Patna: Homebuyers in Bihar will soon see faster resolution of cases involving defaulting builders who fail to return their money, thanks to a new move by the Bihar Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA). The authority will now handle these cases independently, without relying on the district administration, under the Bihar and Odisha Public Demand Recovery (PDR) Act, 1914. To streamline the process, RERA will appoint a certificate officer to oversee these cases.
Vivek Kumar Singh, Chairman of Bihar RERA, announced that appointing certificate officers directly within RERA will accelerate the hearing process for PDR cases, benefiting customers whose money is stuck due to incomplete projects by builders. Singh added that retired officers from the Bihar Administrative Service will soon be appointed as certificate officers once formalities are completed.
RERA had earlier written to the Revenue and Land Reforms Department, seeking permission to appoint its own officers to hear PDR cases. The proposal, which was reviewed by the Law Department and approved by the Advocate General, is now moving forward.
Currently, 942 cases of builders not refunding customer money have been referred to district administrations under the PDR Act, with the majority—932 cases—originating from Patna. Other cases include four from Bhojpur, three from Vaishali, and one each from Darbhanga, East Champaran, and Purnia. So far, only two cases have been resolved by the Patna District Administration.
The PDR Act is invoked when builders fail to pay back customers, even after RERA has settled complaints against them. This move is expected to significantly improve the speed and efficiency of case resolution for affected homebuyers.
