Mumbai, May 5 -- One-fourth of the ongoing housing projects across Maharashtra have been served show cause notices for violating a key clause of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016, officials familiar with the matter told Hindustan Times. According to data from the Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority (MahaRERA), in the January-March period this year, 33,029 housing projects were in various stages of construction across the state. Of these, 8,212 housing projects failed to update the project status with the regulatory authority within the April 20 deadline, mentioning the number of registered flats and garages, details of funds received and spent and amendments, if any, to the project's construction plan, officials said. As per rules, it is mandatory for developers to upload the status of ongoing housing projects with MahaRERA on a quarterly and annual basis. Taking note of the high rate of violation and indifference shown by realtors, the authority has issued them show cause notices seeking explanation and also threatening to block sales of their housing projects, officials said. Errant builders have been given 60 days to respond to the notices as well as update quarterly progress reports. If they fail to respond within this period, MahaRERA may initiate strict action such as cancelling or keeping the project's registration in abeyance. If quarterly reports are not updated, bank accounts of the defaulting housing projects may be frozen, and restrictions placed on their advertisement and marketing. Instructions may also be given to the Joint District Registrar not to register the purchase and sale transactions of homes in those projects. MahaRERA chairman Manoj Saunik said it is the right of homebuyers to have access to all information about their housing project from initiation till completion. To facilitate this, the housing authority closely monitors the real estate sector and requires developers to upload the latest status of their projects on the authority's website. "If any developer does not update the quarterly progress report despite repeated follow-ups, MahaRERA will not hesitate to cancel or keep such project's registration in abeyance," Saunik said....