New Delhi, Aug. 25 -- The Supreme Court on Monday set in motion the process of identifying a new developer to complete nearly 5,000 unfinished flats under affordable housing projects developed by the Mahira Group in Haryana, observing that a builder accused of siphoning off homebuyers' money could no longer be trusted with completing the projects. A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said, "Who will trust a builder like this who has duped homebuyers and siphoned of their money? Mahira Group is run by former Congress legislator Dharam Singh Chhoker. The court was hearing a plea filed by homebuyers seeking directions for the completion of the stalled projects through a new developer, preferably a government-owned entity such as NBCC India. The bench asked advocate Rajiv Jain, assisting the court as amicus curiae, to explore the possibility of engaging NBCC or other competent government agency. The bench, also comprising justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, said, "At this stage, we are concerned with the modalities for completion." Counsel appearing for the homebuyers also agreed to a reasonable enhancement in the allotment price to create a corpus for engaging a new entity under the supervision of a court-appointed committee. Jain informed the court that, apart from NBCC, Engineers India Limited (EIL) could also be approached for the purpose. Some homebuyers informed the bench that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had initiated proceedings against Chhoker and other directors of the Mahira Group and attached their assets, which, they submitted, could potentially be used towards completion of the flats. Senior advocate Narender Hooda, appearing for Mahira Group, sought more time to study the amicus report and file a response. Hooda pointed out that the builder was required to hand over possession of the flats within four years, but the projects were not completed by then. He further denied allegations that the company had siphoned off the money....