City Build Tech to refund Rs 80L to buyers

A prominent real estate firm,facing probe for allegedly duping its customers,has been ordered by a Delhi court to refund nearly Rs 80 lakh to its customers for its failure to deliver them flats and plots booked with it in a real-estate hub on Delhi-Jaipur highway.

A prominent real estate firm,facing probe for allegedly duping its customers,has been ordered by a Delhi court to refund nearly Rs 80 lakh to its customers for its failure to deliver them flats and plots booked with it in a real-estate hub on Delhi-Jaipur highway.

Additional District Judge (ADJ) Nivedita Anil Sharma also asked Green City Build Ltd to refund its customers the money with an 11 percent interest on the booking amount from the date of the filing of the petition.

ADJ Sharma passed the orders on ten separate civil suits filed by nine investors who alleged that despite the money paid in advance for its proposed real estate projects at Bhiwadi and Dharuheda on Delhi-Jaipur highway,the real estate firm neither gave them the property nor refunded the money.

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“In view of the facts and circumstances of the case,a decree of Rs 15.25 lakh under provisions of Civil Procedure Code along with future interest at the rate of 11 per cent per annum from the filing of the suit till the realisation is hereby passed in favour of the plaintiff and against the defendant,” the ADJ said passing identical orders in nine other suits for sums ranging from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 16 lakh.

Of the ten suits,Delhi resident Atul Chander Paul had filed two cases each through his son and daughter in whose names he had invested a total of Rs 11 lakh. Gurgaon-resident Dr Indra Mathur had also filed two suits seeking recovery of Rs 10 lakh she had invested for two plots in Bhiwadi.

The petitioners said they had invested the money on the firm’s assurance that the project would start soon and in case of any delay their money will be refunded with interest.

However,none of them was either delivered the plots despite a lapse of several months or paid back their money even after repeated requests and legal notices.

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In their civil suits for recovery of their money,the customers said Green City Build Tech Limited had advertised in June 2006 about the sale of plots in a project in Daruheda and Bhiwadi and several hundred people had invested in the project.

The complainants also told the court that they had received several calls from the authorised representative of Green City and also from its authorised agents and were persuaded to invest in properties being developed by them at Bhiwadi and Dharuheda.

They said they were assured with a commitment that the project shall be started soon and in case of any delay the money would be refunded with interest.

Later,the investors alleged Green City did not have the licence to develop the township and it had been selling the land illegally,prompting Economic Offences Wing of Delhi Police to lodge criminal cases of cheating and forgery etc. against the firm on complaints by its duped customers.