SC stays possession of land in Noida Extn

Apex court order to affect various housing projects in the area; fate of more than 50,000 buyers uncertain

In a jolt to the realty sector, the Supreme Court on Thursday ordered a stay on possession of land in Greater Noida West’s — popularly known as Noida Extension —Bisrakh, where about 30 builders are constructing various group housing projects.

“Stay over possession means that the Greater Noida authority, which hand over land to developers for real estate purposes, will be barred from taking land from farmers who have objected to the acquisition. Farmers who have possession on acquired land will keep occupying it till the next order,” said Sandhya Goswami, the lawyer of the farmers.

The next date of hearing is yet to be decided. Many farmers had challenged the land acquisition in the apex court.

The decision triggered panic among thousands of homebuyers, who have booked flats in group housing projects. The fate of 50,000 buyers is uncertain in Bisrakh, which has the biggest stake in the Noida Extension region.

Bisrakh has 608 hectares of land share — about 40% — in Noida Extension, where about 20,000 home buyers still face cancellation of bookings at the hands of builders for various reasons.

“We are planning to intensify our agitation to get justice for all homebuyers. Officials said today’s SC order will not affect us much. But we are worried about the future of the realty hub, where we have invested our hard-earned money,” said Abhishek Kumar, president of the Noida Extension flat owners welfare association.

The Supreme Court had on April 27, 2012 had issued notices to the state government and the Greater Noida Authority on a petition filed by the Bisrakh village farmers who challenged the Allahabad high court’s decision refusing to quash acquisition of their village land, acquired by using the urgency clause.

“We are bound to follow the court’s order,” said a senior Greater Noida authority member, requesting anonymity.

The Supreme Court had on August 6 quashed acquisition of 182 hectares in Greater Noida West’s (Noida Extension) Salarpur village.

“We welcome the order because our land was forcefully acquired for industries. We were cheated by the authority and then UP government,” said Dushyant Nagar, a farmer leader.

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