News: States should not dilute RERA provisions: Housing minister-13-04-2022
During the meeting, measures to ensure structural safety in high-rise buildings and prevent loss of life as well as property, besides considering a proposal to set up a high-level panel to address the issue of stalled projects, was discussed.
NEW DELHI: Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri on Tuesday asserted that there should be no dilution of the provisions of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, called as RERA, by states, and assured that the Centre will not bring the "whole template down" even if some states decide to dilute the norms. He said the RERA is a widely accepted legislation and its success is anchored in the spirit of gradual but steady problem-solving.
The minister was speaking at a meeting of the Central Advisory Council (CAC), constituted under the RERA Act, 2016.
During the meeting, measures to ensure structural safety in high-rise buildings and prevent loss of life as well as property, besides considering a proposal to set up a highlevel panel to address the issue of stalled projects, was discussed.
Regarding incidents of building collapses, Puri said homebuyers should have a sense of confidence that a building is structurally sound.
The responsibility has to be assumed by the builders themselves. If the builder has gone wrong, or he/she has not been able to check something, full recovery from that person is the minimum, as thousands of people get affected, he said.
Meanwhile, it was pointed out that some states have tweaked the provisions of RERA while framing rules under the Act by exempting the registration of 'ongoing projects
In February, the Supreme Court directed the Centre to examine whether the rules framed by various states under the RERA are in conformity with the central legislation and subserve the interest of homebuyers.
"The fact of the matter is that you did not have a regulator and then you are bringing in the regulator, so everybody will try to stop it. When they found that we are resolute in our determination and they try to do something else, they tried to tweak it," Puri said.
The minister said the Centre will place before the Supreme Court all the facts related to dilution of RERA Act by the state governments.
"I think we should place the fact squarely before the apex court that if all of us agree and some state do this (the dilution), we have enough persuasive power at our disposal to tell them this is not right. No dilution is a norm. Those who have diluted will have to justify why they have diluted. And we will not bring the whole template down just because you have diluted it," Puri said.
