Soon there may be a Housing Regulatory Authority to deal with disputes pertaining to co-operative housing societies and its members. This is expected to be on the lines of Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority (MahaRERA).
The government's Co-operation, Marketing and Textiles department had formed a team. The purpose of the team was to study and include a separate chapter for co-operative housing societies in the Maharashtra Co-operative Societies Act 1960.
The reason behind such an initiative, is the large number of co-operative housing societies in the State, and their further increase in future due to urbanisation. Also functioning and problems of co-operative housing societies are different from other co-operative societies.
In this context, to make the functioning and administration of co-operative housing societies simple, distinct and consummative, formation of the Committee for making recommendations with regard to inclusion of a separate chapter in the Maharashtra Co-operative Societies Act 1960 was being considered by the government. The government later on formed a team and included officers like Sandeep Deshmukh (SRA), Chairman of Maharashtra Socities Welfare Association Ramesh Prabhu, Chhaya Ajagaonkar (of Housing Federation), and other eminent members working in this field.
According to Prabhu, the team has already submitted its proposal comprising of suggestions to the government and one of the many suggestions is that a Housing Regulatory Authority on the lines of MahaRERA be formed to look into disputes of co-operative housing societies and its members.
"Currently when there's a dispute between the members and the housing society the complaint is heard either in the co-operative court or the Consumer Forum. The suggestion of the team is that a Regulatory Authority must be formed, which will deal with disputes arising out of a co-operative society and it will be solved there itself," he said. Like MahaRERA the complaints will be heard within a time frame.
A dispute in a housing society can be related to leakage, parking and so on. Apart from this, Prabhu also said that the committee has suggested, mandatory election under the supervision of an election officer from the co-operative department should not be made a compulsion for societies that have less than 100 members.
Proposals are with government now and soon they will be put in black and white.
WHY THE CHANGE?
- Reason is a vast no. of co-operative housing societies and their further rise in future due to urbanisation
- Functioning & issues of such housing societies are different
- This step will make administration of these societies simple, distinct and consummative
