The Supreme Court recently issued notices to the chief secretaries of Nagaland, Meghalaya, Sikkim and the Union Territory of Ladakh to give their responses on the lack of establishment of the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) in their states.
A bench of justices Sanjiv Khanna and SVN Bhatti also asked the chief secretaries of Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Sikkim and West Bengal, and the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir to file their responses on the current situation as these states have only passed the interim orders to notify the Real Estate Regulatory Authority.
“In view of the aforesaid summary/chart, we deem it appropriate to issue notice to the respective Chief Secretaries for the States of Nagaland, Meghalaya and Sikkim, and the Union Territory of Ladakh, who have yet to notify the RERA Rules or have notified the RERA Rules but are yet to establish the Real Estate Regulatory Authority,” the court observed.
“Also respective Chief Secretaries for the States of Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Sikkim and West Bengal, and the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir who have passed only interim orders notifying the Real Estate Regulatory Authority or are under process to establish,” the court stated in its August 11 order. The court added that affidavits would be filed by the chief secretaries concerned, indicating the progress made with regard to the enforcement and implementation of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016, within a period of 60 days from the date of service of this order. With these observations, the court relisted the matter in January, next year.
Additional Solicitor General has submitted a chart with the heading “Real Estate (Regulation & Development) Act, 2016 RERA – Implementation Progress Report”. According to the chart, all States/UTs have notified rules under RERA
except Nagaland, which is in the process to notify the rules.
32 States/UTs have set up Real Estate Regulatory Authority. Ladakh, Meghalaya and Sikkim have notified the rules but have yet to establish the authority while 28 States/UTs have set up Real Estate Appellate Tribunal. Arunachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Sikkim and West Bengal are in the process of establishing the same, the chart indicated.
The regulatory authorities of 30 States/UTs have operationalised their websites under the provisions of RERA. However, the ones in Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur are in the process of being operationalised. The chart also said that 1,09,308 real estate projects and 77,704 real estate agents have registered under RERA across the country. 1,11,222 complaints have been disposed of by the Real Estate Regulatory Authorities across the country, the chart said.