Irritated and exhausted by the no response from the registrar of cooperative societies, many cooperative group-housing societies in Dwarka have started a self-draw process. On July 2nd there was a demonstration held with that effect, in front of the office of the registrar of cooperative group housing societies.
There are thousands of members of cooperative group housing society who have already made full and final payments for their flats but are waiting for the registrar of cooperative group housing society to give clearance for allotment.
There were about 58 such societies, which were under enquiry and later were given clearance by the CBI. These society members have already submitted all their papers to the registrar office. But, these registrar officers have not hurried the process of allotment of flats. Even the high court had ordered the registrar officials to hurry the process but to no avail. All this fell on the deaf ears of the registrar of cooperative society.
Who has the time to acknowledge that there are such elderly members, who have retired from jobs and have been waiting for more than decade to get occupancy? Members are living in a rented accommodation, have taken two to three loans to pay their home loans, have family members to take care of but, no house of their own. Some members have expired in this long waiting period. All this falls in the deaf ears of the government.
There are societies that have completed construction and lying vacant for years. The members are bearing the burden of home loans and inflation.
The registrar officials are so used to fleecing the societies for money. There are societies that have paid under the table and yet no results. The registrar officials demands have skyrocketed to asking for one crore per society to give such clearance. The officials say that all the money goes to the top-level ministers and bureaucrats. So what other choice were these members left with but to go ahead for self-draw?
All this while it seems urban development minister Mr. Raj Kumar Chauhan has been sleeping, if he says that none of the societies approached him. And suddenly one day he woke up from his sleep and says that Delhi government has register a FIR against all such societies, who went for a self-draw are facing the threat to cut power and water supply in future. Well Mr. Minister if you could please cut the power and water supply to all un-authorized colonies in Delhi and then go around making such statements.
Most these society members are government officials, retired and pay their taxes to the government. Even those societies that went for self-draw are paying their electricity and water bills. All that these societies ask for is the allotment process to take place if the society has submitted their papers, and to regularize the self-draw societies.
The government is also playing hide and seek. Chief minister Mrs. Shiela Dixit had said that the process of allotment would be expedited. But, now her government has registered an FIR against the grieving societies. The government should stop basking in the glories of metro and flyovers around the city. They should pull up their socks, as the common educated mass cannot be fooled around with anymore.
Benita Toppo / Delhi.ozg.in
MP seeks L-G's intervention to resolve Dwarka flats issue / 19 Jan 2010
NEW DELHI: The Member of Parliament from West Delhi, Mahabal Mishra, has written to Delhi Lieutenant-Governor Tejendra Khanna seeking his intervention in the matter of allotment of thousands of cooperative group housing society flats to their owners in Dwarka.
Mr. Mishra has written that these residents have been denied the right to live in their own residential apartments despite clear directions by the courts.
"Way back in July 2007, the Delhi High Court had given a clean chit to a majority of the cooperative group housing societies in the now infamous group housing scam being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation. The clean chit was given after the submission of a proper investigation report by the CBI to the court which after satisfying itself with the contents of the probe gave the go-ahead to the Registrar of Societies, Delhi Government, to hold the draw of lots so that people could get possession of their houses at the earliest," he said.
However, the MP lamented that "unfortunately, even more than two and a half years [after] the court order, the Registrar of Cooperative Housing Society had failed to move on this front and take necessary action to hold the draw of lots for these thousands of affected families".
Mr. Mishra said it was also a human tragedy of sorts as most of the owners had taken loans for these properties and were paying their monthly instalments for these flats that still elude them. Also at the same time they were paying rentals for the houses they were presently staying in.
He therefore urged the L-G to convene a high-level meeting of the officials concerned for resolving the issue at the earliest.
Meanwhile, a member of the Baroda House Cooperative Group Housing Society, A. K. Bakshi, said various members were now tired of the legal hurdles and procedural delays that are coming in the way of allotment of the flats to the bona fide applicants. He claimed that there are High Court orders which support the need to allot flats to at least the members of those societies on which there are no objections. "But while we had got a favourable order for 57 such societies in 2007, till now no action has been initiated on it," he complained.
Earlier this month on two different occasions hundreds of members of cooperative group housing societies had conducted self-draws of these flats in Dwarka. However, the office of the Registrar of Cooperative Societies had declared that such draws that were taking place without submission of any forms or application and without adherence to due procedure were void ab initio. It had also lodged a complaint with the Deputy Commissioner of Police (South-West Delhi) against this illegal move.
The Registrar of Cooperative Societies has also written to the Delhi Development Authority to evict those illegally occupying any of these flats.
The Hindu / Feb14 2010
CM gives an assurance to housing societies' members
NEW DELHI: A delegation of the Association of Cooperative Group Housing Societies led by the Member of Parliament from West Delhi, Mahabal Mishra, met Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit over the weekend and urged her to help the residents of 79 housing societies of Dwarka get their flats.
The delegation, comprising nearly 30 members, informed the Chief Minister that it was due to the position taken by the Registrar of Cooperative Societies that they had not been able to get the flats, for which many of them had taken loans and are paying huge equated monthly instalments. Also, since they are unable to move into their flats, many of them are compelled to live in rented accommodation.
They said while their flats have been ready for many years now, they are unable to get possession despite having got favourable orders from the Delhi High Court in the past two years.
The housing society members said the apartments have also been suffering for lack of maintenance and now the allottees would have to spend several lakhs more before they are able to shift into the fast deteriorating buildings.
