Is the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act (RERA) applicable only to residential projects or is it also for resolving disputes involving industrial units and industrial estates? Interpretation of provisions laid under RERA by different RERA authorities in the country and that by MahaRERA and appellate tribunals of MahaRERA, has compelled litigants and their lawyers to demand clarity from the government.

Ramesh Prabhu, founder chairman of MahaSEWA, said, “The purpose of RERA is to protect the interests of apartment purchasers. The word apartment is defined in RERA as all construction activities carried out for residential and commercial use. The latter includes industrial, offices and other allied services; therefore, industrial estates and industrial units, which involve the construction of the said industrial building, are very much within the ambit of RERA. However, MahaRERA and the MahaRERA appellate tribunal, have interpreted this differently—stating that industrial units and estates are not under the ambit of RERA.