PHAGWARA: Flat owners of Handa Residential Society Phagwara, located near the bus stand on GT Road in Phagwara, have once again raised their voice against the builders, urging the Municipal Corporation Phagwara and the Department of Local Bodies to take strict legal action and provide relief to the residents by regularising the colony.
Addressing the media, flat owner Munish Kumar Sharma said that Non-Resident Indian (NRI) owners are also facing serious difficulties because the society has not been granted the mandatory No Objection Certificate (NOC). He revealed that Phagwara Municipal Commissioner, Dr. Akshita Gupta, has officially stated that the society’s building plan does not exist in the corporation’s records, clearly proving that the colony was constructed illegally. Despite this, Sharma alleged, the concerned departments have failed to take any action against the builders, who fraudulently sold flats to innocent buyers by concealing the truth.
Flat owners pointed out that in the absence of an NOC, they are unable to sell their properties even if faced with financial necessities. Written complaints have been repeatedly submitted to the Municipal Corporation and the Local Bodies Minister, while information was also sought through the Right to Information Act. However, they claim that the response has been limited to delays and excuses, with no concrete action forthcoming.
According to Sharma, the Commissioner has now said that the society’s building plan has been requested from Chandigarh, but the larger question remains unanswered: if the Phagwara Corporation never approved the layout, why has no punitive action been initiated against the builders? He stressed that while the developers continue to go unpunished, innocent flat owners are being harassed and denied their rightful documents, leaving them in a state of legal and financial uncertainty.
The residents have demanded immediate intervention from the higher authorities to regularise the society and ensure that justice is served by holding the builders accountable.