It is a common complaint in 90% societies that their society managing committee members and office bearers exploit them.
Unfortunately, not many people have the mettle to pick up a fight with society office bearers.
• An individual is often forced to buy peace even when the society office bearers ride roughshod over his rights.
• Some societies ask incoming members to sign undertakings that are not part of the byelaws.
• Others charge amounts disguised as Repair Fund, Corpus Fund, Donations etc. Most members buckle before their unreasonable demands.
• Society Office Bearers often use delaying tactics in General Body meetings to ensure that members get fed up and leave meetings before they put important resolutions to vote.
• Almost every Managing Committee member violates the law at some time or other but then use the influence of local politicians - who treat the society as a captive vote bank - and force authorities to overlook complaints against the office bearers.
• Few members who muster the courage to fight Managing Committee's get frustrated because they are fighting an unequal battle. While the individual is forced to spend every penny from his own pockets, the MC has a war chest of society funds at their disposal. Ironically, the society funds are used by office bearers to fight charges of corruption and misuse of funds against them.
• Many of the disputes in a cooperative society are rooted in the abject lack of awareness about rules governing housing societies.
• Residents pay thru their nose for maintenance and other charges but don't know how they are used.
• Office bearers give work to their favoured people or in some societies undertake work themselves thru different names.
• Most members don't know how to elicit information. Most are unaware that all documents, records and working of the MC of a CHS come under provisions of the RTI Act. Thru RTI queries, members can get information for further scrutiny, appeal or instructions.
• The right to access information or documents pertaining to society affairs like Bank transactions, tenders, work orders or contracts can be denied by MC for any reason.
Dayanand Nene
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