Real Estate Maharashtra
Massive Violation of Real Estate Laws: 900 Property Documents Found Non-Compliant in Pune, Mumbai, and Thane
By GeoSquare News Desk · Published 2024-06-14
The property registration offices in Pune, Mumbai, and Thane districts have been rocked by a massive scandal, with over 900 property documents found to be violating the Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority (MahaRERA) Act and the Fragmentation Act. This revelation comes after a thorough scrutiny of around 50,000 property documents by a special three-member squad formed by the state registration department.
The violations are alarming, with 200 documents flouting MahaRERA norms, 700 defying fragmentation rules, and another 25 violating other acts. Moreover, around 600 documents are under the scanner for undervaluation, which could result in a revenue loss of Rs 100-200 crore.
The Maharashtra government has taken note of these violations and has set up committees to scrutinize property papers at all 550 offices across the state. The aim is to ensure compliance with the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act (RERA), 2016, and the Maharashtra Prevention of Fragmentation and Consolidation of Holdings Act, 1947.
RERA registration is mandatory for every realtor building residential or commercial projects above 500 sqm or having more than eight flats across phases. The Fragmentation Act prohibits registration of fragmented or small land parcels, with the Maharashtra IGR allowing only properties of size 11 gunthas (11,000 sq ft) or more.
The state department registers 25-30 lakh documents annually, and all documents registered in the last three years will undergo vetting. A detailed report will be submitted to the government, and a dedicated cell is being demanded to conduct such inspections given the humongous number of documents.
In a related development, 82 officials from the state registration department are already under the scanner for illegally registering documents in violation of RERA and fragmentation norms, with 44 of them from Pune district.
The Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority (MahaRERA) is a regulatory body established under the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act (RERA), 2016. Its primary objective is to regulate the real estate sector and ensure transparency and accountability in property transactions.
The Fragmentation Act, on the other hand, aims to prevent the fragmentation of land holdings and promote consolidation of land parcels.
The Inspector General of Registration and Controller of Stamps (IGR) is a government agency responsible for regulating property registrations in the state of Maharashtra.