Hyderabad: A consumer court has ordered a major real estate developer to pay Rs 10,000 to its customer for causing him mental agony by delaying the refund of money paid for purchasing a flat in the city.
The court has also ordered the builder to pay Rs 3,000 to the customer, V.V.L. Narasimham, towards costs of the suit.
The 55 year-old complainant had approached the the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum after the builder, Janapriya Engineer Syndicate, delayed the refund of the initial sale consideration.
According to Mr Narasimhan, he had booked a flat at Janapriya Metropolis, Motinagar in the city in November 2011, after he was impressed with the scheme offered by the builder.
The builder’s scheme allowed employees, who are retiring from service within four years, to pay Rs 6 lakh initially and pay the balance amount of Rs 11.5 lakh in 45 monthly instalments from the retirement benefits.”
After paying Rs 6 lakh in three instalments, Mr Narasimham said Janapriya Engineer Syndicate had recalculated the flat sale price at the rate of Rs 3,220 per square foot as against the agreed rate of Rs 2,850 per sq ft, citing higher input costs.
Mr Narasimham, however, refused to pay the higher price and demanded the builder either to sell the flat at the agreed price or refund Rs 6 lakh, which he paid, along with an interest of 12 per cent per annum.
After prolonged negotiations, he said the builder had agreed to repay Rs 6 lakh along with nine per cent interest rate.
However, the builder continued to delay the refund, forcing Mr Narasimham to approach the consumer court against the builder for causing mental agony and suffering”.
Hyderabad-based court after hearing the Consumer Case No. 184/2014 recently directed the builder to refund Rs 6 lakh to the complainant, along with an interest at nine per cent a year from the date of payment till the date of realisation.
