Tension gripped Gurugram’s upscale DLF Phase 2 locality when scores of aggrieved homebuyers gathered outside the residence of Sikandar Chhokar on September 6. Carrying placards and chanting slogans, they accused the builder of betraying their trust by failing to deliver promised flats in Sector 68 under the Mahira Homes affordable housing scheme.
The buyers said more than 1,500 people had booked flats in the project launched seven years ago, but not a single brick had been laid. “We invested our entire life savings, but to this day, the land lies barren,” said one protester, holding back tears.
Enforcement agencies already involved
The housing scam has already caught the eye of enforcement agencies. Both Sikandar Chhokar and his father, former Congress MLA Dharam Singh Chhokar, were arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case linked to Mahira Homes.
However, their subsequent release on bail has further angered the buyers, who feel justice has been delayed and diluted.
Financial strain is crushing buyers
For the homebuyers, the ordeal has been more than just emotional, it has been financially devastating. Many are paying monthly EMIs on loans for flats that do not exist, while simultaneously covering rent for temporary accommodation.
Adding to their woes, the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) has come under sharp criticism for what buyers describe as a “lax approach” that has only weakened their fight for justice.
The frustration spilt out in powerful slogans and banners during Sunday’s protest. One banner read: “The government must intervene. We cannot keep suffering like this. If we are not given our flats, then allow euthanasia.”
Buyers have demanded that the government step in and take over the stalled projects to ensure their completion. Mahira Homes reportedly has at least five unfinished projects across Gurugram, leaving thousands of families stranded in uncertainty.
Larger crisis of stalled projects
The Gurugram protest is part of a much bigger problem plaguing India’s real estate sector. Across the country, an estimated Rs 10.8 lakh crore is stuck in more than 1,600 stalled housing projects, leaving millions of families in limbo.
For the victims of Mahira Homes, however, the demand is clear and urgent: deliver the flats they were promised, or be prepared for a fight that grows louder by the day.
