Ahmedabad: The Gujarat Real Estate Regulatory Authority (GujRERA) has taken suo moto action against a builder in Gandhinagar district for accepting a booking amount from a buyer before obtaining RERA registration for the project.

It is learnt that the buyer had lodged a complaint stating that the builder collected ₹1 lakh as a token amount prior to registration. Although the buyer later received a refund and the complaint was closed, GujRERA decided to independently pursue action against the builder for advertising and accepting bookings in violation of Section 3 of the RERA Act.

Further, GujRERA has initiated proceedings under Section 59 of the Act and is now considering forming zone-wise field teams to identify similar violations. Officials noted that many developers either advertise their projects without mentioning the RERA registration number or begin collecting booking amounts before completing the registration process. These teams will survey projects across all municipal corporations and urban areas in the state. The authority is also keeping an eye on social media to identify such practices. Builders found guilty may face penalties of up to 10% of the total project cost. DeshGujarat