Travails behind a dream house

Garden Undone

Battle lines have been drawn at Chowgule Gardens in Zuari Nagar close to the Reliance power plant where reps of 114 resident families took me on a tour last Sunday narrating a series of unfulfilled promises made by Chowgule Real Estate & Construction Co. Pvt. Ltd, a decade after it constructed the first of ten residential blocks of flats. Over the ten years as the remaining nine blocks were built, residents, some of whom (in the block called ‘Nest’) have gone to the Consumer Court (hearings are underway), and claim the builder has not signed sale agreements with them till now. Result: at least one ex-Delhiite had to buy a scooter in Delhi because he couldn’t produce a residential certificate to the dealer here. The residents think the builder did not get permission either from the Regional Directorate of Civil Aviation or the Flag Officer Goa Area (FOGA) for permission to build at least some of the blocks as Chowgule Gardens falls within the funnel area (airspace for landing) of Dabolim airport. This appears to be the thinking after the builder got a letter (dated 08.11.1992) from FOGA asking it to produce building plans before it undertook any construction. Residents say the builder has refused to show them any FOGA permission and therefore think this is one of the reasons why sale agreements have not been signed. FOGA however had no objection to the builder developing plots.

The list of complaints seems endless. Residents claim the septic tanks are dangerously close to the building blocks. This much is clearly visible, as are the shoddy sewer openings (most in various stages of collapse) built several inches above the ground level and not on level with the ground as should be done. Residents also claim they have no knowledge if the septic tanks open out to soak pits as is the norm. In the case of the Nest built in 2007 comprising 14 flats, the underground water storage tank has developed visible leaks.

Unkept Promises

The builder’s promises as told to the buyers and advertised in the website (copies of website pages produced to the Consumer Court) was subsequently revised and evidence of all this removed: landscape gardens including children’s playing equipment, round-the-clock security, comprehensive maintenance schemes, garbage disposal, including a list of other property management promises; and future plans that included provision of pool table, gymnasium, card room, library and indoor games. Residents say ten years down the line none of these promises have been kept, a fact that I could see for myself when they took me around the approximately 3, 500 sq. mt of open lung space covered with tall dry wild grass! The larger of these spaces distributed around Chowgule Gardens as known to the residents is 1,385 sq. mt, 630 sq. mt, 355 sq. mt, 130 sq. mt and 99 sq. mt. On June 28, 2008, the builders wrote to the Nest flat owners (the most vociferous of the ten block owners) pointing out now that the main entry road within the complex was a public road it therefore had to be maintained by the VP of Sancoale; that a (missing compound wall) would be constructed (not done till date); but generally evaded most of the 34 issues the Nest residents raised earlier –denying even that they had committed to provide the club house announced in the website. The builders even refused to commit themselves on the issue of providing accounts for electricity/water connection charges, registration/stamp duty charges which the residents claimed they had paid in excess. And the battle goes on.

Beware

Take heed. The next time you want a mobile broadband service provider, insist on a practical demonstration and only where you live, irrespective of the reputation of the provider. It does not matter whether the provider is into social industry or is up there in the market capitalisation hierarchy. At ground zero, it’s all about whether you are within enough radial distance of the provider’s antenna. Period. Take heed, because if you want out later even after paying a couple of thou, they are always a step ahead. Latest is, they have bodied together and will lodge a complaint against you with the Vigilance regulatory and Institution for national defaulters for banking industry and other telecom operators. So no matter how pissed you are over a particular provider’s service, they won’t let you waltz off into the arms of another provider without settling all their ‘dues’ never mind the fact that you never connected once. Your only recourse if you want peace of mind: invite them home and take it from there, diplomatically!

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