PUNE: The Pune district is facing a significant issue with 1,244 real estate projects currently under ‘abeyance’ as designated by MahaRERA, disallowing any new bookings or sales. This status indicates that these projects have either not received completion certificates or have failed to secure deadline extensions, leaving many buyers with their investments in limbo.
One impacted buyer, an IT professional after 11 years, has yet to take possession of his apartment in a project located at the Sinhagad foothills. Despite several favorable orders from MahaRERA, the project remains incomplete, and a refund has not been issued. The project’s status as ‘under abeyance’ prevents any fresh bookings.
This buyer was among the earliest investors, and the project’s completion is currently less than 20%. “My ₹30 lakh is tied up. The builder shows no intention of completing the work. I’ve given up on pursuing this further,” he lamented.
Another investor in the same project highlighted ongoing frustrations. “Over the years, our association has lodged multiple complaints with MahaRERA. An initial order from 2017 mandated completion by 2018, followed by extensions until October 2020 and then March 2025. Yet, no work has commenced,” he stated, revealing that ₹16 lakh of his money is also frozen.
Such instances are not uncommon, according to various buyers. MahaRERA reports a total of 4,904 projects across Maharashtra are currently under abeyance, with Pune leading at 1,244, followed by Thane (548), Raigad (473), Mumbai suburban (441), Nashik (250), and Nagpur (247).
MahaRERA officials noted that these projects failed to furnish the required completion or extension details, despite receiving repeated notifications. “Notices were issued to developers, granting them ample time to comply. Those who did not are barred from registering new sales or agreements, and their project bank accounts are frozen,” they explained. A list of these stalled projects has been forwarded to the state’s property registration department to halt any further transactions.
Consumer rights organizations are calling for stricter measures. “Buyers cannot proceed with sale deeds unless completion and occupancy certificates are filed. Their partial payments remain stuck indefinitely,” asserted a consumer rights activist, who urged MahaRERA to initiate refunds for projects with ongoing non-compliance issues.
Typically, agreements for sale are finalized between builders and buyers, followed by a sale deed post-construction and payment. The agreement stipulates terms and promised amenities, while the sale deed legally transfers ownership.
Meanwhile, CREDAI, the developers’ association, acknowledged these challenges, attributing some delays to issues with website updates. “Several developers have already submitted their completion certificates, yet the abeyance status persists. We are addressing this issue,” commented Sunil Furde, national executive of CREDAI.
A developer, who requested anonymity, shared, “I uploaded my completion certificate over a month ago, but it has not been updated. These delays negatively impact both developers and buyers.”
The RERA Act mandates that developers must upload commencement and completion/occupancy certificates to ensure transparency and protect buyers. Current MahaRERA data indicates that only 17,413 out of 50,986 registered projects in the state have been marked complete.
