Homebuyers’ apex body FPCE has expressed concern over real estate law RERA still being non-functional in Bengal, saying that customers have been left to fend for themselves in the absence of a regulatory authority where they can register their complaints against defaulting builders.

In May last year, the Supreme Court had struck down the Bengal government’s law WBHIRA for regulating real estate sector, saying it was “unconstitutional”. The state government had introduced the West Bengal Housing Industry Regulatory Act (WBHIRA) as a substitute for central law RERA, which was passed by Parliament in 2016.

The apex court’s ruling came on a plea filed by the Forum For People’s Collective Efforts (FPCE), an umbrella body of homebuyers. When contacted, Abhay Upadhyay, the president of the FPCE, said the judgment holding WBHIRA, 2017 as unconstitutional paved the way for implementation of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act 2016 (RERA) in the state.

After the court order, he said, the Bengal government initiated the process of implementing RERA. In July and August last year, the state notified real estate rules under RERA. Upadhyay said: “no appointment has been made for chairman and members of the State’s Regulatory Authority or Appellate Tribunal and therefore RERA is not functional.”

Even the website has not been created, he said.