Residents’ association up in arms against GMADA

Members of the Puncham Residents Welfare Association, Sector 68, Mohali, are up in arms against the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) for adopting double standards in giving ownership rights to flat owners on a pro rata basis.

The authority has refused to give NOC in cases of permission to mortgage, transfer to legal heirs in death cases, while arbitrarily refusing to implement the decision taken by it during the previous Congress government for the benefit of the flats owners, said the flat owners.

“On one hand the AAP government, led by CM Bhagwant Mann, talks of facilitating the common man on doorstep, but on the other, certain officials of GMADA were harassing the residents. It has issued a unique identity number to each flat owner. When the authority, headed by the CM, and the Executive Committee, headed by the Chief Secretary, has taken a decision to give the ownership rights, there was no point of withholding it,” said Harish Poplani, president of the association.

The authority, after executing conveyance deed in more than 200 cases, suddenly started dragging its feet on giving ownership rights to the residents. The association has flagged the issue with the Secretary, Housing, Rajiv Tewari; and Chief Administrator Moonesh Kumar, but to no anvil.

As per the policy of the government (dated January 5, 2022), the ownership rights of the flats can be transferred to their owners on charging a certain amount. The residents have already paid over Rs 9 crore (pending dues) to GMADA and were hopeful of getting their legal rights.

A senior GMADA official said the issue was flagged by the Estate Officer concerned and a clarification was being sought from the state government. The association said after allowing conveyance deed in 50 per cent of the cases, refusing NOC was arbitrary.