Fool Housie
Courtesy their cheat builder, residents of Snehanjali Society in Sola are forced to buy their homes again or face demolition
By Yogesh Avasthi
Posted On Thursday, May 14, 2009 (Ahmedbad Mirror : http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20Latest§id=2&contentid=20090514200905141836442540a8e35)
What was once their retirement dream has turned into a nightmare. Residents of Snehanjali Society on Sola Road have received an AUDA notice that threatens to reduce their homes into a pile of stones, timber and debris. Housing six flats and 19 rowhouses, the society constructed in 1989 stands on illegal land, claims AUDA who has given the residents time till June to evacuate the premises. The civic body plans to raze the society and return the plot to its rightful owner.
The only way out of the problem is to pay Rs 7 crore to the right owner. But the society members are retired ONGC employees who are finding it hard to face the spectre of eviction when it was time for them to enjoy the fruits of their life savings. Why should we pay twice for our house ? ask residents of the 20-year-old society constructed by Kanti Joitaram Patel of Anjana Builders. We are suffering the consequences of our builders’ sins, is a constant refrain heard here.
‘Builder cheated us’
The ONGC employees took loans from the firm to buy houses here. Anil Sehgal’s father was one such employee. “The builder cheated us. He got the building approval on papers for final plot no 68, and bang opposite the road, constructed the society on plot no 65. Now the AUDA says we have to leave because the society is illegal. We sought papers on the land under the RTI Act and found that the AUDA claims to have sent notice to four residents regarding the illegal construction. But no one here knows of any such notice.
The notice was sent when there were just seven houses. Today, there are 25 buildings here. How did AUDA approve the plan if they knew the construction was illegal? And why was no action taken after they issued the notice?” queries Anil.
The questions do not end here. What baffles the residents is how did the scam go unnoticed by the ONGC that provided them money under housing loan schemes. “A three-member team from the ONGC passes the loan after checking the site and papers. They were here at each stage, making multiple checks. Yet, no one saw any fault!” said the 36-year-old.
HC okays demolition
Trouble had been brewing for some time but the residents came to know of it only in 2006. Urmilaben, whose husband Ghanshyambhai worked with ONGC, said: “We came to know of the issue only in 2006 when a Gujarati vernacular daily reported that the Gujarat High Court had ordered the demolition of our society. The original owner of plot no 65 had claimed his land back. Builder Kanti knew about it, but did not utter a word to us.
The news left my husband paralysed. He was admitted to SAL hospital, where he later died. Our suffering is not over yet. God alone knows what our future holds in store for us.”
Retired ONGC official Gulshan Rai Sehgal said, “When we approached the builder, he promised to make things okay. He went to the Supreme Court and lost the case. The apex court approved the demolition in an order passed on February 5, 2009, following which the AUDA issued a notice on May 5. “My blood pressure shot up when I heard the news. I have invested my all in this house. I earned a salary of Rs 1,500 of which I used to pay Rs 770 as home loan instalment. We lived frugally our entire life to own a house and now our dream will be shattered. The house was our legacy to our children. Now, I do not see any hope.”
Pleas bring no help
Mohini Chauhan is fighting two battles: one to save her house, the other to save her husband’s sanity. “My husband has been severely depressed since the time he got to know of the demolition. We have petitioned the Chief Minister, the National Human Rights Commission but to no avail. The AUDA, builders and the ONGC are at fault. Yet, we are the ones paying the price for their negligence and mistakes,” she said.
Baaghsingh Dayalsingh, who retired from the ONGC, bought the house for Rs 1.8 lakh which values at Rs 30 lakh now. “In an interim order, the high court had asked us to settle the smatter by paying the original land owner Rs 3 crore — we were asked to pay Rs 75 lakh and Kanti was told to pay the remaining amount. We were ready to pay this amount but Kanti refused to co-operate. The matter could have been solved there. Now, with the Supreme Court favouring the original landowner, we are left with no option for legal redress.”
Anil said, “The final plot no 68 that the builder claims as his is also in dispute. There are others who claim ownership. Had the issue been settled when it first went to court, we need not have faced this terrible day. To prevent demolition, we will have to pay Rs 7 crore — the current value of the land — to the rightful owner of plot no 65. How will we manage this sum. Most of the people living here are retired. You cannot expect them to pay twice for the same house!”
‘Cops must act fast’
The residents approached the Sola police on Wednesday morning. “We wanted to file an FIR but the cops asked us to write an application. We have accused Kanti and eight of his partners and promoters of fraud. If the cops do not act fast, Kanti — a green-card holder — will fly to foreign shores. Then, no one will be able to bring him to task.”
Are the residents ready to face the demolition then? “We are left with no option. We are 200 residents who are now ready to do anything to save our houses or die trying,” said Anil.
The Ahmedabad Mirror tried getting in touch with Kanti Patel on Wednesday, but his mobile phone was switched off. The landline number fetched a family member who claimed he had gone out and would return only in the evening. When AM tried the landline number again in the evening, another family member said Kanti had gone out of station two days ago. When told of the telephonic conversation had earlier in the day, the family member warned this reporter against making any more phone calls to the number.
