GNIDA arrested officials who were involved in illegal construction in Shahberi.

By Abhay Shah, Realty Quarter

The Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority (GNIDA) found officials responsible for unauthorized construction in Shahberi in the first step towards setting accountability. It also finalized IIT-Delhi to perform a structural audit of the area’s buildings and began sealing the empty ones.

Meanwhile, 12 of the 29 protesters arrested after August 14 disputes with officials and police, who were not able to be made in a court on a holiday, were in prison on August 15.

Nine people were killed in July last year when two six-story buildings collapsed in Shahberi. This was followed by a crackdown on illegal buildings in the area by the GB Nagar administration. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had requested GNIDA at a meeting last month to employ an outside agency to perform an audit and determine which structures were fragile. He had said that initially only the weaker and unsafe structures would be demolished while the authorities are going to assist relocate individuals in those houses. GNIDA wrote to the IITs in Delhi, Roorkee and Kanpur and the Roorkee Central Building Research Institute to send estimates and time requirements for the audit.

“We’ve written to four external organizations seeking proposals and IIT-Delhi has been finalized for now. We’re carrying out the modalities and timelines for finishing the job. We’ve also continually requested inhabitants to vacate the region as all Shahberi buildings are unauthorized and may be dangerous as they may not have met any quality requirements,” said Narendra Bhooshan, CEO of GNIDA.

The CM also intended to take action against corrupt officials at the meeting. For each year, with the help of Google Earth images, the Authority had prepared a survey report showing that maximum construction had occurred between 2014 and 2017. The study indicated that the whole Shahberi region has 1,453 buildings. These include 426 residential buildings with three or more floors in which several flats were built and sold. There are also five commercial buildings and 1,022 ground-floor buildings plus two floors.

The Authority has created a list of representatives who were posted to GNIDA during that era using the accessible time frame and estate records. “We’ve been working on the problems as it’s been a serious issue for us. Our staff department will check the list and send it to the chief minister in the next few weeks. The chief minister has provided definite instructions to stand by buyers and provide all the help they need,” said Bhooshan.

The CEO of GNIDA added that demolition is not taking place as of now. “We’re just sealing buildings that aren’t occupied after we’ve received reports that property sales are still going on. The goal is to prevent more buyers from getting cheated. Builders won’t be allowed to show or sell sealed apartments,” he said.

Meanwhile, buyers who demanded that authorities check the buildings for structural integrity and punish the officials engaged in fraudulent property sales began their stir on August 15.  While 17 women arrested had been bailed on August 14, angry reactions sparked by the fact that 12 men remain in prison.

“It is a festive occasion when everyone celebrates freedom. However, innocent buyers who were duped by developers and authorities into purchasing illegal apartments stay locked up like criminals. Their relatives, who are already living in perpetual pain, did not enjoy the festival. We are now building a group of authorities, reporters and lawyers who can assist us lodge a court case and get justice,” said Mukul Tyagi, a Shahberi resident.

S P Upadhyay, President of Shahberi Sangharsh Samiti, said, “We are victims of a fraud involving all public organizations and developers, but authorities treat us as vicious criminals and put us in prison for seeking justice. The agency is simply transferring responsibility by providing assistance, while officials have also been engaged in the Shahberi fraud,” he said.