Panvel residents protest against developer, vow to file criminal case

The protest that started at 10.30 am concluded at 2 pm

Around 100 residents from Indiabulls Greens complex near Panvel carried out a protest against the developer demanding their basic rights. Residents said they would file a criminal case against the developer for cheating if they didn't get a permanent water supply connection and other basic amenities.

The protest was carried out on Sunday at the Indiabulls Greens premises located near Kon village, Panvel, Raigad district. Residents held placards reading slogans like ‘Indiabulls management ab hoshiyaar, nahi sahege attyachar' and ‘Lekar rahege lekar rahege Indiabulls se apna haq lekar rahege'. The protest that started at 10.30 am concluded at 2 pm.

Indiabulls Greens has 18 buildings, each 40 storeyed, with around 3,200 flats in total. "The builder started giving possession of the flats in 2017. As per the agreement given to us, we had paid Rs 2 lakh for basic amenities which was collected from each of the 3,200 flats. These amenities include permanent water supply and other basic facilities like clubhouse and indoor games," said Rahul Sonawane, a resident of the complex who was part of the protest. He added that if the developer doesn't address their demands in one week, the residents will file a criminal case for cheating them.

Indiabulls Gardens has 18 buildings, each 40 storeyed

Manoranjan Kar, a resident of the complex since 2017, said, "A few years ago, we had filed a case against the developer with the National Consumer Redressal Forum for delay in possession and not providing basic amenities. We won the case but the developer filed a case in the Delhi High Court. After a few months later the Delhi court dismissed our case so we approached the Supreme Court."

According to Dinesh Sonawane, a resident of four years, the water connection provided by the developer is a temporary one, which the residents found out after filing an RTI query. "Our demand is for a permanent water connection. Indiabulls should pay the deposit for this. Also, in the brochure, the developer promised a clubhouse, school, hospital and shopping mall but none of these have come up. The gym, small swimming pool, indoor games facility and tennis court were open till January 2023, but have been closed for the past year over some reason," Dinesh said.

To demand their basic rights, the residents came together under the Indiabulls Sangharsh Samiti banner and carried out their first protest on May 14, 2023. The second protest took place on October 8 and the third on January 14, 2024. "I have filed a petition in court regarding the issue. However, we are receiving no response from the developer. Even after protesting for hours, the builder didn't turn up to see what was going on. We will continue our protest till we get basic amenities," said advocate Anil Jadhav, a resident for four years.

Tulsidas Chandane, a deputy engineer with the BMC and resident of the complex, said, "There was low pressure for water and as the crowd increased there was a shortage. When we complained, instead of solving the issue, Indiabulls started providing water tankers. There has been a water problem for three years. At present there is less than 50 per cent occupancy. But once people increase there will surely be an acute shortage of water. Also, the temporary water supply we are getting is for the Mhada building near us. We don't even have a proper connection." According to Jadhav, the developer even charges for water tankers provided. "We also checked a sample of the water supplied to us through tankers and found it to be contaminated. Those taking possession in Phase II of the project should be careful or they too will be cheated," he said.

Chandane added that the water bill the developer currently has to pay is around Rs 11 crore. "The capital amount of around R6 crore for the connection which was not paid by Indiabulls has increased to a valuation of R9 crore. Also, this year the bill is R2 crore, which adds up to a total of Rs 11 crore." mid-day tried getting in touch with Santosh Gunjal, who looks after the administration work for Indiabulls, but he didn't respond and messages. This reporter also visited the Indiabulls office in the premises where Irfan Tole, who looks after the administration work, was contacted. However, he declined to comment.

3,200
No of flats in complex