LUDHIANA: The district consumer disputes redressal commission has imposed a composite cost of Rs 50,000 on Greater Ludhiana Area Development Authority (Glada) for raising an “illegal demand of non-construction charges for a plot from an elderly woman” based in Canada’s Ontario province.
The commission, while quashing the demand of Rs 26.5 lakh as non-construction charges raised by GLADA, directed the authority to approve the building plan applied by complainant Avtar Kaur, 75, within 30 days from the date of receipt of copy of the order without any demand for non-construction charges.
The complainant was allotted a plot by Glada in Phase I of Dugri vide letter dated May 31, 1979, but it allotment was cancelled vide letter dated May 25, 1989. Challenging the same, the complainant filed a civil suit dated July 30, 1991.
The said suit was decreed on Nov 29, 1994, by Dharam Singh, the then sub-judge (first class), Ludhiana. Thereafter, Avtar filed an execution application in the court of Karandeep Kaur, the then civil judge (junior division), who appointed its reader as LC and a sale deed dated March 17, 2016, of the said plot was executed and registered in favour of the complainant.
The complainant stated that she visited Glada a number of times with requisite papers to record her name as owner in its records, but to no avail. She even wrote letters dated June 18, 2019; Sep 5 and 20, 2019; and Oct 3, 2019, to Glada, but no reply was received.
Ultimately, Glada restored the allotment of the plot vide order dated Jan 1, 2020.
The complainant said she submitted a building plan before Glada for approval by depositing Rs 31,450 in form of a DD on account of fee-type map fee, cow cess, security building plan, labour cess in respect of plot in question to which the opposite party issued a receipt dated Aug 28, 2020, of the said amount, but did not approve the plan till date despite her repeated requests and letter dated Nov 3, 2020.
She said the delay in approving building plan had caused her physical and mental agony, and she was entitled to compensation for this. The complainant also prayed for quashing a Glada demand of Rs 26.5 lakh made vide a notice dated Sep 28, 2020. She requested the commission to direct Glada to approve the plan along with compensation of Rs 8 lakh, and litigation expenses of Rs 1 lakh.
Glada said the allottee failed to deposit 75% amount of the plot, which was a condition of the allotment letter. Accordingly, a tentative amount of Rs 7,166, including interest,was pending till date against the allottee against the cost of plot.
Glada added non-construction charges of Rs 26.5 lakh included GST up to Dec 31, 2021, and this was also pending against the complainant. It also submitted that the allottee was already informed vide office letter dated Sep 28, 2020, to deposit non-construction charges pending against the plot, but the allottee failed to deposit the same till date.
