Affordable Housing in Gurgaon – A Policy Gone Wrong or Failed by Builders?

Affordable Housing in Haryana: Dreams Sold, Consumers Betrayed

Affordable housing was launched as a flagship mission of the Modi Government — to ensure “Housing for All.” In Haryana, especially in Gurugram, the state government’s Affordable Housing Policy was projected as a step towards accessible, decent homes for the middle class. Builders proudly displayed licenses from the Department of Town and Country Planning (DTCP) and registration under RERA, giving homebuyers a sense of safety and official backing.

But reality tells a very different story. What was meant to be a lifeline for ordinary citizens has become a nightmare. Projects are delayed, basic infrastructure is missing, and regulatory bodies appear more interested in collecting fees than protecting consumers.

Promises vs. Reality

On paper, affordable housing licenses require builders to ensure basic infrastructure — access roads, water, power, sewage, and safety. RERA mandates that no possession certificate can be given until essential services are complete. Yet, in Gurugram, builders are getting approvals and occupation certificates without delivering the basics.

• GLS Central Avenue (Sector-92, Gurugram): Families who invested their savings complain of severe construction defects, poor facilities, and lack of promised amenities. Possession was handed over, but essential services remain incomplete.
• Signature Global City Phase-1 (Sector-37D): Buyers were promised four 24-metre-wide approach roads leading to Dwarka Expressway. Today, only a narrow 8-metre revenue road exists, filled with potholes. Other proposed roads are either blocked by agricultural land or stuck in government files.
• ROF Alante (Sector-108): Families live in fear and frustration — taxis refuse to enter the narrow lanes, emergency vehicles struggle to reach homes, and residents report water and safety issues.

In each of these cases, builders marketed grand promises, obtained official licenses and RERA approvals, but delivered far less. The worst part? Occupation certificates were still granted.

The Human Cost

Behind every flat is a family that believed in the dream of affordable housing.

• A father who thought his children would have safe roads to school now watches them walk through muddy, broken paths.
• An elderly mother finds it impossible to call an ambulance at night because taxis and emergency vehicles avoid the poorly connected areas.
• Working couples who poured their life savings into these homes now face extra maintenance costs and daily safety risks — all for flats “approved” by authorities.

One resident of Signature Global’s project said: “We were promised wide roads and world-class connectivity. What we got was an isolated pocket cut off from the city. Our dream home has become a daily struggle.”

Are Authorities Hand-in-Glove with Builders?

This is the most troubling question.

Why does DTCP issue licenses without verifying ground realities?
Why does HRERA grant registrations and completion certificates even when essential services are missing?
Are these agencies meant to protect consumers or only to collect license fees, external development charges (EDC), and penalties?

The silence of the Haryana government and its regulators is deafening. Their apathy fuels the suspicion that builders and officials are working hand-in-glove, while consumers are left to fight alone.

As one angry homebuyer asked: “Are government bodies there only to collect money, or to safeguard the public who rely on their approvals?”

Problems Faced by Consumers

• Delayed projects — waiting years beyond promised possession.
• Lack of infrastructure — no proper roads, water, or sewage facilities.
• Safety risks — children and elderly exposed to dangerous access paths.
• Hidden costs — arbitrary maintenance charges despite poor services.
• No accountability — builders get away, authorities look away, consumers suffer.

What Can Consumers Do?

Even with stacked odds, consumers are not helpless. Steps include:

1. Filing complaints with HRERA – highlighting missing infrastructure, incomplete services, and violation of Section 11(4)(d) of RERA.
2. Approaching Consumer Commissions – demanding compensation for deficiency in service and false promises.
3. Writ petitions in High Court – seeking judicial directions against the state and DTCP for granting illegal approvals.
4. Collective action – forming Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs), joining together to demand accountability.
5. Media & Public Pressure – using platforms like Hindustan Times investigations to push government action.

Conclusion: A Broken Promise

Affordable housing in Haryana was supposed to empower ordinary families. Instead, it has turned into a story of betrayal. Builders keep making profits, the government collects its charges, regulators issue certificates — and the consumer is abandoned.

If this continues, “Housing for All” will remain nothing more than a hollow slogan. The need of the hour is clear: strict enforcement, transparency, and a government that stands with the people, not the builders.

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#BrokenPromises #HousingForAllOrNone #ConsumerJustice #RERAReform #GurugramHousingCrisis #AccountabilityNow