Unitech buyers face a bleak future while builders out on bail

Sonila Nigam, who along with her husband Jaideep had dreamed of returning from Dubai to India after their son finished his studies, is staring at a bleak future now. The NRI couple had invested in Unitech Limited's project Anthea Floors in Gurugram.

Owners of the real estate firm, Sanjay and Ajay Chandra, were arrested for taking money for the project that never fructified. They were granted bail on Monday. Meanwhile, dreaming of a return to his 'motherland', Jaideep has passed away.

"My husband gave Rs 24 lakh as the first installment for the flat in 2011. After so many years, we are yet to get the possession of the house. My husband has passed away and I have been left alone. Now, I neither have a house nor any savings," Sonila told DNA over the phone from Dubai.

The couple's 20-year-old son Ishit is still in college and Jaideep was the only earning member in the family.

Another victim, Sanjay Dahiya, had invested in a Unitech flat so that he could move his ageing parents from Panipat to Gurugram. Dahiya has been living in Dhaka for the last 10 years. While the family is yet to get possession of the house, Dahiya's father has passed away.

"I invested all my savings in this house. I wanted to shift my parents to the new flat. The deadline came and went and I did not get the possession of the property. My father died in 2015 and I had to bring my mother with me to Dhaka. All my savings are exhausted and I will have to start from scratch,"said a hassled Dahiya, adding:"Now, whenever I come to India, I have to stay in a hotel."

Probably the most distressed of the 91 complainants is PD Singh, a retired marketing professional, who lives in north-west Delhi's Ashok Vihar area. The 70-year-old had given Rs 25 lakh in 2011 for a flat costing Rs 56 lakh. Till date, he and his wife Ravinder Kaur are waiting for the possession of the house. The couple is worried that by the time a legal decision is taken in the matter, there will be no one left to collect this money.

"Both me and my wife are working. We wanted a secure future and so we invested in this property. Now here we are, fighting for our money and our house. The perpetrators were granted bail on Monday. We do not have a child, and after this episode, both of us suffered from depression. Though I have recovered, my wife is still struggling," Singh said.

"We are in a serious financial crisis. I do not even have enough money to buy petrol for my car," he added in a choked voice. Just like him, most of the complainants have lost any hope of recovering their hard-earned money.