BHUBANESWAR: As many as 4,334 cases were registered against 714 builders with the Odisha Real Estate Regulatory Authority (ORERA) ever since its inception in 2017 and of those, 1,028 cases remained pending for resolution, according to a recent reply by housing and urban development minister Krushna Chandra Mahapatra in the state assembly.
The minister was replying to a question raised by MLA Mangu Khilla about the functioning of RERA in Odisha. Khilla also asked about steps being taken to streamline the functioning of ORERA, to which the minister said the govt ramped up staffing and administrative oversight, however, several external factors continued to stall the delivery of justice to homebuyers.
According to the minister, the resolution process was frequently hampered by procedural and legal bottlenecks rather than just administrative capacity. The key reasons cited included a lack of mutual cooperation, incorrect information and delay tactics by lawyers.
“A significant number of cases were delayed because both the complainants and the builders failed to reach common ground or participate effectively in the mediation process. The delays often started at the filing stage, where the first parties, primarily homebuyers, provided incorrect or outdated addresses for the opposite parties, the builders, making legal notices difficult to serve,” Mahapatra said.
“Frequent petitions filed by advocates of both parties asking for more time significantly extended the litigation timeline. In many instances, once RERA passed an order, builders or dissatisfied parties challenged the decision in higher courts, effectively staying the implementation of the original ruling,” he added.
To counter these delays, the state appointed experienced officers on special duty to streamline office operations. “RERA is now focusing on proactive communication, using print and electronic media to educate the public on how to navigate the legal system more effectively,” Mahapatra said.
“The govt is committed to making RERA a more robust and effective body,” he said, adding that workshops were being organised to bridge the coordination gap between the public and real estate developers.
“There is no point in RERA’s existence if it is unable to give a final order. The objective of the formation of RERA is to safeguard the interest of homebuyers and it should focus on this only,” Sarthak Jena, an aggrieved homebuyer, said.