By Yogesh Avasthi
Posted On Thursday, May 14, 2009 (Ahmedbad Mirror : http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20Latest§id=2&contentid=20090514200905141836442540a8e35)
What was once their retirement dream has turned into a nightmare. Residents of Snehanjali Society on Sola Road have received an AUDA notice that threatens to reduce their homes into a pile of stones, timber and debris. Housing six flats and 19 rowhouses, the society constructed in 1989 stands on illegal land, claims AUDA who has given the residents time till June to evacuate the premises. The civic body plans to raze the society and return the plot to its rightful owner.
The only way out of the problem is to pay Rs 7 crore to the right owner. But the society members are retired ONGC employees who are finding it hard to face the spectre of eviction when it was time for them to enjoy the fruits of their life savings. Why should we pay twice for our house ? ask residents of the 20-year-old society constructed by Kanti Joitaram Patel of Anjana Builders. We are suffering the consequences of our builders’ sins, is a constant refrain heard here.
‘Builder cheated us’
The ONGC employees took loans from the firm to buy houses here. Anil Sehgal’s father was one such employee. “The builder cheated us. He got the building approval on papers for final plot no 68, and bang opposite the road, constructed the society on plot no 65. Now the AUDA says we have to leave because the society is illegal. We sought papers on the land under the RTI Act and found that the AUDA claims to have sent notice to four residents regarding the illegal construction. But no one here knows of any such notice.
The notice was sent when there were just seven houses. Today, there are 25 buildings here. How did AUDA approve the plan if they knew the construction was illegal? And why was no action taken after they issued the notice?” queries Anil.
The questions do not end here. What baffles the residents is how did the scam go unnoticed by the ONGC that provided them money under housing loan schemes. “A three-member team from the ONGC passes the loan after checking the site and papers. They were here at each stage, making multiple checks. Yet, no one saw any fault!” said the 36-year-old.
HC okays demolition
Trouble had been brewing for some time but the residents came to know of it only in 2006. Urmilaben, whose husband Ghanshyambhai worked with ONGC, said: “We came to know of the issue only in 2006 when a Gujarati vernacular daily reported that the Gujarat High Court had ordered the demolition of our society. The original owner of plot no 65 had claimed his land back. Builder Kanti knew about it, but did not utter a word to us.
The news left my husband paralysed. He was admitted to SAL hospital, where he later died. Our suffering is not over yet. God alone knows what our future holds in store for us.”
Retired ONGC official Gulshan Rai Sehgal said, “When we approached the builder, he promised to make things okay. He went to the Supreme Court and lost the case. The apex court approved the demolition in an order passed on February 5, 2009, following which the AUDA issued a notice on May 5. “My blood pressure shot up when I heard the news. I have invested my all in this house. I earned a salary of Rs 1,500 of which I used to pay Rs 770 as home loan instalment. We lived frugally our entire life to own a house and now our dream will be shattered. The house was our legacy to our children. Now, I do not see any hope.”
Pleas bring no help
Mohini Chauhan is fighting two battles: one to save her house, the other to save her husband’s sanity. “My husband has been severely depressed since the time he got to know of the demolition. We have petitioned the Chief Minister, the National Human Rights Commission but to no avail. The AUDA, builders and the ONGC are at fault. Yet, we are the ones paying the price for their negligence and mistakes,” she said.
Baaghsingh Dayalsingh, who retired from the ONGC, bought the house for Rs 1.8 lakh which values at Rs 30 lakh now. “In an interim order, the high court had asked us to settle the smatter by paying the original land owner Rs 3 crore — we were asked to pay Rs 75 lakh and Kanti was told to pay the remaining amount. We were ready to pay this amount but Kanti refused to co-operate. The matter could have been solved there. Now, with the Supreme Court favouring the original landowner, we are left with no option for legal redress.”
Anil said, “The final plot no 68 that the builder claims as his is also in dispute. There are others who claim ownership. Had the issue been settled when it first went to court, we need not have faced this terrible day. To prevent demolition, we will have to pay Rs 7 crore — the current value of the land — to the rightful owner of plot no 65. How will we manage this sum. Most of the people living here are retired. You cannot expect them to pay twice for the same house!”
‘Cops must act fast’
The residents approached the Sola police on Wednesday morning. “We wanted to file an FIR but the cops asked us to write an application. We have accused Kanti and eight of his partners and promoters of fraud. If the cops do not act fast, Kanti — a green-card holder — will fly to foreign shores. Then, no one will be able to bring him to task.”
Are the residents ready to face the demolition then? “We are left with no option. We are 200 residents who are now ready to do anything to save our houses or die trying,” said Anil.
The Ahmedabad Mirror tried getting in touch with Kanti Patel on Wednesday, but his mobile phone was switched off. The landline number fetched a family member who claimed he had gone out and would return only in the evening. When AM tried the landline number again in the evening, another family member said Kanti had gone out of station two days ago. When told of the telephonic conversation had earlier in the day, the family member warned this reporter against making any more phone calls to the number.
