For thousands of aspiring homeowners in Karnataka, the journey toward owning a home has become a prolonged legal and financial ordeal. While many have secured favourable rulings from Rera, builders continue to ignore the law with impunity, as government agencies fail to enforce orders, say aggrieved buyers.
From construction delays to refused refunds and blatant disregard for Rera mandates, homeowners feel trapped in an endless loop. Chartered accountant Gopal Agarwal from Whitefield booked a flat in 2012, expecting delivery by 2015, but received it only in 2019. Though Rera ordered a ₹10 lakh compensation in 2022, Agarwal says enforcement has stalled completely. “I’ve visited officials over a hundred times. Even after a High Court directive, nothing happened,” he said.
Govind Narayan, a Jalahalli resident, paid ₹37 lakh for a flat near Electronics City. Construction stopped in 2022, and despite winning a Rera case and holding a recovery certificate, no action followed. “I have no home, no returns, and broken promises,” he lamented.
Sudhakar Lakshmanaraja, who won a ₹46 lakh compensation order in 2021, said, “I’ve approached everyone from the PMO to the Human Rights Commission — no results. Meanwhile, these builders continue to operate freely.”
Out of 796 Rera orders, nearly 30% of refund-related directives remain unfulfilled due to lack of enforcement. Homebuyers advocate Dhananjaya Padmanabhachar stressed the need for a dedicated revenue recovery wing within Rera.
A senior Rera official admitted: “We lack recovery powers. Without execution authority, our hands are tied.”