NOIDA, July 24 -- The Uttar Pradesh government's public accounts committee (PAC), which is reviewing irregularities in group housing and institutional plot allotments in Noida, has dropped several objections by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) over potential losses to the state exchequer and scheduled its next hearing for October, officials in the know of the matter said on Wednesday. The legislative committee, comprising MLAs, is examining financial irregularities in Sports City allotments across sectors 79, 150 and 151, following concerns raised by the CAG. The PAC began its review on July 24, 2023, seeking the current status of projects being developed by at least 24 real estate firms-including Tata, Godrej, ATS, ACE and Samridhi-after the CAG flagged that developers had launched residential schemes without building the mandatory sports infrastructure in all four Sports City projects, as originally planned. The Sports City projects were envisioned as part of a broader push to establish Noida as a hub for international sporting activities, said officials. In a 10-year performance audit, the CAG had said the Noida authority incurred losses amounting to Rs.30,000 crore by allotting land for housing, institutional, and commercial use at prices below prevailing market rates. On Tuesday (July 22), the PAC held its 12th meeting in Lucknow, where it reviewed the objections in the presence of Noida Authority chief executive officer Lokesh M and additional CEO Sanjay Kumar Khatri, among others. Officials aware of the discussions said the PAC had asked the authority to explain how developers were selected, the criteria used for fixing allotment rates, and the overall process followed in allocating group housing and institutional plots. "We provided all details sought by the PAC regarding the housing and institutional projects. Their final decisions will be known once the meeting minutes are issued," said Noida Authority CEO Lokesh M. According to officials, four objections related to institutional projects have now been resolved, and based on PAC's remarks, the state government will take a final call on their future course. Of the 32 objections flagged by the CAG-including those over below-market allotment rates and the absence of sports infrastructure-most have been addressed, officials said. However, a few key objections remain, preventing the authority from lifting the ongoing freeze on property registrations in Sports City. An estimated 30,000 homebuyers are awaiting registration of their units in sectors 79, 150 and 151. Without it, they cannot take legal possession of their ready-to-move apartments. Asked if Tuesday's meeting had cleared the way for lifting the ban, the Noida CEO said, "The PAC may take a decision on this in the next hearing in October." Aayush Singh, a homebuyer, urged the state government and the authority to resolve the matter at the earliest. "We're not at fault. We've paid for our flats, so the registry must be done. If there were issues, why did the authority let developers build and sell units in the first place?" he asked. Meanwhile, Dinesh Gupta, secretary of the western UP chapter of the Confederation of Real Estate Developers' Associations of India (Credai), pointed to a contradiction in the authority's stance. "The Noida authority says PAC objections are still pending, but at the same time, it's sending demand letters asking developers to pay for creating sports infrastructure. If it is demanding those funds, it should also lift the registry ban and start approving the maps," Gupta added....