
YASHICA SITARAM writes: Having spent the better part of our growing-up years here, we had always wanted to make Mysore our home and when the opportunity presented itself early last year, my husband and I jumped at it. At least, we would be close to our parents when they needed us most, and our children would be close to their grandparents when they needed them most.
Finding a suitable home was the obvious first step.
After having lived in different cities in the United States and North India, we were seeking the kind of home where we would have the peace of mind to pursue our own interests. Friends and relatives chipped in with advice. Finally, we found comfort in a walled apartment block in the southern corner of the City, in Visweswaranagar, better known to Mysoreans as Industrial Suburb.
At first sight, we felt it had everything we wanted. It had a nice Sanskrit name. It was far from the madding crowd. It looked good from the outside, with nice, modern colours. Plus, there were promises of a gymnasium, a swimming pool, a guest room complex, landscaping, a kid’s garden, 24-hour power backup for common areas, underground parking—the whole nine yards.
Or so we thought.
Six months later, these just remained promises.
Worse, the condition of our spacious three-bedroom duplex deteriorated so rapidly, and the maintenance remained so abysmal, that living in this place that was painted to be paradise became pure hell.
First, the power repeatedly failed. Surprisingly, this would happen even when there was power in neighbouring houses and establishments, and in the industries and other visible areas surrounding the apartment complex.
On one occasion there was no electricity for three whole days and nights.
When we made calls to the electricity supply board, we were matter-of-factly informed that the builder—a prominent member of the Builders’ Association of India to boot; a man whose face regularly adorns the local newspapers—had not procured sufficient power sanction for the project and hence power had been terminated.
We were shocked, because while our apartment did not have power, there seemed to be power in the premises for the construction of the other apartment blocks, for pumping water, and for operating the lifts. Clearly, the only conclusion to draw was that there was somebody in the mains room switching off and on electricity as per requirement, like a DJ in a disco.
Worse, we found our air-conditioners disconnected from their outdoor units, all as part of efforts by the builder to conserve the meagre sanctioned limits. When called, the A/C servicemen expressed surprise that the wires were cut and frayed at the ends indicating a clean splice.
Very soon, we came to realize that the builder had not procured sanction for supply of municipal water, either. Wells bored into the arid, salty crusts around the hill were being relied upon to supply water for drinking, washing and cleaning. And an antiquated motor which was a sight to behold, pumped the water up into our homes.
So dark and dirty was the water that the purifier in our kitchen kept repeatedly getting choked, and the milk kept curdling due to the high salt content.
For the first time, we had to rely on packaged drinking water, the supply of which, was solely left to the mercy of the suppliers because “your place is too far, Madam, we will charge 10 rupees per bottle extra for delivery”.
And then, it rained. When I mean rained, I mean it rained right into the house. The duplex, built no more than a year or so earlier, leaked like a sieve.
One evening, we were shocked to see the entire beam ceiling of the duplex covered in small droplets like sponge dripping water. The windows leaked and rivulets ran all over the living room. The rooms leaked and ruined wooden beds. Our furniture started taking a beating. The skylights, constructed without any manner of engineering, leaked and poured.
It was a royal drench.
Since these extraordinary developments kept us occupied, we never paid heed to instances like getting stuck in the lift and having no trained personnel to open it. One night, when my daughter and I stepped in and pressed “4”, the lift shut down, the lights went out, and it became suffocatingly clear that we were trapped.
Luckily, there was a feeble signal on the mobile phone, so I called my husband. He got the security and grounds people together and soon found that they were not trained to handle such emergencies. The head security guy began dialling the maintenance number of the lift manufacturer! My husband, seeing this situation, got hold of a steel rod lying on the floor and yanked the doors open.
Another instance, equally scary, was when the groundwater sump got poisoned by a neighbour’s kid who emptied the fertilizer meant for the garden into the sump and myriad other daily threats that seemed to pale in comparison.
Sitting amidst the noise, din and water one night, we were glad we had only rented the apartment and not bought the place.
When we enquired with our neighbours, they just shrugged it off saying their houses leaked too but they had no recourse since the builder had shut them up by saying, “You got what you paid for.” This was short hand for an extraordinary form of price speculation that the whole enterprise was being run on.
We, and all those who enquired, were told that all the apartments in our block, and the other blocks under construction, had been sold. In reality, this was just fiction. The builder, it appeared, was exploiting his social and other Rotary Club contacts and connections in a masterful way, to jack up prices and make a killing.
In the course of this depressed six months, the rot set in. In a few weeks following the rains, white algae and fungi patches started to form. That was it. We vacated.
All along, I’ve wondered about the greed driving such projects. And the gluttony, unappeased and insatiable. Perpetuating such perversity is unbecoming for projects which nurture lives, kids, families who plan for lifetimes to purchase homes.
The response I received was: “Why did you live there? It’s only an investment. You pay something down, you get an apartment allotted. You wait and don’t register until you find an unsuspecting buyers and palm it off at a hefty profit. Why stay there? Everyone knows not to stay so far… so far from progress.”
