The Delhi Real Estate Regulatory Authority (Delhi RERA) has retracted its earlier order, which resulted in a pause in property registrations across the city. RERA officials revealed that the decision to withdraw the order was made following a meeting on November 28 between Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena and Delhi RERA Chairman Anand Kumar at Raj Niwas. The Lieutenant Governor urged a reconsideration of the order during this meeting.
The directive from Delhi RERA, issued on September 11, 2023, had instructed all sub-registrars not to register new properties that violated the norms regarding the maximum number of dwelling units permitted on a certain plot size under the Unified Building Bye Laws (UBBL) for Delhi, 2016. Additionally, the order had called on civic bodies, including the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), to refrain from approving building plans that exceeded the permissible number of dwelling units based on plot size.
Chairman Anand Kumar acknowledged that the order had led to confusion, with sub-registrars citywide halting property registrations. In a statement to Moneycontrol, he emphasized the authority’s commitment to preventing any inconvenience to the public, prompting the withdrawal of the order. Kumar also mentioned that a clarification regarding the September order would be issued separately.
The initial order from Delhi RERA had raised concerns about civic authorities approving building plans with additional dwelling units that lacked kitchens, allowing builders to convert pantries and stores into kitchens after plan approval. The regulator had argued that this practice circumvented the Supreme Court’s 2008 order, which established the maximum number of dwelling units for different plot sizes.
Following the receipt of the RERA order by the registrar’s office on November 17, sub-registrar offices across Delhi had ceased registering new properties. The September order had specified that, according to the Unified Building Bylaws, 2016, and the Supreme Court order of March 14, 2008, the maximum number of dwelling units was fixed at three for plots measuring up to 50 square meters and four for plot sizes above 50-250 square meters. The order also outlined the maximum number of dwelling units for other plot sizes measuring up to 3,750 square meters and above.