BMC plans awareness drive on completion & occupancy certs for housing projects | Bhubaneswar News
Bhubaneswar: To protect homebuyers from potential fraud and ensure compliance with regulations, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has planned to launch a comprehensive awareness campaign about the critical importance of completion and occupancy certificates of housing projects.
The campaign comes in response to numerous complaints by homebuyers facing difficulties in obtaining essential services due to the absence of the mandatory certificates. The issue was recently raised by the planning and development committee of the civic body.
City mayor Sulochana Das said that many developers are allegedly selling housing units without securing proper documentation, leading to significant challenges for homebuyers in accessing basic amenities like water supply and sewerage connections.
“We have observed a concerning trend where homebuyers approach BMC with grievances related to service connections, only to discover their properties lack the required certificates,” said Das, adding they will coordinate with sub-registrars and the district collector, Khurda, to prevent the registration of sale deeds without proper certification.
The two crucial documents at the centre of the BMC’s initiative are the completion certificate, issued by an architect confirming the project’s full completion, and the occupancy certificate, provided by competent authorities validating the building’s safety for habitation. These certificates are prerequisites for obtaining essential services from govt-empanelled service providers.
Real estate expert Bimalendu Pradhan welcomed the initiative, noting that while compliance improved recently, there remains a significant knowledge gap among homebuyers. “The awareness campaign is crucial in ending developer monopoly and ensuring stricter adherence to regulations,” Pradhan said.
The impact of non-compliance is already evident in cases like that of Vikrant Jena, a resident of Bomikhal, who is unable to resell his flat due to the lack of an occupancy certificate. “The sub-registrar rejected the sale deed registration, leaving me in a difficult situation,” Jena said.
Minaketan Behera, a resident of Rasulgarh, said they are unable to register the association of allottees because their apartment lacks an occupancy certificate (OC). “Our apartment is very old. At that time, the OC was not issued by the govt. We request the govt for regularisation of our apartment,” he said.
BMC plans to implement the awareness drive through various channels, including information sessions and social media campaigns, ensuring widespread dissemination of the crucial information to potential homebuyers.
The campaign comes in response to numerous complaints by homebuyers facing difficulties in obtaining essential services due to the absence of the mandatory certificates. The issue was recently raised by the planning and development committee of the civic body.
City mayor Sulochana Das said that many developers are allegedly selling housing units without securing proper documentation, leading to significant challenges for homebuyers in accessing basic amenities like water supply and sewerage connections.
“We have observed a concerning trend where homebuyers approach BMC with grievances related to service connections, only to discover their properties lack the required certificates,” said Das, adding they will coordinate with sub-registrars and the district collector, Khurda, to prevent the registration of sale deeds without proper certification.
The two crucial documents at the centre of the BMC’s initiative are the completion certificate, issued by an architect confirming the project’s full completion, and the occupancy certificate, provided by competent authorities validating the building’s safety for habitation. These certificates are prerequisites for obtaining essential services from govt-empanelled service providers.
Real estate expert Bimalendu Pradhan welcomed the initiative, noting that while compliance improved recently, there remains a significant knowledge gap among homebuyers. “The awareness campaign is crucial in ending developer monopoly and ensuring stricter adherence to regulations,” Pradhan said.
The impact of non-compliance is already evident in cases like that of Vikrant Jena, a resident of Bomikhal, who is unable to resell his flat due to the lack of an occupancy certificate. “The sub-registrar rejected the sale deed registration, leaving me in a difficult situation,” Jena said.
Minaketan Behera, a resident of Rasulgarh, said they are unable to register the association of allottees because their apartment lacks an occupancy certificate (OC). “Our apartment is very old. At that time, the OC was not issued by the govt. We request the govt for regularisation of our apartment,” he said.
BMC plans to implement the awareness drive through various channels, including information sessions and social media campaigns, ensuring widespread dissemination of the crucial information to potential homebuyers.
