Flat allottee gets Rs 5,000 compensation

The Haryana Right to Service Commission has directed the Housing Board, Haryana, to compensate an allottee with Rs 5,000 due to undue delays and harassment in processing a refund related to a property in a death case.

Complainant Bhupinder Sharma had applied for a refund of the amount of a flat whose allotment was in the name of his deceased father. The board had cancelled the allotment, but instead of processing the refund directly, it instructed the complainant to first transfer the cancelled flat to his name before proceeding with the refund.

Despite the complainant following the prescribed process, the board failed to deliver the required service within the stipulated time. As a result, he sought redress from the Haryana Right to Service Commission.

After reviewing the case and hearing from the authorities concerned, the commission concluded that the board’s delay, and the subsequent harassment faced by the complainant, warranted compensation. The commission has ordered the board to pay Rs 5,000 as compensation.

Further, the commission directed that the board recover the compensation amount from "responsible officers" after conducting an inquiry into the delay.

In addition, the board has been instructed to inform the commission once the property transfer has been completed. The commission has also ordered that any further delays could result in additional penal actions.