The ads which included pictures of the Prime Minister and Chief Minister suggested that their flats were part of a government-sponsored scheme.
Highlights
- Ads promised one-bedroom flats for just five lakhs
- Ads featured PM Modi and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis
- Scheme frozen by government, people to be refunded
A real estate developer in Pune - The Maple Group - has declared its "sincere and deepest apologies" to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for using their photos in its advertisements for cheap homes.
Ads by the Maple Group that offered one-bedroom apartments for just five lakhs each in and around Pune.
The developer's bank accounts have been frozen and it will not be allowed any land transactions, said Maharashtra minister Girish Bapat today, who has denied allegations of close links to the firm's top bosses after his photographs with them were shared on social media.
20,000 people who applied for the flats will be able to collect refunds today for Rs 1,200 that they paid to join the lottery of 10,000 flats in and around Pune which was to take place on May 1.
The ads which included pictures of the Prime Minister and Chief Minister suggested that their flats were part of a government-endorsed scheme. Fine print for the ad said that the houses could be financed through a government scheme that ensures cheap home loans for the urban poor.
"We express sincere and deepest apologies for any harm/inconvenience, caused to them due to the wrong perception caused by the advertisement. If there are some inadvertent mistakes, we are willing to take necessary corrective action," Sachin Agarwal, the Chairman and Managing Director, said in a statement.