AP RERA Imposes Rs 42,000 Penalty on GCON Urban for Violation of Carpet Area Norms

 Visakhapatnam: AP Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) has imposed a penalty of Rs 42,000 on Visakhapatnam-based builder GCON Urban for violation of norms.

Complainant Chetti Satya Venkata Jagan Kumar Raja said he had purchased a residential duplex flat in Bay Ridge project of GCON Urban builders in Vizag city from Satayanarayana Raju and Sivaram in October 2018. As per the registered sale deed document, the overall area of the flat is around 2,884 square feet, including carpet area (net usable area) of 1,997 square feet. But as per the area statement issued by GVMC, the carpet area turned out to be 1,825.5 square feet, the difference being 172 square feet.

Raja’s mother Chetti Lakshmi Bhai (62), a widow of an army officer, filed a petition with the RERA office against Satyanarayana Raju and Siva Ram of GCON Urban for selling the flat with less carpet area.

For violating the provision of RERA Act, the real estate regulatory authority directed GCON Urban to refund the amount charged for the excess area of the flat and execute necessary deeds in favour of the complainant. The authority also imposed a penalty of Rs 42,000 on GCON.

Three-Town sub-inspector S. Santosh Kumar said they have registered a cheating case against GCON under Sections 420 and 506 r/w 34 of IPC following the complaint from Chetti Lakshmi Bhai. Investigation is in process and police are waiting for some documents from GVMC to take up the proceedings further, the SI added.