Six months down the line, it seems like sage advice.
Photographs: Yashica Sitaram
ma’am y don’t u file a petition or complaint (whatever) against the builder in the consumer court ? i remember my parents having some trouble with a reputed consumer elecs. company of india, when my dad just mentioned about consumer forum, he got the required work done
oh, oh.. i know this prominent member of BAI. He is the past Chairman of BAI Mysore chapter. As a Chairman, he has done good work. But i never knew that his ambitious project has failed so badly. He is considered as one of the most professional builders of Mysore. Even I believed so. But now, sorry!
The poster has only rented a flat in that apartment. Think about the plight of buyers of flats in such apartment.
The problem is we are very unprofessional and unscientific in buying property, such as apartments. Even if it costs a bit more, one should consult professionals such as lawyers and architects and seek their advice on legal as well as technical matters. It is better to buy apartment at 80% plus completion stage and it is even better to buy in a apartment where few flats are occupied so that one will know, if there are any problems, directly from residents.
If one wants to buy an apartment before the construction phase, it is extremely important to check the draft of development agreement with the builder as to see whether the features promised in the brochure are reflected as legally binding on part of the builder, in the agreement. So it would be necessary to get the the draft checked by a real estate lawyer, before signing on it. The lawyer will also advice on the list of copies of documents to be procured from builder, for checking against legal encumbrance and the legality of the property on which the apartment is built.
Likewise, help of an architect is required to get opinion on the quality of construction, so as not to lament later about leaking roofs, peeling paint Out of limits FSI, etc. Further an architect can also advise if the particular flat you are interested in buying is according to sanctioned plan. Which means if one is buying a flat in 6 th floor and the sanctioned plan is only for four floors, one fine morning the buyer will be served a notice for demolition of his/her home. Further get advice even if you are buying in first floor as to whether the construction of flat is according to sanctioned plan, otherwise one has to cough up lots of money to sakramise the akramas of the builder.
There are 101 points to be checked before paying an advance for your dream flat, so my advice is to seek professional help.
Further, if possible never buy a flat in 7th floor or above, unless it is 50% cheaper than the lower floors. Studies have indicated that old people living at such heights develop mental complications and children tend to become violent individuals when they grow up in such high-rise flats. In developed countries, high-rise flats are meant for offices and not for living. I find it is highly funny to see some builders quoting 50 Rs /sq ft etc according to the number of floor, which means if you are buying a flat in ground floor for Rs 3000/sq.ft, in the 11 th floor it will cost you 3500 Rs/sq ft, when asked why they say with each floor the pollution becomes less. Which means 99.9% of the people living in Bangalore are exposed to severe pollution where as the 10th floor residents are completely saved from pollution and even they get virgin air at that height, which I think is utter nonsense. Probably the state pollution control board needs to comment on this.
When gullible investors abound the unscrupulous builder makes a kill.
jai sri ram!
By purchasing a flat you become flat. Nobody will come to see you. when I went to see a person in a flat near Law Courts, the security man asked me my address, asked me to put my signature and then flatly said that he is not there. Thank God , he did not insist on having my LTM too. Security should be there, but professionals should manage them. Flats are built on promises and people who borrow lot of money will be destined to live in it.
The whole world leaks!
The comments made by Mrs Yashica Sitaram on this site make interesting reading and we would like to post our side of the whole episode.
The couple did occupy a flat in our project during the construction phase and we do accept that they faced a few problems like the noise of the construction and the attendant problems. We have given all that we have promised, and that is there to be seen.The Swimming pool, Gymnasium, Children’s play area, etc, are all functional; 40 families are living happily in the project and they have no complaints. Several features in this project are unique to Mysore and a visit to the site now on completion can make matters clear.
We are glad that we have received several bouquets for our good work and we do have the grace to take a few brickbats.
Regarding this specific case we have to accept that there was a leakage near one of the windows and the same was rectified when we were allowed to do it, and this was our only error. The ACs were fixed unauthorisedly by the so called law-abiding citizen in spite of being told that each flat has only 3 KVA of power and the outer walls were punctured and they brought in the water shown in the photos. We have close to 400 KVA of sanctioned power for the project with a valid completion report and we are only the second project in Mysore to have a fire clearance.
Regarding the other comments made in the article, we don’t think they are worth replying to. Records are available to show that 106 of the 112 flats are sold and that they have been sold to non-Rotarians and non-BAI members as well. Lots of effort have gone into making this project a reality and we are glad at the good reviews we have received and we are extremely dismayed that this couple have something and more to say.
Visit the project first hand and may be you will be able to see something Mrs. Sitaram did not see.
Come, see and only then believe. Mail us at mail@enclavesmysore.com for a visit and then post your comments back on this site and we will take it all.
Dear All,
This is fantastic! I think the truth is some where in between the claims of YS and Enclaves.
