Jasim Khan
120 complaints lodged with Rehab
Cheating and fraudulent activities in the real estate sector have increased alarmingly in the city as several hundred victims lodged complaints with the association of the realtors and different police stations in the last couple of months.
The Real Estate and Housing Association of Bangladesh (Rehab) sources said the association is now dealing with about 120 such complaints through its Customer Mediation Service Centre.
“We have already settled over two dozens of such complaints while the Rehab has expelled five of its members from the association,” Major Momen, a Rehab director, who is also coordinator of the mediation centre, told the FE.
Mr Momen admitted that the number of complaints has increased alarmingly though many of the realtors are not Rehab members. “The centre, headed by a retired judge, is independently investigating all the complaints,” he said.
When asked, Deputy Commissioner (Public Relations) of the DMP Masud Hossain said the number of cheating in real estate sector has increased but he could not be specify whether those cases were filed under relevant laws for cheating.
Sources said in real estate business, many people are not getting their plots though they had paid the full price and signed the deeds with respective companies.
“Similarly, thousands of people are yet to get their flats despite the fact that they had cleared full amount of dues to the relevant developers,” sources said.
Several ghost realtors by publishing lucrative advertisements also continue to fleece the clients showing fake projects.
“The fake realtors, after receiving a few installments of payment, went into hiding,” a victim said.
In some other cases, many landowners who were lured by the developers to build multi-storey buildings with an ownership ratio ranging between 40:60 and 50:50, did not get the promised buildings ready.
There are many such cases of arbitration between developers and land owners still lying unsettled.
When asked, Rehab general secretary M Wahiduzzaman said the association is committed to root out such cheating activities at any cost.
He said the Rehab is investigating some specific allegations and if any developers are found guilty, it will take stern action including cancellation of their membership from the association.
The Rehab leader said the sector is regaining momentum slowly after the budget announcement. Still there are a number of challenges that need to be addressed, he said.
“Apart from cheating, political instability, absence of loan facility with flexible conditions and electricity are still big barriers to the country’s housing sector,” Mr Wahiduzzaman said.
The Rehab leader said they expect immediate steps to resolve these problems.
The concept of apartment housing was first introduced in capital Dhaka by private developers in the early 1980s. Currently, buyers are more interested in buying flats than building their own houses, industry insiders say.
Source: The Financial Express
