In a major crackdown against defaulter builders, Haryana Deputy Commissioner Uttam Singh has directed revenue authorities to execute long-pending recovery orders against around 15 developers who owe the Haryana Real Estate Regulatory Authority (HRERA) over Rs 296 crore in unpaid penalties, warning that properties of builders who fail to clear their dues will be attached and put up for auction.

Uttam said issuing recovery notices was a routine exercise, but on reviewing the pending files, he found that execution of the HRERA’s recovery orders had been delayed for months. “We cannot allow orders passed by agencies like the HRERA to remain unexecuted on paper. I have directed the revenue authorities to ensure recovery from these defaulter builders at the earliest,” Singh said, according to a report by The Tribune.

District Revenue Officer Vijay Yadav said that a list of the defaulter builders’ properties was being prepared, and notices would be issued directing them to clear their dues within a stipulated time frame. He said strict action, including attachment and auction of properties, would follow if the builders failed to pay up.

According to the HRERA files the builders concerned failed to complete their projects and hand over possession to buyers even years after the committed deadlines, affecting over 380 homebuyers. Individual penalties of Rs 25 lakh to Rs 2 crore had been imposed on the builders for the delays; with continued non-payment despite repeated notices from HRERA, the cumulative outstanding amount has now climbed to Rs 296 crore. The builders were subsequently declared defaulters, and HRERA formally recommended recovery action to the district administration.

Yadav said the Revenue Department held a meeting last week to work out the recovery mechanism, during which the DC issued directions for time-bound action. Tehsildars concerned have now been asked to initiate recovery proceedings and prepare a record of each defaulter builder’s outstanding liability.

Yadav added that recovery would be carried out at the tehsildar level, and where builders continued to default, their properties would be attached and sold through auction to recover the dues. Officials said the move signals a shift from routine notice-issuing to actual enforcement, with the DC’s intervention aimed at closing the gap between regulatory orders and their execution on the ground.