News: Bill to improve RWAs’ functioning to be introduced soon-23-01-2021
In order to improve the functioning of city’s residents’ welfare association (RWAs), which control and manage over 1,000 group housing societies and other residential colonies in the district, Rakesh Daulatabad, MLA, Badshahpur, has decided to introduce a private member’s bill in the upcoming state assembly session to amend the Haryana Registration and Regulation of Societies Act
Addressing a press conference at the PWD guest house in the city, Daultabad said that in the past one year, he has come across a large number of issues faced by housing societies, pertaining to mismanagement of RWAs, inability to hold elections, corruption and inefficiency in the office of the district registrar. “We realised that this problem required reform and changes in the legislation. I have worked with government officials and discussed the proposed amendment in the bill to ensure that these problems are resolved,” he said.
The draft act proposes a number of changes: District registrars should be classified as Class-l officers. It also proposes to remove indemnity and bar of the jurisdiction clause in the present act, and make officials accountable for their actions.
The proposed amendment also allows only a single RWA in a gated housing complex, membership to all flat owners and joint owners without any corresponding membership fees. It also proposes to give the right to vote and contest elections to joint owners. The proposed amendment also provides for stricter compliances for RWAs and penalties for failing to follow rules.
Daulatabad also said that the residents’ associations will be required to set up a website where details of rules, regulations, by-laws and details of expenditure would have to be shared with the society residents. “The elections would be held in a time-bound manner and a person can be a RWA president for only two consecutive terms,” he said.
The amendment also proposes to consider the RWA executives as public servants, whose acts of omission and commission shall be brought under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Praveen Malik, president, Sare Homes RWA, said that RWAs, by the virtue of being recognised as a public office, will come under the Right to Information Act 2005, through the appointment of public information officer (PIO) and First Appellate Authority. They shall be liable to supply the requisite information to its members against the fee prescribed under the Haryana Right to Information Rules amended from time to time, he said.
