Kandivli housing complex residents file police complaint over builder’s neglect

Residents of UK Iridium a premium housing complex in Kandivlirsquos Lokhandwala area have accused their developer of neglect and mismanagement claiming they are paying lakhs in maintenance fees for basic facilities that barely function The complaints include contaminated water a nonfunctional sewage treatment plant STP lack of security and inadequate housekeepingFrustrated after months of broken promises the residents have now filed a police complaint against the developer at the Samta Nagar police station A copy of the complaint is with midday ldquoWe are paying for nothingrdquo said resident Sameer NaikResidents claim they have paid maintenance charges of Rs 317 lakh for 1BHKs and Rs 354 lakh for 2BHKs for the year October 2024ndashOctober 2025 Yet they say the water system barely works ldquoOut of four water tanks only one is functional We get water for just 1015 minutes a day not enough for basic needsrdquo said resident Shalaka KulkarniThe residents also alleged that the sewage drain water has been entering the water tank which has water for domestic purposes such as drinking bathing and in the kitchen ldquoEveryone has a filter at home But how long will our filters be fit enough to continuously keep filtering such drain water that too at a level where we can consume itrdquo said Ramesh Lad another residentFire and safety violationsResidents also allege that the buildingrsquos fire safety norms have been ignored ldquoThe fire duct is filled with cement bags and debris Staircases meant for rescue during emergencies are locked Fire compliance hasnrsquot been completedrdquo said Vishal Kapur another residentlsquoForced possessionrsquoAccording to residents the builder allegedly rushed them to take possession after his RERA extension expired ldquoPossessions were forced between October 2023 and July 2024 but he collected maintenance for the full year from October 2024 to 2025rdquo said Naik ldquoHersquos now demanding payment for another year and threatening to stop housekeeping services which is anyway just one person collecting garbagerdquoOngoing construction in other wings has worsened conditions ldquoTherersquos mosquito breeding and stagnant water everywhere The BMC has been sprayed twice but daily cleaning doesnrsquot happen This was supposed to be our dream home now itrsquos become a daily battle for dignityrdquo said another residentAmenities only on paperWhile the residents state that the maintenance included the cost for amenities such as swimming pool gym charges parking and a garden none of these have been provided yet by the builder ldquoWe took possession by trusting the builders word We considered that since part OC is obtained full OC wont be a problem And so we paid for advanced maintenance We also raised our complaints multiple times with the builder But everything went in vain Forget about external luxurious amenities We are deprived of basic facilities as well We just dont know why we take home loans and put in all our hardearned money into such a projectrdquo said LadPolice complaint filedWith repeated appeals to the builder failing the residents collectively filed a complaint with Samta Nagar police citing contaminated water nonfunctional STP incomplete amenities lack of maintenance and unauthorised fee collection ldquoWe had no choice left This isnrsquot just about broken promises mdash itrsquos negligence affecting hundreds of familiesrdquo said NaikBuilderrsquos responseDenying all allegations the developer in question Damodar Suruchi told midday ldquoAll allegations are false I had taken advanced maintenance for a year and it has ended The residents are not ready to take over the society due to their internal issues If they want me to maintain the building ahead they will obviously have to pay maintenance charges In fact yesterday as they stopped my vehicles and barged inside the sales office I have only filed a police complaint against the residents I have given all basic facilities in the last year for which I had taken maintenance The STPs were functional Its only since the last three to four days that the water pumps arent operational because of which the STPs are shut I have also been following up continuously and telling them that money will have to be contributed by the residents to get the pumps repaired Even the allegations regarding fire safety are false and the two wings where possession has been given have had full OC for over a yearrdquo