This refers to the report "Realty regulation Bill gets go-ahead" (June 5). Despite housing being a basic need, there is no regulation for this sector. In India, builders do not even give a guarantee that the building will last a certain number of years - at least none in the agreement between the builder and the buyer. When we get guarantees for other products, why not for a flat or a building in which you put your lifetime investment? Also,there is no way to know whether the building is legally constructed or not, since the municipal authorities do not put such information in the public domain on their websites.
It's possible that you've been living in a building for more than two decades and, one fine day, you discover that the building is built on forest land and you are supposed to pay a penalty for regularisation.
This is what happened in Mumbai's Mulund area. Whose fault is it? Also, the agreement should mention that the building will withstand earthquakes up to a given intensity or whether it is earthquake-proof. Japan has a strict code for constructing buildings. In the recent earthquake-cum-tsunami, buildings in Tokyo swayed, but not a single building fell. We certainly need a code - the realty regulation Bill should welcome it.
Deendayal M Lulla, Mumbai
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