Apprehensive that the department of town and country planning (TCP), Haryana, may put all delayed residential and commercial projects out of the ambit of the Real Estate Regulatory Act (RERA), city homebuyers have started compiling a list of some projects which they feel should be covered under the Act.

Homebuyers have sent a list of 20 delayed projects to the TCP and Dilbag Singh, former chief town planner (CTP), Haryana government. The buyers are in the process of drawing up a list of more projects and will submit it to the government urging it to bring all of them within the ambit of the regulatory authority.

Dwarka Expressway Welfare Association – a group of homebuyers who have been battling obtain possession of their properties for five years — is working actively in this regard. The association said that the TCP has, so far, obtained registration papers from developers of only 15 new realty projects from Gurgaon.

Homebuyers are worried as they are losing hope of action against developers for delaying possession of flats and not paying the refund as part of the builder-buyer agreement.

Gaurav Prakash, founder member of the association, said, “We have listed 20 developers whose projects are coming up along the Dwarka Expressway. We have circulated a message among our group on social networking sites in a bid to keep them updated about delayed projects. We believe many other projects are delayed and homebuyers who have invested in them have little choice but to move the consumers’ forum for justice.”

“RERA’s stated objective is to bring relief to tens of thousands of homebuyers who have not got possession of flats. In most such cases, the developers are to blame for the delay in possession. If all those projects are not brought under RERA, the penalties will not apply to them. We will also not be able to approach the authority against developer,” said Prakhar Sahay, another homebuyer.

70-year-old DV Singh, who has bought a home in an under construction project, said, “I am sorry to say that the government seems to have sided with the developers (with regard to its RERA draft rules). I have been waiting for possession of my flat in Sector 70 for the last four years. I believe the developer will take at least another one-and-a-half years to finish the project, as the work is progressing very slowly. I booked flat in 2009 and it was supposed to be delivered in 2012-’13. I doubt if RERA will be able to do justice to the likes of me.”

Singh said, “Appropriate action will be initiated after July 31 against projects trying to skirt RERA rules.”

The Haryana government is expected to notify RERA by the end of this month and homebuyers fear that the final draft rules could be a watered down version of the central rules.