The controlled demolition of the Supertech twin towers in Noida on Sunday brought to an end, in a matter of 12 seconds, a saga of shattered dreams, broken promises, a corrupt system, a lengthy and courageous struggle for justice, and the ultimate victory of determined homeowners seeking what was rightfully owed to them. Supertech exemplifies the lacunae in the real estate sector in India and the clear nexus between the builder lobby and local authorities. The blatant violations in building regulations enumerated by the Supreme Court in the Supertech case exposed the trail of corruption left behind by developers and officials of the Noida Authority out to make a quick buck while turning a blind eye to the genuine grievances of homeowners. Amid reports that there are several more buildings under the scanner, genuine reform in the real state sector is essential. A solid beginning was made by the Real Estate (Regulation & Development) Act, 2016, as per which the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) would regulate and promote the real estate sector, ensuring transparency and protecting the interests of consumers. However, RERA is not without its drawbacks as the time taken to get approvals and permissions tends to delay projects, while reduced profits and strict regulations deter builders.
The influential developers' lobby as well as local officials — who stand to lose crores of rupees in land charges — may not give in easily to reform in the realty sector. Till then middle class consumers, who invest their life’s savings to buy a dream house, are at the mercy of corrupt builders and officials. Some of them who had invested in the two towers are yet to get their money back. The actual demolition itself went off without a hitch and the twin towers disintegrated into dust in a matter of seconds, but questions have to be asked about the colossal waste of resources and manpower. While the top court’s order is a stellar lesson to those who cheat investors and turn a blind eye to the law of the land, could some better use not have been made of the constructed buildings, such as handing them over to the government for housing the homeless or to set up a hospital or charitable institution? The cost of construction was about Rs 500 crore. Can a country like India, where poverty is still an unpleasant reality, afford such profligacy?
A boat race, an invite & questions for CPM
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s surprise invitation to Union Home Minister Amit Shah to officiate as the chief guest at the famous annual boat race in Alappuzha on September apart from kicking off a controversy has raised serious questions on the CPI-M’s double standards. The boat race named after the first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, who inaugurated it in 1952, is a showpiece event that coincides with Onam celebrations. While the Opposition Congress has said the invitation has exposed the CPI-M’s nexus with communal forces, the state government has justified it, saying Shah and chief ministers of southern states, who will be in Kerala to attend the Southern Zonal Council meeting a day earlier, have all been invited to attend the race. Whatever the reasons for the invitation to Shah, what is irrefutable is that the suggestion of the steering committee for the event to call veteran actor Kamala Haasan as chief guest was overruled by the state government. Is it a mere coincidence or is there some truth to Opposition speculation that the curious invitation to Shah relates to the Lavalin scam case and the gold smuggling case that are coming up in the Supreme Court next month. The top court has adjourned hearing the Lavalin case 30 times so far. There may be some truth to the view that he is trying to build bridges with Shah, who is also the cooperatives minister, in light of the financial irregularities that have surfaced in many cooperative societies in Kerala.
Vijayan has never attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Amit Shah personally during his tenure as CM despite his party’s avowedly anti-BJP stance. This is in sharp contrast to the CPI-M’s sharp attack on RSP MP NK Premachandran who invited the Prime Minister to inaugurate a national highway bypass in his constituency Kollam in 2019 when the Left party dubbed him a ‘sanghi’ and agent of the BJP. The CPI-M state secretariat headed by Vijayan then also demanded UDF minister Sibhu Baby John’s resignation for visiting the National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad, as it was a state ruled by the BJP. This is the clearest expose of the Left party’s double standards and the steady decline of its ideological moorings and its democratic values. With Kerala the sole bastion of the CPI-M, the state unit calls the shots unequivocally and there is little the party’s top decision-making bodies can do to stem the rot.
