruling on Tuesday, the authority has to ensure that buyers execute registry of their respective flats within the next one month.

“We will follow the Supreme Court order and take appropriate action with regard to Amrapali’s housing projects. We are awaiting a certified copy of the SC verdict,” a Noida authority official, who didn’t want to be named, said.

Amrapali Group has developed several residential units — Sapphire in Sector 45, Silicon City and Princely Estate in Sector 76, Zodiac and Platinum in Sector 119— in Noida. There are around 14,000 homebuyers who have shifted into flats in these projects without the execution of a lease deed.

As per rules, a tripartite agreement was supposed to have been signed between the Noida authority, builder and buyer. But that did not happen as the builder failed to clear ₹1,100 crore in land dues to the Noida authority and ₹3,000 crore in land dues to the Greater Noida authority. In Greater Noida’s Amrapali Dream Valley, around 100 buyers have already moved in.

“We have been suffering for the past several years for no fault of ours— we had no rights over our properties, despite paying the flat cost. But after the Supreme Court order, we hope that the Noida authority will soon start execution of lease deeds,” Pallavi Singh, a resident of Amrapali Sapphire, said.

The Supreme Court in its detailed order said, “...we also direct Noida and Greater Noida Authorities to execute the tripartite agreement within one month concerning the projects where homebuyers are residing and issue completion certificate notwithstanding that the dues are to be recovered under this order by the sale of the other attached properties.”

The order further stated, “We direct the Noida and Greater Noida Authorities to take appropriate action to do the needful in the matter. The Water Works Department of the concerned area and the Electricity Supplier are directed to provide the connections for water and electricity to home buyers forthwith.”