Dhoni resigns as Amrapali ambassador after complaints

New Delhi: Indian cricket team captain MS Dhoni has resigned as brand ambassador of realty firm Amrapali, days after the unhappy residents of a housing project in Noida launched a social media campaign asking the cricketer to disassociate himself from the builder.

"Dhoni is no longer our brand ambassador... I do not want his image to be affected because of being attached to Amrapali," company Chairman and Managing Director Anil Sharma told PTI.

"This decision was taken mutually by Dhoni and us," he added.

Dhoni was the brand ambassador of the company for the last seven years.

The complaints from the residents of Amrapali's Saphhire project in Noida had gone viral on Twitter over the past few days after they tagged Dhoni in their tweets asking the cricketer to disassociate himself from the builder or force the company to ensure completion of pending work.

Sharma assured residents that the company would complete the pending works in the project in next three months.

Dhoni, earlier this week in Mumbai, had said that it has become difficult for the builders in the current economic scenario.

"But at the same time, whatever is promised irrespective of where they stand, I think it needs to be met," Dhoni had said while replying to a query on Amrapali issue.

On its part, Amrapali's CMD Sharma had also said that its projects have been delayed due to lack of funds and slowdown in property market.

The first phase of project 'Sapphire' at Noida Sector 45, which was launched in 2009, has been completed and about 800 families have moved in out of 1,000 flats but civil and electrical work in many towers have not been completed, the residents have complained.

After Dhoni, the residents of an Amrapali housing society have now started a new campaign on social media appealing Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav to intervene in the matter and address their grievances, a residents' association said in a statement.

Meanwhile, a parliamentary panel is likely to recommend a hefty penalty and a jail term of up to five years to celebrities endorsing misleading advertisements.

For a first-time offence, the panel is planning to propose a Rs 10 lakh fine or imprisonment up to two years or both. A second offence could attract Rs 50 lakh fine and imprisonment for five years, sources had said.