Mohali, Nov. 26 -- The Punjab Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) has directed Omaxe Chandigarh Extension Developers Pvt Ltd to pay Rs.44.63 lakh to a couple for not delivering their flat on time. The couple, Anil Kumar Sanghi and Sunita Sanghi, both former bureaucrats, had booked a flat at The Lake project in New Chandigarh by paying Rs.76.47 lakh in 2015. The possession was promised by September 7, 2019. However, a valid offer of possession was made only on June 27, 2025. Penalising the developer for this delay, the authority directed that Rs.44.63 lakh be paid to the couple as interest. It ordered issuance of a Debt Recovery Certificate if Omaxe fails to pay within 90 days. The authority further clarified that although the 2015 agreement was executed before RERA came into force, the promoter is still liable for delay under Section 18 of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act. However, it did not order any refund of earlier payments linked to the disputed area, limiting relief to the delay interest. RERA also noted that Omaxe obtained the Occupancy Certificate for the project only on November 26, 2024, well after the committed date. It also examined the builder's increase of the super area from 1,885 sq ft to 1,975 sq ft, holding that such an increase cannot be imposed without the allottee's prior consent. The authority made it clear that the promoter cannot raise any demand on the basis of this unilateral increase....