Gujarat Real Estate Regulatory Authority Seeks Precedents for Project Extensions

The Gujarat Real Estate Regulatory Authority (GujRERA) has written to the roads and buildings (R&B) department to inquire if the state government has extended the timelines for any government civil works due to the West Asia crisis, according to sources. This move comes as real estate associations continue to press GujRERA for a six-month extension on ongoing projects, citing sharp increases in construction input prices and supply uncertainty.

According to sources, GujRERA is looking for precedents within the state government’s contracting ecosystem before making a decision on the requests from developers. “The central government has extended project completion timelines by two to four months for different projects, invoking force majeure (unforeseeable circumstances),” a GujRERA source stated. However, there is no precedent for any state RERA extending project completion dates. Therefore, GujRERA has sought details from the R&B department to inform its decision.

The authority is still considering whether the current situation warrants a blanket extension under the force majeure provision. One factor under consideration is that many developers already mention an extended date for project completion at the time of registration. Another factor is that the immediate impact of the conflict on supply chains and pricing is now seen as easing compared to the initial months.

The Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Associations of India (Credai), Ahmedabad, had formally sought a six-month extension from GujRERA for ongoing real estate projects under Section 6 of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act. Credai has cited supply disruptions, labour shortages, and a steep rise in raw material prices as reasons why projects are at risk of missing committed timelines. In its submission, Credai, Ahmedabad, highlighted that the conflict has affected the availability of crude-linked construction materials and disrupted procurement cycles, making execution schedules harder to maintain. The confederation warned that delays could spill over into new launches and slow construction activity across the market.

Credai, Ahmedabad, has flagged price spikes across a wide range of inputs, including cement, steel, tiles, aluminium, PVC pipes, paints, ready-mix concrete, cement blocks, and waterproofing materials. Suppliers have increased prices by 30% to 60% since the conflict began, while availability has remained uncertain. The confederation has also argued that the surge in input costs has raised overall project expenses by 10% to 20%, undermining budgets and cash-flow assumptions made when projects were registered. It has maintained that the events are beyond the control of developers and therefore merit relief under force majeure provisions.