The simmering anger of its customers burst like a monsoon cloud on Jaypee last weekend. Over the last 4 years, there have been many meetings between Jaypee and its buyers averaging about one every 6 months. I have attended most of them. Each time our complaints would fall on deaf ears. From a cordial atmosphere in the first meeting held in January 2011, there was a progressive deteriation of temper on the part of the buyers as delays kept on mounting and mounting. And this time there was no holding back !
The meeting itself was held with restraint and decorum. But anguish laced every bitter word spoken by the buyers and the embers of rage burst out into flame every now and then. Jaypee as always was represented by Mr. Ajit Kumar, who is well known for keeping very calm and smiling as he hands out his putrid medicine which makes the troubled customer nauseous enough to vomit. People who had been attending so many of these meetings before knew about his stonewalling techniques and shouted out for Sachin Gaur to come out. As usual Sachin Gaur came out as he has been doing on previous agitated meetings as well - unlike other builders who imperially disdain the buyer once he has been captured and his money collected, Jaypee always gives lip sympathy. He was accompanied by another Gaur in a light blue shirt. People are not sure whether he was also a promoter because from his verbal and body language people were confused about who he was. Some thought he was Sachin Gaur's bodyguard !
But whether it is Mr. Ajit Kumar or Mr. Sachin Gaur, the answer is still the same - no increase in penalty, which will be given as per PAL. Super area increase is possible and will be as per PAL. And they said they will communicate fresh deadlines for completion. Once again fresh deadline ! Deadline after deadline vanished into the blue and all we get are fresh deadlines !
How can a company turn a deaf ear to its customers? How can a company keep on defaulting but shelter under a one sided PAL and try to get away with it because they have a massive legal team? Are the builders not accountable for their actions ? Whether the builders cause harm with good or bad intention is not the question - point is that the end result is that they are causing harm. Harm is harm, intentions are only secondary. Failure is failure, there is no excuse.
I tried to speak amongts the shouting going on, I informed Sachin Gaur about forming an association. I tried to raise the issue of the applicability of UP Apartments Act regarding super area increase, but the promoters got up to go and refused to pay any attention.
When I read the minutes of the first meeting we had with Jaypee in 2011, they had said that UP Apartments Act was not applicable in NOIDA but they will abide by it when it is implemented. Now it is implemented. So why is Jaypee increasing super area when it is clearly prohibited in the UP Apartments Act?
How can the buyers not get angry when something unfair and seemingly illegal is done? One of the buyers at the meeting told how he is paying 3 Lakhs per annum as rent. With three years of delay that is 9 Lakhs of rent plus the interest lost on the amount as well, amounting to a whopping 12 Lakhs of loss because Jaypee has defaulted. I am also paying 25000 per month as rent which amounts to 3 Lakhs per annum. My flat was to be ready in November 2012, which is three years after booking or by March 2013 since Jaypee delayed issuing PAL and I got it 4 months late. So I am also facing around 5 Lakhs of loss by the same calculation - and there are people who booked in 2006 and 2007 ! What humongous losses they must be facing ?
The person who defaults must pay. Not the innocent person who has not defaulted on anything. So why are the buyers paying a heavy price while Jaypee is getting away with such defaults? How can Jaypee pay peanuts as penalty ? Should the buyers not feel angry?
I post below the media reports of the protest which took place on 30th August 2014:
This is the NOIDA forum report and best describes the atmosphere in the meeting in well chosen words. One gets a real sense of "black rage" - which goes well with the black T shirts we all wore and the core members got T shirts printed which said "WISH THERE WAS A TOWN". Brilliant T shirts and full marks to the young team who put up such a wonderful show.
This is the report in Hindi.
The Times of India is the most important of the print reports because in this report the commitment of Jaypee to issue fresh dates for completion by 7th of September is recorded. And we hope that this date i.e. 7th September will form a watershed. Delays beyond this date should be having a much higher level of compensation and not the paltry and ludicrous 5 Rs. psf. And if the freshly committed deadline is also not met - then an even higher compensation should apply. The builder cannot delay indefinitely. There has to be an escalation of penalties for inordinate delays and delays beyond all reasonable limits should be penalised with extremely high and deterrent levels of penalties. The law of the land must find our demands reasonable and help us in getting justice.
Or so we hope.
Follow up 8.9.2014
Our hopes were dashed. Jaypee did not even bother to reply by 7th September as promised. In fact no reply by 12.00 PM on 8th. How strange that I still am hoping they will do something by evening?
Jaypee is royally "taking people for a ride"
http://www.noidaforum.com/jaypee-infratechs-litany-of-unfulfilled-promises/
PLEASE LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS BELOW BY CLICKING ON THE COMMENTS LINK
Follow up 8.9.2014
Our hopes were dashed. Jaypee did not even bother to reply by 7th September as promised. In fact no reply by 12.00 PM on 8th. How strange that I still am hoping they will do something by evening?
Jaypee is royally "taking people for a ride"
http://www.noidaforum.com/jaypee-infratechs-litany-of-unfulfilled-promises/
PLEASE LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS BELOW BY CLICKING ON THE COMMENTS LINK
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