Jalandhar: Two flat allottees win case against trust

Jalandhar: The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has directed the Jalandhar Improvement Trust (JIT) to refund Rs 26 lakh to two allottees of Indrapuram Master Gurbanta Singh Enclave. The amount comprises the principal amount, nine per cent interest and additional compensation and litigation expenses. “The refund should be processed within 45 days, failing which the JIT will have to pay additional interest of three per cent per annum,” the commission’s order said. The complaints were filed in 2023 and 2019 respectively by Urmil Tandon and Asha Rani, who alleged that they had paid over Rs 4 lakh in 2006 for flats in the 13.97-acre development project of the Indrapuram scheme. Their grievances centred on the fact that the JIT forcibly handed over flats to them in 2013 without essential amenities like electricity or water connection. The verdict in both the cases was pronounced in the second week of August. Asha Rani’s son Sunil Kumar, who took over the case after his mother’s death in 2020, highlighted that his mother had invested her life savings in the project, but it was incomplete and full of problems. Despite repeated appeals to the JIT office for justice, the problems remained unresolved, prompting the allottees to seek intervention from the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission.

The JIT counsel argued that the complainants had accepted possession of the flats after inspecting the construction, thus negating their claims. However, the commission chairman said the possession was partial and did not include the essential amenities mentioned in the allotment agreement. The commission directed the JIT to refund the deposit amount to the complainants along with nine per cent interest, Rs 30,000 compensation and Rs 8,000 for litigation expenses. The commission said non-compliance within the specified period would attract an additional three per cent annual interest on the principal amount.