Telangana housing boards to pay Rs 1.58 lakh

A district consumer forum here directed Telangana State and Andhra Pradesh Housing Boards to pay 1.58 lakh to a consumer for failing to refund the amount paid by him for a flat after dropping the idea of a housing scheme which they had introduced. Complainant Shaik Abdul Rahaman said that he had submitted an application for allotment of a flat under 'Low Income Group (LIG) Housing Scheme' at Red Hills, Hyderabad, along with the demand draft for Rs 1.45 lakh as Earnest Money Deposit (EMD) on December 28, 2013. He said as per the notification, the then housing board was to complete the project in 12 months from date of entering into agreement. He said that he approached them several times to know the status of the scheme, but received no satisfactory reply. The Telangana State Housing Board, in its written version, submitted that it had clearly mentioned in notification terms and conditions that it reserves the right to take up the scheme, cancel or modify it without further information. It submitted that due to legal issues the scheme was dropped and it was making arrangements to refund EMD amounts. "Unfortunately the accounts of board were attached by the Income Tax Department and the same could not refund (sic). Subsequently when the attachment was raised by the IT Department, the Opposite Party was making arrangements for refund of the amount of the scheme in question but without any interest thereon, since the same was agreed upon but the Complainant was not inclined to receive the same and was demanding for interest," said the board.