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Supertech: The Easy Scapegoat


What was seen as a Dussehra spectacle of victory of good over evil or the coming down of 'towers of corruption' is not so simplistic. It was like 
putting Band-Aid on a bullet wound - an attempt to deal with a serious problem in an inadequate way  addressing only the symptom and not the root cause. Namrata Kohli delves deeper and finds that the malaise is systemic 

Today the Twin Towers were demolished in Noida and many called them the “symbols of corruption”. But why did they come up, in the first place. Builder bashing seems to be the mood of the nation. But as someone who has tracked real estate as a journalist, I can tell you that the builders are most often the most visible and easy scapegoat. The malaise is much deeper. 

It is a no brainer that the builder in question violated National building code, did not comply with the minimum distance norms between the towers and worst of all, did not seek the consent from its buyers on additional constriction and changes to the original plan- something which is mandatory. But is it the first builder to do this. In 2011, DLF unilaterally decided to increase the size of the building from 19 floors to 29, starting work without all permissions being in place, and delaying its completion of flats in Gurugram's Belaire project. If you talk of violations, then how can one forget the infamous Adarsh society in Mumbai - where a high-rise was constructed grossly violating every norm in the rulebook of environment ministry. The hi-rise is not allowed technically in what is considered a sensitive coastal area by the Indian Defence forces and is the location of various Indian defence establishments. In 2010, it was revealed that politicians, the bureaucracy and military officials colluded to violate rules concerning land ownership and other norms to get flats allotted to themselves and their relatives. Simply because it is protected by the power lobby, it is immune to any law. Is that justified. 

In Supertech Emerald Court project, the builder is guilty of many violations. Fine. But why did the banks give loans to the homebuyers. What about their due diligence? And before that what about the authorities which have sanctioned the plans - why did Noida Authority approve? Who are the people who have been the wheeler dealers here. After all if someone has given money, someone has taken money also. The one who has given money is made an example of, while the ones who have taken money, are going scot-free.  

We all know Supertech grossly violated the norms, but do we even bother to find out the people who have facilitated this corruption. We don’t even know the name of the bank which is financing home loans. Majority of the people wouldn't know the names of the Noida Authority CEO and his team.  Everybody has facilitated the towers- right from bureaucracy to the top notch political bosses – why not name and shame all those who are guilty. 

Another failure of our systems if that we almost always need the highest court to intervene in routine cases. We are a country which is moving from a developing to a developed economy and urbanization and building construction is happening and must happen at a grand scale. If we have to keep demolishing rather than developing, it will be a sad state of affairs. Today months and years of construction material, technology, manpower, man days have been brought to dust. I fail to understand why is it worth any celebration. If we are a country which wants to move towards development, then demolition is a huge cost we are paying as a nation. Why did we allow these towers to come in the first place? We need to have checks and balances in the system and regulatory authorities to be the watchdogs rather than take it to judiciary and the highest court. The fact that the watchdog is now conniving in the crime is the most worrisome aspect that people are simply not willing to discuss. 

I know how projects get delayed for years on end- most of the times builders have a nightmare getting the clearances especially the environmental clearance. When the project is given land clearance, why is environment clearance not included in this by the local authorities. Why are there no timelines for the development authorities and no accountability for them. No developer wants to bribe officials but as one real estate developer shares that if "the machinery is oiled, they get the clearance in one year but if it is not, then it run into any number of years." 

Projects keep languishing for days on end- the builders are penalized for delays. But for everything, the buck can't stop at the easy scapegoats. The question remains - who allowed it to happen in the first place? Sacrificing the scapegoats is a spineless and meaningless solution to the problem. It's time to call out the bluff and not regale in sadistic pleasure of this  demolition drive. 

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