Gurgaon Residents in Legal Limbo Over Missing Occupancy Certificate
In a significant development highlighting regulatory gaps in real estate, more than 300 families residing in Ansal Heights, Sector 92, Gurgaon, have made an urgent appeal to the Haryana Department of Town and Country Planning (DTCP). The residents allege that the housing project has been occupied for nearly ten years without obtaining the mandatory Occupancy Certificate (OC), creating substantial legal and safety vulnerabilities for hundreds of homeowners.
A Decade of Broken Promises and Unfulfilled Assurances
According to a detailed release issued by the aggrieved residents on Sunday, the developer initiated fit-out possession of the apartments back in 2015. At that time, buyers were explicitly assured that the crucial Occupancy Certificate would be secured within a mere six months. However, nearly a full decade later, this critical statutory document remains elusive, leaving residents in a state of prolonged uncertainty and raising serious questions about regulatory enforcement and developer accountability.
An Occupancy Certificate is not merely a formality; it is a fundamental legal requirement that confirms a building's compliance with approved construction plans, established safety norms, and all relevant building regulations. The absence of this certificate places residents in a precarious position, exposing them to potential legal penalties, difficulties in securing individual utility connections for electricity and water, and complications with property registration, resale transactions, and home loan processes.
Mounting Concerns Over Safety and Governance
The residents have consistently flagged grave concerns regarding fire safety standards and structural integrity, which are typically verified before an OC is granted. They report that over the years, they have received repeated assurances from the developer, but no clear timeline or transparent updates regarding the status of the OC application have ever been provided. Despite having paid the full purchase price along with all requisite maintenance and statutory charges, families continue to live under a cloud of legal ambiguity due to the developer's failure to complete these essential formalities.
"This situation transcends a simple contractual dispute," emphasized a resident in the collective statement. "It is fundamentally a matter of public safety and effective governance. Hundreds of families cannot be left in legal limbo for years while the authorities seemingly look the other way."
Residents Issue Demands and Threaten Legal Action
In their formal appeal, the residents of Ansal Heights have put forth several non-negotiable demands to the concerned authorities. These include:
- Immediate public disclosure of the current status of the Occupancy Certificate application.
- A binding, time-bound commitment from the developer for obtaining the certificate.
- Clear accountability for the prolonged, decade-long delay and what residents describe as a pattern of misleading assurances.
The collective has urgently called upon both the DTCP and the Haryana Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) to enforce strict compliance with regulations and ensure an early resolution to this protracted issue. The residents have made it unequivocally clear that they are prepared to pursue all available legal remedies if the matter remains unresolved. Attempts to contact the developer for an official comment on these allegations have, so far, been unsuccessful.
This case underscores a critical challenge in urban real estate development, where homebuyers are often left vulnerable due to regulatory lapses and unfulfilled promises by developers, necessitating stronger intervention from statutory bodies to protect consumer rights and ensure public safety.
