Developers welcome SC’s move to lift ban on new construction

The SC order comes on an appeal filed by the Maharashtra Chamber of Housing Industry, which had challenged a February 2016 order of the High Court, dismissing the Chamber’s review plea against the HC’s earlier order banning new constructions.

After the Supreme Court revoked the ban on construction of new building with certain riders, the city developers have welcomed the move, saying it came in the “nick of time”. “There were severe cost overruns in the form of fixed costs related to overall site management. This ban had caused the construction cycle to increase rapidly for affected builders. Lifting of this ban comes in the nick of time to save their day for the upcoming festive season during which many people traditionally buy new properties,” said Anuj Puri, chairperson of ANAROCK Property Consultants. He said developers can now complete projects on time and be compliant with Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority.

Others said the apex court’s attempt at putting the onus of debris management on developers was practical. “Banning of partial construction could not have resolved the concern of debris management. The solution which the Supreme Court has now attempted is practical as well as workable,” said Ashish N Shah, chief operating officer of Radius Developers. “Debris management is a big challenge across the country and developers must own up to their responsibility. The SC’s attempt is in the right direction and we must move towards finding robust debris management plans,” said Rajan Bandelkar, head of Raunak Group and vice-president of National Real Estate Development Council (NAREDCO).

Officials from the civic body, too, hailed the decision. “Though the ban has been revoked, there are certain riders with it about the dumping of the waste. While we have to abide by the decision, it needs to be seen how the developers come forward with proposals of new building constructions,” said an official, who did not wish to be named. The SC order comes on an appeal filed by the Maharashtra Chamber of Housing Industry, which had challenged a February 2016 order of the High Court, dismissing the Chamber’s review plea against the HC’s earlier order banning new constructions. The HC had placed ban for not complying with the solid waste management rules.