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The Urban Development Department (UDD) of Maharashtra issued a government resolution (GR) last week stating that local planning authorities, including corporations, councils, nagar panchayats, and metropolitan planning authorities, must display the commencement certificate (CC) and occupancy certificate (OC) granted for new and upcoming real estate projects on their websites.
The authorities must also inform the Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority (MahaRERA) regarding the sanctions and eventually integrate their websites with the MahaRERA website, all before March 31. If the local authorities do not have websites, they must ready the same to activate and integrate them by the same deadline. Until then, they have been directed to email these permissions to MahaRERA.
The orders were issued after developers in Thane produced forged documents to get MahaRERA registration for their projects. When a public interest litigation (PIL) was filed by an architect and activist in the Bombay High Court last year, the issue of forged documents came to light. The court’s attention was drawn towards the builders who made fraudulent documents not just to seek MahaRERA registrations but also to carry out bookings. Over 50 builders were under the radar, and action was initiated by the Thane local civic body after due checks. Furthermore, MahaRERA suspended the registration of many developers.
UDD officials confirmed that the MahaRERA authority had reached out to the state government. "It is essential that these documents are displayed on a portal for citizens to weed out fraudulent practices," a senior UDD official told TOI. Almost all corporations have a website, and they can have a page dedicated to this display to be accessed by the public, added the official.
Citizens’ groups have been demanding this move for a long time and said that the GR should be abided by on a mandatory basis. Chairman of the Maharashtra Societies Welfare Association, Ramesh Prabhu, said this is an effort by UDD to ensure fraud prevention and protect the interests of homebuyers. He added that it brings transparency, standardization, and makes available authentic information about projects to stakeholders.
Members of the State Housing Federation have also been demanding a single window and online integrated system for all real estate projects. "All updates, not only with regards to approvals but also progress of construction activities will also be linked, thereby bringing in fairness in the real estate sector," said advocate Shreeprasad Parab from the federation.
In conclusion, local planning authorities in Maharashtra are required to display CC and OC for new and upcoming real estate projects on their websites and integrate them with the MahaRERA website by March 31. This move was initiated to prevent fraudulent practices in the real estate sector and protect the interests of homebuyers. It is a step towards transparency, standardization, and making authentic information about projects available to stakeholders. Furthermore, the integration of the websites will help allottees and bring fairness to the real estate sector.
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