Pingback: Land of Lime » Where is Outrage?
“the truth lies somewhere in between” well said.
if the builder is so confident of their side how come they cant back it up with some pictures,references???
we are in process of purchasing a flat from the person
who had already purchased it.Please advise.Should we drop
the plan? plmail to manojbalaji2002@yahoo.com
Resp.Sir,
Sub:Police Inaction in the case of house grabbing by Deepak Niranjanath Pandit
Superitendant of Customs,Air Cargo Complex,Mumbai,brother of producer/Director Ashok Pandith by misusing official power /and connection at high places
We, Mr&Mrs.K.Gopal Rao aged 75 years and 65 years are the Legal owners of flat no 803 Brookhill Tower,Andheri(w),Mumbai.Mr and Mrs. Deepak Pandit are known to us through Ravi Suvarna who is also Superirendant of Customs ,
approached to us for temperory shelter for a period of 2-3 months,since in the society in which they stay do not have lift and Mrs Arushi D.Pandit was undergoing a major heart surgery in Leela Hospital and need one bedroom in our flat.Hence,we allowed Mr. Deepak Pandit to stay in our flat with his wife and son(One son is away in angalore),by providing one bed room and allowed them to use common hall and kitchen
on humanitarian and medical ground with out charging a single rupee.
In Sept 2007, we visited our native place in Karnataka,and locked other 3 bedrooms apart from which has been used byDeepak Pandit and his wife Arushi Pandit by showing blind faith
and trust and handed over the keys of main entrance.When we came back from our native place,we found our other two bed rooms locks were broken and the bedrooms have been used
by Mr.Deepak Pandit and Mrs.Arushi D. Pandit.When we asked about this mischief,Mr Deepak Pandit very rudely replied that we people should vacate the flat along with our belongings.We were
shocked and surprised after this incident.
Then we immediatly contacted Ravi Suvarna and Ravi Suvarna contacted Deepak Pandit about vacating the flat.He bluntlydenied to vacate the flat and also threatened with dire consequences and that his brother Mr Ashok Pandit is a very influential political person,and Deepak pandit himself is a Custom Officer and by virtue of his position/post he will grab our flat.
Further we approached to one/two reputed persons in the society and narrated the things which have been going on and requested them to mediate the dispute.He refused to meet the
persons and asked us to pay Rs 10 lakh otherwise he will not vacate the flat .At the same time he mentioned that we will see how he will grab our flat.
Recently we have come to know that other than his house in
Juhu (no 214)juhu Shantivan co-operative Housing Society,bldg
no 13,gulmohar cross road no 6,Andheri(w),he has got one house
at Takur Complex, kandivili(E),and one at Andheri(E). He has rented
out all these houses and took shelter at our place on sympathetic/humanitarian grounds.
We have approached the oshiwara police and lodged written complaints dtd 4/10/07 and 28/02/08 but to no avail.Police have threatened to arrest our grand daughter if she doesn’t vacate the house and she was forced to leave the house at 0400 AM on 05/10/07(By SI Gaikwad,Kadam on the instruction of the PI Sonawane of Oshiwada Police Station).As we are old
aged and can not run from pillar to post,I kindly request yourgoodselves to Publish this issue on your Paper because this kind of acts by people by misusing the legal provisions to their advantage and grabbing only shelter of senior citizens by taking the help of police and security staffof the building.This is nothing but breach of trust and they know that if it goes to court it will take years together.These kind of issues should be debated and people should be educated about this kind of offences/crimes(misuse of legal provisions) which were probably made to safeguard poor tenants
We kindly request your goodselves to take up the matter so that people will get educated about such kind of abuse of legal provisions and also wrong people who misuse the provisions of law to their advantage which were made to safeguard the weeker sections by using official power and connection at high places.As we are old aged and can not run from pillar to post,We kindly request you to publish in your paper after investigating the case and being convinced as an issue(House grabbing).He has made an extra(double) door in our absence and now he is not allowing us to enter the house with the help of Oshiwada police.If a public servant can behave like a goon and grab only house of senior citizens then we are in the same age old tradition of slavery.(We are ready to produce any kind od evidence reg the fact that he is forcefully/illegally stying in our house).He has not got any papers/reciepts
Yours sincerely,
Mr.&Mrs. K.Gopal Rao.
76/41,14th cross,PadmanabhaNagar,
Bangalore-70
Cell No 09343952727
So many people have suffered or lost their houses due to this kind of planned tactics(Khabja). If you publish the article/News,it will definately help people who go to help people innocently and get trapped.I hope there should be amendments in the legal provisions to safeguard genuine cases.As the legal process takes years together and culprits enjoy the possession merrily.Here the system(Law and order/police and legal system has also to be blamed).If things like this continues people will lose humanity and stop helping even in genuine cases.Please help us atleast in educating(legalities) people about this Khabja
I think it is better to buy a caravan (like the one used by SRK in Swadesh…