Realtors fear Lokpal will expose nexus with govt

Among many other things, the implementation of a strong Lokpal Bill will expose the nexus between government officials and developers. It will also control the flow of unaccounted black money in the real estate sector, which has been used as a parallel source of funds and income for decades.

“Developers as a private player will not directly come under the ambit of the Lokpal, but their nexus with the BMC and especially income-tax officials will surely be exposed. The flow of black money is enormous in real estate sector. Buyers frequently become victims of developers who demand black money. Citizens need to be alert and file regular complaints if something amiss is happening,” said noted IPS officer turned activist YP Singh.

Manohar Shroff, secretary of Maharashtra Chamber of Housing Industry (Navi Mumbai) said the Lokpal Bill will reduce cash transactions as builders will prefer transactions by cheque. “Due to the nexus between bureaucracy and builders, the latter opt for cash. Corruption starts at the top and percolates down to the whole society,” he said.

Another developer said, “If we stop accepting black money, then the majority of profits will go in paying huge government taxes. We are not the only ones involved in this wrong practice, Even buyers do so while selling their own flats. They do not mention the real transaction amount in the sale agreement to save on taxes.”