Speak to people who have bought flats when they are being newly constructed, and one of the chief problems quoted is that the builder would make alterations in the building plan for his benefit and get away with it. The flat owners would not be able to say much since the change in building plan would get passed by the local Municipal authorities. So, for example, I know of a case where a builder was going to make the ground floor be a parking floor by providing stilts; instead the builder changed the plans such that a new set of 4 flats were constructed on the ground floor and the flat owners were not able to say a thing since the new plan had been passed by the Municipal Corporation and that was what the builder showed some of the flat owners who tried complaining. A reason why the builders are able to do that is because the fine is low, and many times they are able to get these changes done through their influence in the Municipal corporation. Well, the Patna Municipal Corporation wants to penalize builders who do such changes.
The Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) has decided to tighten the noose around builders who have deviated from the approved building maps while executing their project. PMC board recently passed a proposal which will allow the corporation to impose additional fine over the existing one imposed in accordance with the building by-laws, in the event of any deviation from the approved building design. The fine would be five times the amount charged for deviation.
The deviation in building designs has become quite a common practice among builders as there were in-built provisions in the existing rules condoning deviations up to 20 per cent by charging a fine on the builders.
Such a move would be real helpful to the owners who bought flats based on the original plan. Individually they are not able to have any influence on the builder who has all the right connections.