The Chief Minister gave the delegation a patient hearing and assured that an early solution would be found to the vexed issue. She said since the Registrar of Cooperative Societies gives a completely different picture of the situation, an open workshop would be convened in which she herself would be present along with Delhi Development Minister Raj Kumar Chauhan, Mr. Mishra, the Registrar of Cooperative Societies and office-bearers of various societies so that the issue could be discussed threadbare and an amicable solution be arrived at.
Mr. Mishra quoted the Chief Minister as saying that the proposed workshop would be convened soon so that the problems of the housing societies' members could be resolved. "Her reaction was quite positive and we are confident that a solution would be found soon to this long-pending issue," the MP said.
Hindustan Times / Self Draw In Dwarka / 28 June 2010
Frustrated with governmental apathy, owners of six more cooperative group housing societies (CGHS) in Dwarka carried out a draw of lots themselves for 625 flats in the presence of political leaders and the media on Sunday.
Together with these six societies, the number of such CGHSs in Dwarka that have opted for self draw of lots has risen to 18. The first such draw was held in January by the members of the Association of Suffering Members of Cooperative Group Housing Societies, Delhi.
More than 6,000 flats from 58 societies had been lying vacant in Dwarka since 2005, following court cases and a CBI investigation. After investigations were completed and a charge sheet filed, the High Court had directed the allotment of flats in August 2007 to owners of these societies. But the government did not move ahead with the allotment.
In January 2010, 11 societies decided to draw lots on three different days. One society had gone the same way three weeks ago.
Approximately 1,300 flats were allotted this way. Rattled by such a move, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit promised a 'single window' system to address the issue within one month. However, there has been no development since then.
Ashok Kumar, convener of the Association claimed, "The callous attitude and apathy of the government departments, mainly the Registrar of Cooperative Societies (RCS), is directly responsible for the civil disobedience movement by flat owners.
BJP to protest Delhi govt's action against Dwarka coop societies / PTI 30 June
Accusing Delhi Government of "despotic" behaviour, the BJP today said it will organise a protest on Friday against it for initiating punitive action against cooperative societies in Dwarka that held a self draw of lots for possession of flats.
Delhi BJP chief Vijender Gupta said it will stage the dharna in front of the office of the Registrar of Cooperative Societies to protest against the government move to register FIRs in this regard.
"The government is guilty in the case. When Congress MP Mahabal Mishra and other Congress leaders were present during the draw, then why FIR was not lodged against them but only the society members?" he said.
On Sunday, six group housing societies had held a self draw of lots to get possession of the flats which were lying vacant since 2005 following investigation by CBI and subsequent court cases.
Following the allegations, the Delhi High Court had asked the CBI to probe the irregularities in the group housing societies.
Gupta claimed that the Delhi Government did not conduct a draw of lots even after an order by Supreme Court in this regard.
On the government move to cancel water and power connection to the flats, Gupta described it as "inhuman and despotic behaviour".
He said more than 6,000 flats of 58 societies were still vacant since 2005. "People waiting for allotment are making requests to the government again and again," he said.
In February this year, representatives of the group housing societies met Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and sought her intervention in finding a solution to the deadlock relating to possession of their flats.
The chief minister had asked the societies to submit their relevant documents for completing the formalities. She had also assured them that the Registrar of Cooperative Societies (RCS) will process their case expeditiously.
Allotment of the flats in Dwarka cooperative group housing societies were delayed by several years as a CBI probe found that many societies were fake.
Some members of 10 different cooperative group housing societies (CGHS) had held their own draw in January this year, which the Registrar of Cooperative Societies had declared as null and void.
Flat owners to be booked for Dwarka draw
NEW DELHI: Delhi government seems to have made up its mind to crush the 'civil disobedience movement' which is gaining momentum in Dwarka with members of more cooperative group housing societies (CGHS) going for self-draws, ironically, for flats that they own. Urban development minister Raj Kumar Chauhan told TOI on Monday that FIRs will be lodged against those who conducted such self-draws and all those who participated in it. He threatened to cut their power and water connections.
Chauhan, who claimed that he and his government were keen to help the long-suffering members, said, "We will not tolerate this at any cost. Not only those who held the draw on Sunday will face the consequences but all others who have done so in the past too will face the music."
When asked whether his government would also initiate similar action against political leaders, including the Congress MP from West Delhi, Mahabal Mishra, for endorsing the draw, Chauhan said, "I will not comment on this. They must have some local political compulsion."
Chauhan claimed that only those societies were going for self-draw which have either misplaced their documents or are tainted by some scam. "They have not submitted papers. Without those documents, how can the registrar or the government forward their case for draw and allotment of flats? Not a single society has taken up its case with my office," he said.
However, those who have already opted for the self-draw said the issue of the registrar sitting on their files had been raised at a workshop convened by the chief minister, Sheila Dikshit, on February 18 this year. Chauhan was also present at that meeting. The CM had convened this workshop after some of the societies went for a similar self-draw for their flats in January, which had become an embarrassment for her government.
A release issued by the Association of Suffering Members of CGHS said the CM had given them the assurance that their grievances would be looked into on priority and that they would get a solution within a month. Nothing of that sort happened.
Said Rajendra Arya, co-convener of the association: "Are we outlaws? Have we gone against the country? The government is bound to provide everyone essential services. We have only moved to our homes for which we have paid. They are providing water supply to unauthorised colonies. How can they dare to cut our power and water connections?"
Times of India / 28 June 2010
