Noida: Residents of Jaypee Wish Town have objected to Suraksha Group’s decision to impose a monthly shared area maintenance (SAM) charge of Rs 1.5 per square foot from Nov, which will be collected on top of Rs 3.2 per sqft common maintenance charge (CAM).Residents of the township in sectors 131-134 claimed the additional levy was introduced without consulting flat owners and would increase their monthly maintenance bills from around Rs 6,000 to Rs 10,000. A group of residents staged a protest in Wish Town on Friday against the charges.Residents met Noida Authority chief executive officer Krishna Karunesh on Thursday and urged him to intervene and revoke the arbitrary charges, which they claimed were based on duplicated expenses.An official representing Suraksha Group — the Mumbai-based realtor completing 159 towers that were stalled when it took over Jaypee Infratech Ltd’s operations in 2023 — said its management had assessed the operational and maintenance expenses of Wish Town’s shared areas recently and decided to charge an additional Rs 1.5 per sqft from Nov.
Wish Town residents protest SAM charges on Friday
“The SAM charges will be applicable from Nov 2026 and will contribute towards the operation, maintenance and upkeep of common township-level infrastructure and shared services, including sewage treatment plants (STPs), water treatment plants (WTPs), borewells and associated water infrastructure, streetlights, horticulture, landscaping, roads and related infrastructure,” the official said.Brijesh Singh, president of the Jaypee Kosmos Apartment Owners’ Association (AOA), said apartment owners were currently paying Rs 3.2 per square foot in CAM charges, which are typically collected to cover the recurring cost of operating, maintaining and repairing shared facilities and infrastructure in an apartment complex under the Uttar Pradesh Apartment (Promotion of Construction, Ownership and Maintenance) Act, 2010.Residents questioned why they should bear the additional cost of maintaining roads and other shared infrastructure that are also used by people from adjoining commercial, rural and industrial areas. They said the movement of trucks and ongoing construction activities were contributing to the deterioration of roads, landscaped areas and other infrastructure, and argued that residents should not be made to bear the additional maintenance burden.Section 18 of UP Apartment Act provides for the allocation of common expenses among apartment owners according to their undivided interest in common areas and facilities. Under the Act, these expenses broadly include electricity, lighting, water supply and DG backup for common areas, housekeeping, sanitation and waste management, security, CCTV and intercom services, and maintenance of lifts, pumps and fire-safety systems. CAM also covers landscaping and upkeep of shared amenities such as parks, clubhouses, gyms and pools, along with routine civil, plumbing and electrical repairs. Salaries of facility-management staff, administrative expenses and contributions towards sinking or major-repair funds may also form part of maintenance charges, subject to the applicable agreement, rules and approved maintenance arrangements. The Act does not expressly provide for separate shared area maintenance (SAM).Noida Authority’s officer on special duty Kranti Shekhar, who has been directed to look into the residents’ grievances, told TOI that the Wish Town project officially came under Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA). When approached, YEIDA CEO RK Singh said the project’s land was allotted by Yamuna Authority, while other RERA-related works, like map approval, compliance of construction, occupancy and completion certificates, are handled by Noida Authority.Suraksha Group, which has changed JIL’s name to Suraksha Infra & Developers Ltd, is currently facing a probe by a five-member UP govt panel headed by Noida Authority officer on special duty Santosh Kumar following complaints of irregularities in the construction and development of the project. The panel is to determine if the Wish Town layout plan, approved by National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), is being fully complied with and whether funds collected from homebuyers are being spent on construction. It is to vet if any additional tower, floor, dwelling unit, built-up area or any other structure had been developed beyond the approved plan. It will also assess the actual progress of construction and was to submit a report this month.On Sept 14, Suraksha Group said it had completed 84 towers comprising 7,913 units, which was 50% of the total 159 towers that were stalled when it took over JIL’s operations. The company also claimed it handed over possession of 5,000 flats, while possession of another 3,000 completed units was pending as homebuyers had not approached the company.
